Joe Gibbs Racing sweeps top three in New Hampshire qualifying
RELATED: Qualifying results
Denny Hamlin scooted to the Coors Light Pole Award in Saturday's NASCAR XFINITY Series qualifying at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Hamlin blasted to a fast lap of 131.026 mph, putting the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota in the first starting spot for Saturday's Lakes Region 200 (4 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM). His second pole position of the season was his first at the 1.058-mile track and his 18th in the XFINITY Series.
Kyle Busch posted the second-fastest lap in the No. 54 Toyota at 130.443 mph, more than a tenth of a second slower than his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate. Rookie Daniel Suarez clinched a 1-2-3 sweep for Gibbs-owned cars, pushing the No. 18 Toyota to the third-fastest lap at 130.238 mph.
Brad Keselowski drove the Team Penske No. 22 Ford to the fourth-fastest lap. Brian Scott completed the top five in the Richard Childress Racing No. 2 Chevrolet.
Sprint Cup regulars Busch and Keselowski have monopolized New Hampshire's Victory Lane in the last six XFINITY events. Busch swept from 2009-11 and added a 2013 win; Keselowski posted XFINITY wins at the relatively flat oval in 2012 and '14.
Ryan Sieg knocked Brennan Poole out of the final, five-minute round as the 12th and final driver above the cut line. XFINITY points leader Chris Buescher was also among those failing to make the final round, managing just the 20th-fastest lap in the 10-minute Round 2.
Brendan Gaughan was the final driver to make the 24-driver cut after the opening 20-minute round. He edged Cale Conley by .072 seconds to advance. The session was interrupted midway through when Matt Frahm spun in the No. 79 Chevrolet.