Denny Hamlin Claims Pole Position at Pocono Raceway

Denny Hamlin proved his mastery at Pocono Raceway by securing pole position — adding to his impressive record at the 2.5-mile circuit.

“Obviously, because I was a little more rested than the field right there, I was able to get a little more speed,” Hamlin joked.

The No. 11 Toyota driver — who has won seven races at Pocono — outpaced Chris Buescher from RFK Racing by 0.083 seconds. Carson Hocevar completed the top three, followed by John-Hunter Nemechek in fourth and Cole Custer in fifth.

Qualifying was marked by several incidents — four drivers failed to set times due to technical issues. William Byron crashed in the Tunnel Turn resulting in significant damage to his car. Meanwhile, Bubba Wallace faced problems when his car wouldn’t start during his qualifying attempt.

Hendrick Motorsports struggled with their best qualifier, Chase Elliott, only managing 18th position. Mexico City race winner Shane van Gisbergen will start from 23rd position.