Denny Hamlin was the fastest man in town on Saturday afternoon, winning the pole in Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying at Dover International Speedway.
Hamlin turned a lap in 21.559 seconds with an average speed of 166.984 miles per hour.
“We never thought we would run a 21.50 [second lap] by any stretch of the imagination,” Hamlin said.
The pole is the 32nd of Hamlin’s career and his fourth at The Monster Mile. However, it is one of the few tracks Hamlin hasn’t won at.
Kyle Larson (166.960 mph) qualified on the outside front row, and Martin Truex Jr. (166.205 mph) was third. Kevin Harvick (165.998 mph) and last week’s winner Chase Elliott (165.937 mph) rounded out the top five.
William Byron (165.738 mph) was sixth, and the recently playoff-eliminated trio of Aric Almirola (165.670 mph), Erik Jones (165.616 mph) and Kurt Busch (165.388 mph) took positions six through nine. Ryan Blaney (165.282 mph) finished the top 10.
Drydene 400 Starting Lineup
The Drydene 400 will air on NBCSN on Sunday, Oct. 6, at 2:30 p.m./et.
Michael Massie joined Frontstretch in 2017 and has served as the Content Director since 2020.
Massie, a Richmond, Va., native, has covered NASCAR, IndyCar, SRX and the CARS Tour. Outside of motorsports, the Virginia Tech grad and Green Bay Packers minority owner can be seen cheering on his beloved Hokies and Packers.