Denny Hamlin Dominates Qualifying at World Wide Technology Raceway
MADISON, Ill. – Denny Hamlin demonstrated his supremacy in the NASCAR Cup Series qualifying by securing the pole position at the World Wide Technology Raceway. This marks the 46th pole position 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 secured the second spot on the grid, alongside Hamlin, marking his first top-ten result in qualifying at the 1.25-mile oval east of St. Louis. Chase Briscoe finished third, followed by Ross Chastain, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, and Austin Cindric. These playoff drivers occupied the top nine positions for Sunday’s 300-mile race at Gateway. This performance contrasts with the start of the playoffs in Darlington, where only four championship-eligible drivers finished in the top 10 in the Southern 500, a historic low for a playoff-opening race. Among the disappointments was Larson, whose 19th-place finish at Darlington continued a streak of five races without a top five.“We made big adjustments since practice,” Hamlin commented, who achieved 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 an excellent track position and we just have to keep it, and we’ll be in good shape.”
Denny Hamlin
Alex Bowman, who hasn’t finished above 13th 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 last place in 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 start at Gateway. It’s been a tough and inconsistent couple of months, so even qualifying well feels really good.”
Kyle Larson
