Truex tops a JGR 1-2-3 in Talladega qualifying draw

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By Kelly Crandall | June 18, 2020 4:34 PM ET

Joe Gibbs Racing will start 1-2-3 at Talladega Superspeedway this Sunday through the luck of the draw.

Martin Truex Jr. drew the pole and will lead the field to the green flag. Denny Hamlin will line up second, with Kyle Busch starting third. Hamlin and Busch are former Talladega winners.

The lineup is an ironic twist for the Toyota camp, which typically does not qualify well at superspeedway races. NASCAR has been using a random draw, in groups of 12, to set its starting lineup since on-track qualifying has been temporarily eliminated since the sport returned from a COVID-19-forced hiatus.

Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick will start fourth and fifth. Brad Keselowski will line up sixth with Kurt Busch seventh. Alex Bowman will start eighth, Joey Logano ninth, and Clint Bowyer rounds out the top 10. Busch and Bowman are the only two in that group who has yet to win at Talladega.

Defending race winner Chase Elliott drew the 11th starting spot. Ryan Blaney, who won at Talladega in the fall, will start 12th.

All 40 drivers entered in the GEICO 500 will run Sunday afternoon. Back in the field is Brendan Gaughan and Beard Motorsports with the No. 62 Chevrolet. Talladega will be Gaughan’s second start of the season as he wraps up his NASCAR career by running the four superspeedway races. He finished seventh in the Daytona 500 back in February.

Coverage of the GEICO 500 begins at 3 p.m. ET, Sunday.