CHICAGO – On his final attempt late in Saturday’s final round of time trials, Denny Hamlin knocked three-time Australian Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen off the provisional pole for the first street course race in NASCAR Cup Series history.
Speeding around the 2.2-mile, 12-turn Chicago Street Course in 88.435 seconds (89.557 mph) in his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Hamlin earned the right to lead the field to the green flag in Sunday’s Grant Park 220 (5 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).
MORE: Starting lineup | At-track photos: Chicago
“It’s a lot of fun when you can have days like today,” said Hamlin, who claimed his third Busch Light Pole Award of the season and the 39th of his career. “Obviously, our Yahoo Camry is just super strong. I like where we’re at.”
Running behind Hamlin on his final attempt, Tyler Reddick, who drives for Hamlin and former NBA superstar Michael Jordan at 23XI Racing, earned the second starting spot at 89.513 mph (88.479 seconds).
Van Gisbergen qualified third at 89.305 mph, followed by Christopher Bell (88.765 mph) and Daniel Suárez (88.668 mph).
For a race where track position is certain to be a major issue, Michael McDowell will start sixth, followed by Kyle Larson, 2009 Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button, Joey Logano and AJ Allmendinger.
Van Gisbergen survived a pressure situation just to make the final round. Like a pole vaulter who passes until the height reaches 18 feet, he didn’t start his first-round lap until fewer than six minutes remained in the session.
As van Gisbergen started his first attempt, Chase Elliott stayed close behind the New Zealander, maintaining a strong pace of his own until the entry to the Carousel (Turns 8 and 9). Elliott missed the corner and slammed nose-first into one of the 10,000-pound concrete barriers where the course transitions from the southbound lane of Michigan Avenue.
“I just made a mistake,” Elliott said. “Turned in too soon, clipped the wall on the right and then hit the wall on the left.”
NASCAR red-flagged the session with 3 minutes, 33 seconds left, nullifying van Gisbergen’s lap. But the Kiwi had time to run another lap and was second to Hamlin in the Group B session of Round 1.
Elliott will have to start from the rear of the field, where he’ll be joined by Kevin Harvick, who crashed in Turn 1, knocking two barriers out of position, as time expired in the round.
“We were going to be back there anyway,” said Harvick, who was slow in both practice and qualifying.
Points leader Martin Truex Jr. will start 11th on Sunday, while the series’ most recent winner, Ross Chastain, will start 34th.
PRACTICE
Three-time Australian Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen turned the fastest lap in NASCAR Cup Series practice for the inaugural Chicago Street Race on Saturday afternoon.
The debut circuits for the series on a street course were also van Gisbergen’s first in Cup competition, pacing the field at 88.572 mph in the No. 91 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, part of the team’s Project 91 initiative, which aims to seat motorsports’ most accomplished racers from other disciplines in a top-tier Cup entry.
RELATED: Full practice results
Denny Hamlin was second in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota at 88.263 mph ahead of Jenson Button’s No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford (88.261 mph), Martin Truex Jr.’s No. 19 JGR Toyota (88.152 mph) and Christopher Bell’s No. 20 JGR Toyota (87.934 mph).
Completing the top 10 in single-lap speeds were Kyle Larson, Corey LaJoie, Tyler Reddick, Ty Gibbs and Brad Keselowski.
Eighteen cars ran enough laps to register a 10-lap average, paced by Hamlin at 87.581 mph. He was followed by teammates Truex and Bell ahead of Todd Gilliland’s No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford and Kyle Busch’s No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.
The session saw trouble for four drivers Saturday. William Byron was the first to find issues exiting Turn 4, contacting the outside wall and breaking a left-rear toe link that the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team was able to fix. Austin Cindric found trouble in the same location, sliding into the wall before spinning his No. 2 Team Penske Ford sideways across the roadway. Justin Haley’s No. 31 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet slid into the tire barriers exiting Turn 4 with minimal left-rear damage.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. made hard contact with the temporary barriers entering Turn 8 at the Congress Plaza loop. The No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet hit the inside wall upon entry and darted left into the outside wall.
Contributing: Staff reports