Denny Hamlin Dominates Qualifying at World Wide Technology Raceway
MADISON, Ill. – Denny Hamlin continues his impeccable streak in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, securing the pole position this Saturday at the World Wide Technology Raceway. This is Hamlin’s 46th pole in his career and the third of the season for the Joe Gibbs Racing star, who also led the qualifying in last week’s playoff opener at Darlington Raceway.Kyle Larson secured the second spot on the grid, alongside Hamlin, achieving his best qualifying result at the 1.25-mile oval east of St. Louis. Chase Briscoe qualified third, followed by Ross Chastain, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, and Austin Cindric, with the top nine positions being completed by the playoff drivers for Sunday’s 300-mile race at Gateway. This contrasts with the start of the playoffs at Darlington, where only four championship-eligible drivers finished in the top ten of the Southern 500, a historic low for an inaugural playoff race. One of the disappointments was Larson, whose 19th place at Darlington extended his five-race streak without a top five.“We made big adjustments from where we were in practice,” Hamlin commented, who recorded a lap at 139.190 mph aboard 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 the last position of the 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 starting spot at Gateway. It’s been a tough and inconsistent couple of months, so even qualifying well feels really good.”
Kyle Larson
