Denny Hamlin Earns NASCAR Cup Pole At Nashville

Denny Hamlin, seen here from an earlier race weekend, scored the pole for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway. Photo: James Gilbert/Getty Images

A great first lap and a sudden rainstorm were all Denny Hamlin needed to win the pole position for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway.

With his 23XI Racing team co-owner Michael Jordan watching the action, Hamlin was fastest in the first round of qualifying with a lap in 29.848 seconds (160.413 mph), and when an unexpected downpour forced cancelation of the final round, the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota earned the first starting position for the 17th event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule.

With the final round rained out, starting positions were determined by Round 1 speeds.

Hamlin edged Joey Logano (160.107 mph) for the pole by .057 seconds . Logano topped the chart in Group B after Hamlin was fastest in Group A.

The Busch Pole Award was Hamlin’s first at Nashville, his second of the season and the 35th of his career.

Defending race winner and reigning Cup Series champion Kyle Larson qualified third at 159.963 mph, followed by Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott at 159.931 mph. Daniel Suarez and Ryan Blaney qualified on row 3.

Bubba Wallace, who drives for Hamlin and Jordan at 23XI, was fast in practice but couldn’t back up his speed in time trials. Wallace will start 30th on Sunday.

“I told him (Jordan) he should have stayed in the bus,” Hamlin said with a chuckle. “He agreed. It’s pressure. There’s a lot of pressure when he’s out there.

“Bubba was fast. He blew by us and left us by a straightaway (Friday) in the first round of practice… When I saw him driving into turn 1 on TV (in qualifying), he carried a tremendous amount of speed, and obviously, it didn’t stick.”

Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Kyle Busch, didn’t complete a qualifying lap. He spun in turn 3 in round 1 and backed his No. 18 Toyota into the outside wall. Busch will start last (36th) on Sunday.

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Saturday’s Qualifying Results

Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed
1. 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Office Toyota 29.848 160.413
2. 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 29.905 160.107
3. 5 Kyle Larson HendrickCars.com Chevrolet 29.932 159.963
4. 9 Chase Elliott NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet 29.938 160.107
5. 99 Daniel Suarez Tootsies Orchid Lounge Chevrolet 29.948 159.877
6. 12 Ryan Blaney Advance Auto Parts Ford 29.950 159.867
7. 1 Ross Chastain Jockey Chevrolet 29.977 159.722
8. 4 Kevin Harvick Busch Light Apple Ford 29.989 159.659
9. 20 Christopher Bell DeWalt Toyota 30.070 159.228
10. 19 Martin Truex, Jr. Bass Pro Shops Toyota 30.074 159.207
11. 10 Aric Almirola Haas Automation Ford 29.999 159.605
12. 48 Alex Bowman Ally Music City Chevrolet 30.015 159.520
13. 24 William Byron Valvoline Chevrolet 30.021 159.488
14. 16 A.J. Allmendinger(i) Gold Fish Casino Slots Chevrolet 30.108 159.028
15. 17 Chris Buescher Fastenal Ford 30.120 158.964
16. 8 Tyler Reddick 3CHI Chevrolet 30.136 158.880
17. 41 Cole Custer Dixie Vodka Ford 30.140 158.859
18. 34 Michael McDowell Love’s Travel Stops Ford 30.142 158.848
19. 45 Kurt Busch Monster Energy Toyota 30.143 158.843
20. 3 Austin Dillon Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road 30.152 158.795
21. 31 Justin Haley LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet 30.253 158.265
22. 7 Corey LaJoie Schluter Systems Chevrolet 30.288 158.082
23. 43 Erik Jones FOCUSfactor Chevrolet 30.326 157.884
24. 2 Austin Cindric # Menards/Duracell Ford 30.360 157.708
25. 47 Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Kroger/Entenmann’s Chevrolet 30.407 157.464
26. 21 Harrison Burton # DEX Imaging Ford 30.471 157.133
27. 6 Brad Keselowski King’s Hawaiian Ford 30.472 157.128
28. 14 Chase Briscoe Mahindra Tractors Ford 30.475 157.112
29. 42 Ty Dillon Black Rifle Coffee Company Chevrolet 30.641 156.261
30. 23 Bubba Wallace Root Insurance Toyota 30.688 156.022
31. 51 Cody Ware Nurtec ODT Ford 30.863 155.137
32. 15 J.J. Yeley(i) Ford 30.876 155.072
33. 38 Todd Gilliland # Boot Barn Ford 30.952 154.691
34. 77 Josh Bilicki(i) Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet 31.091 154.000
35. 78 B.J. McLeod(i) Motorsport Games XBOX Ford 31.985 149.695
36. 18 Kyle Busch Pedigree Toyota 0.000 0.000