We have reached the Contender Round of the 2015 NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup, with 12 drivers still alive for the title. The Bank of America 500 on Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway is the fourth of 10 races in the NASCAR playoffs, and the first of three races in this round that will see four more drivers get eliminated.
NASCAR Charlotte 2015: Lineup, starting grid for Bank of America 500
Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports
Matt Kenseth will start on Saturday night in the pole position with a top qualifying speed of 194.532 mph on Thursday. He won one of the three races in the Challenger Round, putting him in the current round, but none of those points carry over. All 12 drivers still alive start over again at 3,000 points.
The bottom four drivers in points after Charlotte, Kansas City and Talladega will be eliminated.
Kevin Harvick stayed alive in the Chase for the Sprint Cup with a win last week in Dover, and will look to win the Bank of America 500 for a second straight year. Harvick starts in 11th position on Saturday night.
NBCSN will provide pre-race coverage at 6 p.m. ET, with race coverage beginning at 7 p.m. and the green flag at approximately 7:21 p.m. Rick Allen will call the race alongside analysts Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte, with pit reporters Marty Snider, Mike Massaro, Kelli Stavast and Dave Burns.
Fans can follow along with NBC Sports Live Extra.
Bank of America 500 starting grid
Drivers still alive in the Chase for the Sprint Cup in bold
| Position | Driver | Make | Speed |
| 1 | Matt Kenseth | Toyota | 194.532 |
| 2 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | 193.154 |
| 3 | Joey Logano | Ford | 193.023 |
| 4 | Greg Biffle | Ford | 192.947 |
| 5 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | 192.912 |
| 6 | Kurt Busch | Chevrolet | 192.610 |
| 7 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | 192.507 |
| 8 | Carl Edwards | Toyota | 192.438 |
| 9 | Aric Almirola | Ford | 192.226 |
| 10 | Ryan Newman | Chevrolet | 192.041 |
| 11 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | 191.415 |
| 12 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Chevrolet | 190.624 |
| 13 | Brad Keselowski | Ford | 191.618 |
| 14 | Austin Dillon | Chevrolet | 191.605 |
| 15 | Martin Truex, Jr. | Chevrolet | 191.056 |
| 16 | Ryan Blaney | Ford | 191.056 |
| 17 | A.J. Allmendinger | Chevrolet | 190.907 |
| 18 | Sam Hornish, Jr. | Ford | 190.819 |
| 19 | David Ragan | Toyota | 190.483 |
| 20 | Kasey Kahne | Chevrolet | 190.436 |
| 21 | Casey Mears | Chevrolet | 190.382 |
| 22 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 189.947 |
| 23 | Clint Bowyer | Toyota | 189.640 |
| 24 | Danica Patrick | Chevrolet | 188.607 |
| 25 | Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. | Ford | 189.900 |
| 26 | Paul Menard | Chevrolet | 189.813 |
| 27 | Alex Bowman | Chevrolet | 189.221 |
| 28 | Justin Allgaier | Chevrolet | 188.640 |
| 29 | David Gilliland | Ford | 188.521 |
| 30 | Jamie McMurray | Chevrolet | 188.501 |
| 31 | Kyle Larson | Chevrolet | 187.833 |
| 32 | Michael McDowell | Ford | 187.337 |
| 33 | Trevor Bayne | Ford | 187.246 |
| 34 | Landon Cassill | Chevrolet | 187.220 |
| 35 | J.J. Yeley | Toyota | 187.214 |
| 36 | Tony Stewart | Chevrolet | 186.754 |
| 37 | Brett Moffitt | Ford | 186.587 |
| 38 | Michael Annett | Chevrolet | 186.580 |
| 39 | Cole Whitt | Ford | 186.059 |
| 40 | Matt DiBenedetto | Toyota | 185.784 |
| 41 | Jeb Burton | Toyota | 185.198 |
| 42 | Reed Sorenson | Ford | 184.187 |
| 43 | Alex Kennedy | Chevrolet | 182.174 |
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