Hamlin, King of Pocono: Pole Position and Seeks His Eighth NASCAR Victory

The most winning driver in Pocono Raceway history, Denny Hamlin, secured the pole position for Sunday’s The Great American Getaway 400 race. The driver of the No. 11 Toyota from Joe Gibbs Racing will lead the starting grid in the NASCAR Cup Series race. Hamlin, with seven victories at Pocono, holds the historical record at this circuit. In addition, he has finished first or second in five of the last eight races on this unique three-turn, 2.5-mile track. Hamlin achieved a lap of 172.599 mph, surpassing Chris Buescher of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing in the No. 17 Ford by 0.083 seconds. Carson Hocevar of Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet), John Hunter Nemechek of Legacy Motor Club (Toyota), and Cole Custer of Haas Factory Team (Ford) completed the top five in the standings. This result marks a triumphant return for Hamlin, who has won three races this season and returns to competition after receiving a waiver from NASCAR, after missing the inaugural race in Mexico City to be present at the birth of his son.

We can usually improve from practice. We had good adjustments, so we didn’t really panic.

Denny Hamlin

Hamlin, who was not among the ten fastest drivers in the afternoon practice session, added with a smile:

And obviously, as I was a little more rested than the rest, I was able to demonstrate a little more speed.

Denny Hamlin

Also commented:

Every week we have a good opportunity to win and this team knows what I need from the car. The cars and tires have changed over time, but you can still make speed on this track the same way. I was able to execute it well in qualifying and that’s a good start for us.

Denny Hamlin

A highlight was the crash of William Byron, current leader of the NASCAR Cup Series championship, in his No. 24 Chevrolet at the end of the qualifying session. The team had to use a backup car for Sunday’s race, so Byron will start from the back of the grid. Hamlin’s JGR teammates, Chase Briscoe and Ty Gibbs, will start sixth and seventh respectively, while 23XI Racing Toyota’s Tyler Reddick (co-owned by Hamlin) was eighth fastest. JRG’s Christopher Bell will line up ninth and Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez will start in tenth. Six of the top ten cars were Toyotas. The winner of the previous race, Ryan Blaney, was the twentieth fastest with the No. 12 Ford from Team Penske.

Four drivers did not complete qualifying laps, including Reddick’s 23XI Racing teammate, Bubba Wallace, whose team pulled his car off the starting line just before his attempt. Wood Brothers’ Josh Berry, Rick Ware Racing’s Cody Ware, and NY Racing’s Brennan Poole also did not complete qualifying laps.