Denny Hamlin’s wish came true—what’s left is for the second-place driver in the Chase to maximize his advantage in Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway.
Hamlin, who has won the past two races at Martinsville, claimed his second career pole at the .526-mile short track during Friday’s qualifying session. The pole is Hamlin’s second of the season and the ninth of his career.
Hamlin posted a lap at 97.018 mph to edge Marcos Ambrose (97.003 mph) for the top starting spot. NASCAR.com
Johnson qualified 19th, and Kevin Harvick, who is third in points, was 36th.
“Odds are the 48’s not going to stay where he’s at and the 29’s not going to stay where he’s at,” Hamlin said. “As soon as the green flag drops, those guys are going to be coming.”
Greg Biffle and Ryan Newman will start in the second row, with Juan Pablo Montoya and Tony Stewart in the third row and Carl Edwards and David Reutimann in the fourth. The Canadian Press
POS CAR DRIVER MAKE 1 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 2 47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota 3 16 Greg Biffle Ford 4 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 5 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 6 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 7 99 Carl Edwards Ford 8 0 David Reutimann Toyota 9 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 10 6 David Ragan Ford 11 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 12 98 Paul Menard Ford 13 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet 14 82 Scott Speed Toyota 15 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford 16 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 17 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 18 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 19 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 20 13 Casey Mears Toyota 21 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet 22 20 Joey Logano Toyota 23 9 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet 24 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge 25 12 Brad Keselowski Dodge 26 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 27 38 Travis Kvapil Ford 28 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 29 2 Kurt Busch Dodge 30 164 Landon Cassill Toyota 31 19 Elliott Sadler Ford 32 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 33 83 Kasey Kahne Toyota 34 36 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 35 9 Aric Almirola Ford 36 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 37 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 38 26 Ken Schrader Ford 39 37 David Gilliland Ford 40 34 Tony Raines+ Ford 41 7 Kevin Conway+* Toyota 42 71 Hermie Sadler+ Chevrolet 43 81 J.J. Yeley Dodge
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