Denny Hamlin’s relationship with Pocono Raceway has long been one of the most successful in NASCAR. On Saturday, he added another reminder.
Hamlin captured the Busch Light Pole Award for Sunday’s Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA, continuing a remarkable run of success at the Tricky Triangle and putting himself in prime position for another strong result.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver posted a lap of 51.948 seconds at 173.250 mph to secure the top starting spot. The pole is Hamlin’s sixth at Pocono Raceway and the 51st of his NASCAR Cup Series career.
While plenty can happen over 400 miles on Sunday, Hamlin once again proved why his name is almost always part of the conversation whenever NASCAR visits northeastern Pennsylvania.
Hamlin Edges Larson for Top Spot
The qualifying session featured several heavy hitters near the top of the speed chart.
Kyle Larson came closest to knocking Hamlin off the pole, turning a lap of 173.067 mph to earn the outside spot on the front row.
Daniel Suárez qualified third, followed by Ty Gibbs and Chase Briscoe to round out the top five.
Chris Buescher, Erik Jones, John Hunter Nemechek, William Byron and Ryan Blaney completed the top 10.
Top-10 Qualifying Results
- Denny Hamlin â 173.250 mph
- Kyle Larson â 173.067 mph
- Daniel Suárez â 172.881 mph
- Ty Gibbs â 172.771 mph
- Chase Briscoe â 172.639 mph
- Chris Buescher â 172.493 mph
- Erik Jones â 172.450 mph
- John Hunter Nemechek â 172.160 mph
- William Byron â 171.982 mph
- Ryan Blaney â 171.867 mph
The front row sets up an intriguing matchup between Hamlin and Larson, two of the sport’s biggest stars and two drivers capable of contending for the victory when the green flag drops Sunday afternoon.
Several Drivers Encounter Trouble
Not everyone left qualifying satisfied.
Carson Hocevar made contact with the outside wall exiting Turn 2 while attempting to maximize speed in the No. 77 Chevrolet. Moments later, Bubba Wallace spun and hit the inside wall in the same corner, damaging the front end of his No. 23 Toyota.
Brad Keselowski also encountered problems when an engine issue disrupted his qualifying effort in the No. 6 Ford.
Those setbacks leave several notable names facing an uphill climb when the race begins.
For Hamlin, however, Saturday served as another reminder of why Pocono has become one of the defining tracks of his career. He already owns multiple victories at the 2.5-mile triangle, and now he’ll have the best seat in the house when Sunday’s race gets underway.
With Larson alongside him and a host of contenders close behind, Hamlin’s latest pole-winning performance sends a clear message to the rest of the garage: if anyone wants to win at Pocono, they’ll likely have to go through the No. 11 Toyota first.
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