This is the fourth pole position of the season and third road course pole – also at Sonoma, Calif. and Chicago Street Race – for Hamlin, whose No. 11 JGR Toyota turned a lap of 125.298 mph around the 3.45-mile, 11-turn course in picturesque upstate New York.
RELATED: Starting lineup | At-track photos: Watkins Glen "I feel confident in the speed of my car," said Hamlin, whose only NASCAR Cup Series road course win came at Watkins Glen in 2016. "I still think in the top 10, there's maybe seven better road course drivers overall putting all the laps together and speed. But I think track position is the biggest factor over all that, so it's up to me to make sure I execute at the beginning of the race and then set the tone from there, have good pit stops, have good strategy and let's see where we're at."Hamlin will start alongside Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron on the front row – besting Byron's mark in the No. 24 Hendrick Chevrolet by a slight 0.19 seconds. Last week's Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course winner Michael McDowell will start third, followed by Hamlin's JGR rookie teammate Ty Gibbs and Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson, the two-time defending winner at the track.
Kaulig Racing's AJ Allmendinger, Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell, 23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick, Richard Childress Racing's Kyle Busch and Spire Motorsports' Corey LaJoie rounded out the top 10. It's a career-best qualifying effort for LaJoie, who will roll off 10th in the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet.
Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott was among those that did not advance past the first round of qualifying. He was sixth fastest in Group A, with only the top five moving to the final round session, and his speed will place him 15th on Sunday's grid.
Elliott was understandably frustrated Saturday about his qualifying. With two regular-season races remaining, the former series champion will need to win a race to advance to his ninth-consecutive Playoffs. And Watkins Glen has been a productive venue for the 2021 champion. He won back-to-back races here in 2018-19. The 2018 victory was his first ever at the Cup Series level.
"Unfortunate," Elliott said of his qualifying run Saturday, noting he was very disappointed after having shown good pace in practice.
"Our prep coming in was really good," Elliott said. "[Teammate] William [Byron] had a lot of pace there, so that's good. Hopefully, I can figure out how to drive the vehicle faster.
"Daytona, to show up there [next week] and it be a must-win situation is like going to Vegas and having to hit the nearest slot machine for the jackpot," Elliott continued. "That's just silly. To me, this is opportunity we have the most control over and didn't have a very good start to the weekend, so it puts you in a tough spot.
"It's no one's fault but mine that we're in the spot we're in. Hate it, but it is what it is, and we'll fight tomorrow to the last lap, and hopefully, something will fall our way."
Bubba Wallace, who currently holds the final playoff transfer position, will start 12th. Daniel Suárez, who is in 17th place in the championship and 28 points behind Wallace, will start 14th.
Martin Truex Jr., who currently leads the NASCAR Cup Series standings by 60 points over Hamlin, will start 19th on Sunday.
AJ Allmendinger fastest during practice With a speed of 123.967 mph, Kaulig Racing's Allmendinger led the field during the final session. LaJoie, Byron, Larson and Bell rounded out the top five. MORE: Practice results Allmendinger's best circuit came on Lap 5, where he rounded the 2.45-mile road course in 71.148 seconds. Contributing: Staff Reports