Perhaps not too surprisingly, Pocono Raceway’s all-time winningest driver, Denny Hamlin, was fastest on Saturday to earn pole position for Sunday’s The Great American Getaway 400 (2 p.m. ET, Prime Video, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Hamlin’s No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota will take the green flag to start the NASCAR Cup Series race, and historically speaking, no one has led the field to more checkered flags; his seven wins at Pocono are the most in history. And he’s finished first or second in five of the last eight races on the 2.5-mile, unique three-turn track.
RELATED: Starting lineup | At-track photos: PoconoHamlin’s lap of 172.599 mph was .083-second faster than RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher in the No. 17 Ford. Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar (Chevrolet), Legacy Motor Club’s John Hunter Nemechek (Toyota) and Haas Factory Team’s Cole Custer (Ford) rounded out the top five in qualifying.
It marks a big return for the season’s three-time race winner Hamlin, who is back on the grid after receiving a waiver from NASCAR, missing last weekend’s inaugural race in Mexico City to be home for the birth of his son.
“We typically can step up from practice," said Hamlin, who was not even among the top-10 fastest drivers in the afternoon’s practice session. “We had good adjustments, so never really panicked too much.
“And obviously because I was a little more rested than the rest of the field right there, I was able to show a little more speed," he added with a smile and nod to missing last week’s race.
“Every week we have a good shot to win and this team just knows what I need out of the car. The cars and tires have changed over time, but you still make speed at this track the same way. I was able to execute there in qualifying and that’s a good start for us."
Of note, the current Cup Series championship leader, Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron, crashed his No. 24 Chevrolet late in the qualifying session.
WATCH: Byron hits wall during qualifyingHamlin’s JGR teammates, Chase Briscoe and Ty Gibbs, will start sixth and seventh and Tyler Reddick, who drives the 23XI Racing Toyota co-owned by Hamlin, was eighth fastest. JRG’s Christopher Bell will line up ninth on the grid, and Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez will roll off 10th. Six of the top-10 cars were Toyotas.
Defending race winner, Ryan Blaney, was 20th quickest in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford.
Four drivers did not make qualifying runs, including Reddick’s 23XI teammate Bubba Wallace, whose team rolled his car off the line just before his run. Wood Brothers’ Josh Berry, Rick Ware Racing’s Cody Ware and NY Racing’s Brennan Poole also did not make qualifying laps.
PRACTICE Before crashing on his qualifying lap, Byron put down the fastest single lap in Saturday's practice session at 170.758 mph. Bubba Wallace (170.032 mph), Chase Elliott (169.885 mph), Tyler Reddick (169.766 mph) and Chris Buescher (169.667 mph) rounded out the top five. The No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports driver also topped the board in five- and 10-lap averages at the 2.5-mile Pennsylvania circuit. Christopher Bell's No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota suffered a mechanical issue before hitting the track in Group B's 25-minute session and only put down three laps, landing 13th on the practice board.