Denny Hamlin Dominates Qualifying at Gateway, Securing Pole Position
In a demonstration of consistency and speed, Denny Hamlin remained undefeated in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings, securing the pole position for the race at World Wide Technology Raceway. This is the 46th pole of his career and the third of the season for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver, who also led the standings in last week’s playoff race at Darlington Raceway.Kyle Larson qualified in second place, alongside Hamlin, achieving his first top-ten result at the 1.25-mile track east of St. Louis. Chase Briscoe secured the third position on the starting grid, followed by Ross Chastain, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, and Austin Cindric. These nine drivers, all competing in the playoffs, took the top spots for Sunday’s 300-mile race at Gateway. This classification marks a notable contrast to the start of the playoffs in Darlington, where only four championship-eligible drivers finished in the top ten in the Southern 500, a historic low for a playoff opening race. Among the less favorable results, Kyle Larson, with his 19th place at Darlington, extended his streak to five races without finishing in the top five.“We made some excellent adjustments from where we were in practice,” Hamlin stated, who completed a lap at 139.190 mph in his No. 11 Toyota. “That’s what they did so well last week for qualifying. Now we have a great track position and we just have to maintain it, and we’ll be in good shape.”
Denny Hamlin
Alex Bowman, who has not achieved a result higher than 13th place at Gateway, qualified in 25th place, being the only playoff driver to start outside the top 20. Bowman is tied with Josh Berry (who qualified 12th) in the last position of the points standings among the 16 playoff drivers.“I think our team needs it more than anything,” said the 2021 Cup champion. “We haven’t been able to celebrate much, so we’ll definitely celebrate a front-row spot at Gateway. It’s been a tough, inconsistent couple of months, so even qualifying well feels really good.”
Kyle Larson
