Hamlin Scores the Pole in Homestead

Denny Hamlin will lead the field to the green flag for Sunday’s race. The driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota won the pole with a time of 30.568 and a speed of 176.655 mph.

He commented after qualifying, saying, “Well, our car is really fast. It’s been fast all day. It was fast in race trim. We didn’t make any qualifying runs until those three sessions and we kept getting faster (than) everyone. I’m pretty optimistic. And sitting back here and watching Jeff talk and everything, it’s like, man, you know, I thought about it before, but I didn’t think about like how awesome it would be to win his final race. No disrespect to him, but man, that would be awesome to win his final race. I hope he finishes third behind Kyle.”

Team Penske’s Joey Logano will join him on the front row with a time of 30.636 and a speed of 176.263 mph.

Logano said that his qualifying effort “was not quite fast enough. It felt like after practice we didn’t get a qualifying run before the rain and it was an unknown to us. My team did a good job with the changeover to qualifying trim though and I am proud of what my team was able to do there, just wish we were a little faster in that third round.”

Kyle Busch will start his No. 18 JGR Toyota in fourth with a time of 30.671 and a speed of 176.062 mph.

“We certainly got a good qualifying run there,” Busch said. “Real proud of Adam and the guys for not making any qualifying runs. They did a good job of getting a good guess at what we needed to go out there and qualify with.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t just a tick better, but we were kind of on edge there a little bit, but overall pleased with the speed and the way that we placed right there.”

Ryan Newman will start his No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet in fourth with a time of 30.796 and a speed of 175.347 mph.

Jeff Gordon rounded out the top-five in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with a time of 30.806 and a speed of 175.291 mph.

Gordon stated that he’s “having a blast. It’s a win-win no matter what happens. When it goes the way it went in qualifying…man, that’s fun. How could I not be having the time of my life? We have a very strong race car in this Axalta Chevrolet, obviously, because to be able to do that the next couple of runs; I’m pretty proud of those laps. I had to make up to this team what I did on the first run, so I was glad I was able to make it up. It’s pretty awesome to get top five. I’m really happy and proud of that.”

Ryan Blaney, Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Austin Dillon rounded out the top-10.

Kevin Harvick was bounced from the final round in round 2 and will start 13th but said that he’ll “work on finding some more speed in practice tomorrow.”

Jeb Burton and Reed Sorenson failed to make the race.

Complete Starting Lineup:

POS. CAR # DRIVER BEST SPEED BEST TIME BEHIND
1 11 Denny Hamlin 176.655 30.568 Leader
2 22 Joey Logano 176.263 30.636 0.068
3 18 Kyle Busch 176.062 30.671 0.103
4 31 Ryan Newman 175.347 30.796 0.228
5 24 Jeff Gordon 175.291 30.806 0.238
6 21 Ryan Blaney 175.143 30.832 0.264
7 19 Carl Edwards 175.063 30.846 0.278
8 2 Brad Keselowski 175.046 30.849 0.281
9 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr 174.678 30.914 0.346
10 3 Austin Dillon 174.633 30.922 0.354
11 78 Martin Truex Jr 174.498 30.946 0.378
12 48 Jimmie Johnson 174.098 31.017 0.449
13 4 Kevin Harvick 175.444 30.779 0.211
14 43 Aric Almirola 175.404 30.786 0.218
15 41 Kurt Busch 175.365 30.793 0.225
16 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr 175.279 30.808 0.24
17 27 Paul Menard 175.239 30.815 0.247
18 5 Kasey Kahne 175.239 30.815 0.247
19 20 Matt Kenseth 175.211 30.82 0.252
20 47 AJ Allmendinger 174.859 30.882 0.314
21 16 Greg Biffle 174.419 30.96 0.392
22 1 Jamie McMurray 174.34 30.974 0.406
23 42 Kyle Larson 174.059 31.024 0.456
24 15 Clint Bowyer 172.651 31.277 0.709
25 33 Ty Dillon 174.848 30.884 0.316
26 6 Trevor Bayne 174.115 31.014 0.446
27 13 Casey Mears 173.829 31.065 0.497
28 9 Sam Hornish Jr 173.723 31.084 0.516
29 95 Michael McDowell 173.65 31.097 0.529
30 51 Justin Allgaier 173.399 31.142 0.574
31 26 J.J. Yeley 173.199 31.178 0.61
32 32 Josh Wise 172.833 31.244 0.676
33 7 Alex Bowman 172.75 31.259 0.691
34 40 Landon Cassill 172.618 31.283 0.715
35 10 Danica Patrick 172.463 31.311 0.743
36 14 Tony Stewart 172.276 31.345 0.777
37 83 Matt DiBenedetto 172.188 31.361 0.793
38 55 David Ragan 171.914 31.411 0.843
39 46 Michael Annett 171.597 31.469 0.901
40 35 Cole Whitt 171.434 31.499 0.931
41 38 David Gilliland 171.162 31.549 0.981
42 34 Brett Moffitt 170.989 31.581 1.013
43 98 Ryan Preece 169.966 31.771 1.203

 

 

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SpeedwayMedia.com

Tucker White
Tucker White
I've followed NASCAR for well over 20 years of my life, both as a fan and now as a member of the media. As of 2024, I'm on my ninth season as a traveling NASCAR beat writer. For all its flaws and dumb moments, NASCAR at its best produces some of the best action you'll ever see in the sport of auto racing. Case in point: Kyle Larson's threading the needle pass at Darlington Raceway on May 9, 2021. On used-up tires, racing on a worn surface and an aero package that put his car on the razor's edge of control, Larson demonstrated why he's a generational talent. Those are the stories I want to capture and break down. In addition to NASCAR, I also follow IndyCar and Formula 1. As a native of Knoxville, Tennessee, and a graduate of the University of Tennessee, I'm a diehard Tennessee Volunteers fan (especially in regards to Tennessee football). If covering NASCAR doesn't kill me, down the road, watching Tennessee football will. I'm also a diehard fan of the Atlanta Braves, and I lived long enough to see them win a World Series for the first time since 1995 (when I was just a year old). I've also sworn my fan allegiance to the Nashville Predators, though that's not paid out as much as the Braves. Furthermore, as a massive sports dork, I follow the NFL on a weekly basis. Though it's more out of an obligation than genuine passion (for sports dorks, following the NFL is basically an unwritten rule). Outside of sports, I'm a major cinema buff and a weeb. My favorite film is "Blazing Saddles" and my favorite anime is "Black Lagoon."

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