Denny Hamlin Dominates Qualifying at Gateway, Securing Pole Position
In a demonstration of consistency and skill, Denny Hamlin continues his perfect streak in NASCAR Cup Series qualifying. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver secured the pole position on Saturday at World Wide Technology Raceway, marking his third such achievement of the season. Hamlin, who also led the standings in the inaugural playoff race at Darlington Raceway, expressed his satisfaction with the adjustments made to his vehicle. “We made big adjustments since practice,” commented Hamlin, who achieved a lap at 139.190 mph with his number 11 Toyota. “Now we have an excellent position on the track and we just have to maintain it, and we’ll be in good shape.” Kyle Larson finished second, securing his first top-ten result in qualifying at the 1.25-mile oval east of St. Louis. Chase Briscoe took third place, followed by Ross Chastain, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, and Austin Cindric, thus completing the top nine positions with drivers competing in the playoffs for Sunday’s 300-mile race at Gateway.Alex Bowman, who has not managed to surpass 13th place at Gateway, qualified in 25th place, being the only playoff driver to start outside the top 20. Bowman shares the last position in the points standings among the 16 playoff drivers with Josh Berry, who qualified in 12th place.We’ve had some tough and inconsistent months, so even qualifying well feels really good.
Kyle Larson
