NASCAR Atlanta Lineup: Starting Order, Pole for Ambetter Health 400 based on qualifying results

The NASCAR Cup Series is heading south for its fifth round of the 2023 regular season, the Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Atlanta, both past and present, has proven to be a launching pad for some of NASCAR’s best drivers. It seems to be a place where stars are born.

William Byron captured his second checkered flag of the Cup Series in Atlanta last year. He lit up the circuit and heads into this weekend’s race with back-to-back wins in Las Vegas and Phoenix.

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And although Byron sits 29th overall – he, Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman were each docked 100 regular season points and 10 playoff points after NASCAR found that Hendrick Motorsports had illegally modified their cars’ hood louvers – 25th place seems -year-old a bet like any other to compete on the 1.54-mile oval.

But will Byron win? That’s everyone’s guess. A better success factor: the results of Saturday’s qualifying, which determine the pole-sitter for Sunday’s race.

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So here’s what you need to know about the starting order for Sunday’s race.

Who Won Poles for the Ambetter Health 400 in 2023?

Joey Logano took pole on the final qualifying lap on Saturday, tearing around the track at an average speed of 177.734mph. This is his 28th career pole, his second of the season and his second in Atlanta. His first pole at the track came in 2015.

The top eight spots in the field belong to Ford cars: three each from Team Penske and Stewart-Haas Racing and two from RFK Racing.

“I hope it carries over to the race,” Logano said, per NASCAR.com. “I think it’s pretty obvious at this point across the field where certain manufacturers have gone over the off-season with some of their changes to the noses and whatnot. It’s pretty obvious that this is sort of our wheelhouse – when it comes to superspeedways or bigger race tracks like Fontana, Michigan, Atlanta, Talladega, Daytona. I think these will probably be our strongest circuits and today showed that again.”

Ambetter Health 400 starting lineup 2023

Team Penske drivers Joey Logano and Austin Cindric will be on the front row based on qualifying results for Sunday’s race. Fellow Penske rider Ryan Blaney qualified third for the race.

Josh Berry will reprise his role in Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 9 car, replacing Chase Elliott who is recovering from surgery to repair a leg injury he sustained in a snowboarding accident in Colorado.