NASCAR's new rainout qualifying procedure was put to use for the first time ever on Saturday, after persistent rains washed out the Sprint Cup Series qualifying session. The lineup was set based on practice speeds from Friday's two sessions (in the past, rained-out qualifying meant a field set by points).

Jimmie Johnson will start from the No. 1 spot – although it doesn't count as an "official" pole in the record books – and AJ Allmendinger, who has been strong at Dover but never won a NASCAR race, is the No. 2 starter.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne and Joey Logano round out the top five.

Though the starting field was set via practice speeds, the rulebook determined which drivers qualified for the race. Scott Riggs, whose No. 81 team had no owner points, was sent home.

2011 NASCAR Dover starting lineup for Sunday's FedEx 400:

1. Jimmie Johnson
2. AJ Allmendinger
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
4. Kasey Kahne
5. Joey Logano
6. Kurt Busch
7. Kyle Busch
8. Martin Truex Jr.
9. Brad Keselowski
10. Kevin Harvick
11. Regan Smith
12. Greg Biffle
13. Carl Edwards
14. David Ragan
15. Brian Vickers
16. Jeff Burton
17. David Reutimann
18. Marcos Ambrose
19. Juan Pablo Montoya
20. Paul Menard
21. Jeff Gordon
22. Clint Bowyer
23. Bobby Labonte
24. Matt Kenseth
25. Mark Martin
26. Denny Hamlin
27. Tony Stewart
28. Ryan Newman
29. David Gilliland
30. Casey Mears
31. Jamie McMurray
32. Landon Cassill
33. Mike Bliss
34. Scott Wimmer
35. Dave Blaney
36. Michael McDowell
37. Andy Lally
38. JJ Yeley
39. Mike Skinner
40. David Stremme
41. Travis Kvapil
42. Joe Nemechek
43. Tony Raines