Unfortunately, rain showers and lightning prevented NASCAR from holding Cup Series qualifying on Saturday morning. Instead, the metric will set the starting lineup. The system was slightly altered for 2026, so now it's just an average of the car's place in the owner standings (30%), and the entry's finish in the most recent race (70%).
As a result, championship leader and Daytona 500 winner Tyler Reddick will start from pole position on Sunday, and the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota granted the preferred pit box for the second race of the 2026 season. Joey Logano, who won his Duel race and finished third (while crashing) in the 500, will join him on the front row in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will start third, Chase Elliott fourth, and Brad Keselowski fifth. Zane Smith, Chris Buescher, Riley Herbst, Bubba Wallace, and Josh Berry will fill out the remainder of the top ten.
Some notables starting outside the top 20 include Ross Chastain in 21st, Ryan Blaney 22nd, Ryan Preece 26th, Shane van Gisbergen 28th, Denny Hamlin 29th, Austin Cindric 30th, Connor Zilisch 31st, Christopher Bell 32nd, Chase Briscoe 34th, and Alex Bowman 36th.
Full starting lineup for NASCAR Cup at Atlanta
| Pos. | Driver |
| 1 | Tyler Reddick |
| 2 | Joey Logano |
| 3 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 4 | Chase Elliott |
| 5 | Brad Keselowski |
| 6 | Zane Smith |
| 7 | Chris Buescher |
| 8 | Riley Herbst |
| 9 | Bubba Wallace |
| 10 | Josh Berry |
| 11 | Noah Gragson |
| 12 | Daniel Suarez |
| 13 | William Byron |
| 14 | Kyle Busch |
| 15 | Carson Hocevar |
| 16 | Kyle Larson |
| 17 | Ty Dillon |
| 18 | Cody Ware |
| 19 | AJ Allmendinger |
| 20 | Michael McDowell |
| 21 | Ross Chastain |
| 22 | Ryan Blaney |
| 23 | Erik Jones |
| 24 | John-Hunter Nemechek |
| 25 | Ty Gibbs |
| 26 | Ryan Preece |
| 27 | Cole Custer |
| 28 | Shane van Gisbergen |
| 29 | Denny Hamlin |
| 30 | Austin Cindric |
| 31 | Connor Zilisch |
| 32 | Christopher Bell |
| 33 | Austin Dillon |
| 34 | Chase Briscoe |
| 35 | Todd Gilliland |
| 36 | Alex Bowman |
| 37 | BJ McLeod |
| 38 | JJ Yeley |
