Hamlin Edges Out Larson in Close Qualifying Battle

Denny Hamlin (pictured) is proving to be a qualifying maestro in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, securing his second consecutive pole position with a blistering lap of 139.190 mph (32.330 seconds) on Saturday at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.

He’ll lead the field to the green flag in Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 (3:00 p.m. ET on USA, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Hamlin’s No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota edged out Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson (139.099 mph) by a mere 0.021 seconds. Larson, who participated in a Goodyear tire test at the 1.25-mile track in June, was the only Playoff driver with prior tire data.

The Busch Light Pole Award marked Hamlin’s first at Gateway, Toyota’s first at the track, his third of the season, and the 46th of his career, tying him with NASCAR Hall of Famer Junior Johnson for 11th all-time. Notably, Hamlin, who ranks 11th on the career wins list with 58 victories, has converted only six poles into race wins.

Entering the second Playoff race, Hamlin sits second in the standings behind Darlington winner Chase Briscoe, who qualified third at 138.902 mph. After a seventh-place finish from pole at Darlington, Hamlin holds a comfortable 43-point cushion above the Round of 12 cut line.

“We made great adjustments from practice, just like last week,” Hamlin said. “Qualifying here is a different beast—one-lap runs mean higher air pressures and a lot more intensity than practice. The team gave me a car that handled perfectly, and we capitalized on it.”

Ross Chastain (138.855 mph) took fourth in the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, while Ryan Blaney, who won at Iowa using the same tire compound, rounded out the top five at 138.752 mph in the fastest Ford.

Playoff drivers dominated, claiming the top nine spots: William Byron (sixth), Tyler Reddick (seventh), Christopher Bell (eighth), and Austin Cindric (ninth). Zane Smith, the top non-Playoff driver, qualified 10th in the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford.

Josh Berry, 19 points below the cut line after a last-place finish at Darlington, will start 12th, followed by 2022 Gateway winner Joey Logano, who is three points below the elimination line and starts 13th. Other Playoff drivers’ starting positions include Bubba Wallace (14th), Austin Dillon (15th), Shane van Gisbergen (18th), Chase Elliott (19th), and Alex Bowman (25th).

NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying – Enjoy Illinois 300

(11) Denny Hamlin (P), Toyota, 139.190 mph.
(5) Kyle Larson (P), Chevrolet, 139.099 mph.
(19) Chase Briscoe (P), Toyota, 138.902 mph.
(1) Ross Chastain (P), Chevrolet, 138.855 mph.
(12) Ryan Blaney (P), Ford, 138.752 mph.
(24) William Byron (P), Chevrolet, 138.602 mph.
(45) Tyler Reddick (P), Toyota, 138.457 mph.
(20) Christopher Bell (P), Toyota, 138.410 mph.
(2) Austin Cindric (P), Ford, 138.160 mph.
(38) Zane Smith, Ford, 137.724 mph.
(17) Chris Buescher, Ford, 137.661 mph.
(21) Josh Berry (P), Ford, 137.623 mph.
(22) Joey Logano (P), Ford, 137.535 mph.
(23) Bubba Wallace (P), Toyota, 137.451 mph.
(3) Austin Dillon (P), Chevrolet, 137.375 mph.
(43) Erik Jones, Toyota, 137.363 mph.
(16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 137.346 mph.
(88) Shane Van Gisbergen # (P), Chevrolet, 137.342 mph.
(9) Chase Elliott (P), Chevrolet, 137.199 mph.
(42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 136.978 mph.
(54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 136.824 mph.
(8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 136.562 mph.
(6) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 136.542 mph.
(4) Noah Gragson, Ford, 136.393 mph.
(48) Alex Bowman (P), Chevrolet, 136.343 mph.
(99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 136.207 mph.
(77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 135.816 mph.
(71) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 135.554 mph.
(41) Cole Custer, Ford, 135.538 mph.
(34) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 135.420 mph.
(7) Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 135.330 mph.
(60) Ryan Preece, Ford, 135.208 mph.
(35) Riley Herbst #, Toyota, 134.662 mph.
(47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 134.176 mph.
(10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 133.789 mph.
(51) Cody Ware, Ford, 133.730 mph.