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Denny Hamlin Wins Pole for NASCAR Cup Series Race at Chicagoland Speedway
Denny Hamlin recorded a lap of 30.296 seconds to take the pole for Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series event at the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway. He enters the race as the series points leader by one point.
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Denny Hamlin won the pole for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway on July 4 with a lap of 30.296 seconds at 178.241 miles per hour. Kyle Larson finished second, 0.001 seconds behind. Hamlin said the result came after the final 12 drivers encountered similar conditions on a track sensitive to temperature changes.
He added that his target entering the session had been 12th place. Hamlin qualified early in the session after finishing 26th the prior week at Sonoma. The pole marks Hamlin's fourth of the 2026 season and the 52nd of his Cup Series career.
It is the fifth straight season in which he has secured at least three poles. He leads the points standings by one point over Tyler Reddick. Larson starts second, followed by Chris Buescher in third, Brad Keselowski in fourth and Ty Gibbs in fifth.
Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, Bubba Wallace, Chase Elliott and William Byron round out the top 10. Reddick qualified 13th, Ryan Blaney 14th and Carson Hocevar 15th. JJ Yeley posted the slowest time at 31.969 seconds and will start 36th.
Cody Ware and Michael McDowell did not record times and will start 37th and 38th. The eero 400 is scheduled to begin shortly after 6 p.m. ET on July 5.
