Denny Hamlin laid the groundwork for toppling a NASCAR giant while dominoes involving several other Sprint Cup drivers were teetering Friday at Martinsville Speedway.
Hamlin captured the pole position for Sunday’s Tums Fast Relief 500 with a 97.018-mph lap. With his second pole at Martinsville and the ninth of his career, the Chesterfield, Va., native backed up his bold predictions to keep four-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson on the defensive this weekend.
Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing team focused solely on a qualifying setup Friday to ensure his No. 11 Toyota would top Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet. USA Today
“I feel like, if I can out-qualify the No. 48 [Johnson], I can potentially keep him from leading one lap,” Hamlin said after the practice session that preceded qualifying. “We spent all day working on qualifying trying to get the pole—trying to get that first pit stall, because, obviously, we do feel like it’s very important.
“I think it’s going to be key for me to try to out-qualify the No. 48, not worry about him specifically, but get the best lap out of my car and if I’m ahead of the No. 48 then I could possibly set the tone in whether he leads a lap or not. That’s a 10-point swing. That’s a little bit of it. It all starts [Friday], and that’s where our strategy’s at. Other than that, I plan on trying to go out there and lead the most laps and win the race—just like everyone else is.”
Hamlin’s speed of 97.018 miles an hour barely edged Marcos Ambrose, who qualified at 97.003.
Greg Biffle (96.988 mph) will start third, followed by Ryan Newman (96.973 mph) and Juan Montoya (96.959 mph). Kevin Harvick, 77 points behind Johnson and the only driver other than Hamlin within 156 points of the Chase lead, will start 36th. NASCAR.com
Ambrose said he felt lucky after spinning in practice and not damaging his car.
“I’m excited to be in the front row,” he said. “I’m going to stay there as long as I can.”
Biffle, who is eighth in points, almost lost control of his car on his warmup lap.
“That was pretty good considering I almost wrecked,” he said.
Jeff Gordon, who is fourth in points and 156 behind Johnson, will start 11th. The Canadian Press
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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville - Race Line-Up
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