Hamlin on pole in championship race at Phoenix
Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images
AVONDALE, Ariz.—Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin issued a strong statement for his 2025 championship intentions Saturday afternoon by claiming pole position for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race.
Three of the four championship-eligible drivers – also including Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron and Kyle Larson – claimed the top three positions in the qualifying session. The fourth, Hamlin’s JGR teammate Chase Briscoe will roll off the grid from 12th position in Sunday’s Championship Race (3 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Hamlin’s No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota turned in a lap of 133.759 mph around the 1-mile Phoenix oval – a slight .042-second faster than Byron’s No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
It marks the fifth pole position for Hamlin on the season – 48th of his career – and perhaps stands to be one of the most impactful.
“We’ve really been working hard and hope it will pay off tomorrow,” said the 44-year-old Virginian Hamlin, a 60-race winner, whose six trophies this season are double that of any championship competitor.
“We’re obviously going to be in a great starting spot there, but then obviously, we’ve got to make sure we’re doing all the right things the entire day, and largely that’s going to rest on my shoulders. And I’m going to do the best that I can.”
Hamlin said winning the pole was certainly a positive, but that it did not necessarily provide a huge advantage on the field as close as his competitors typically are to him. But he conceded, the strong qualifying showing among the championship contenders was indicative of the intensity necessary in this high-stakes one-race way that NASCAR decides the title.
Among the four championship-eligible drivers, only the 2021 series champion Larson has hoisted the sport’s most acclaimed trophy, previously winning from pole position here at Phoenix. His teammate, Byron, this year’s Daytona 500 winner, comes into the race as the Regular Season Champion and is making his third consecutive appearance in the championship race. Hamlin’s teammate, the 30-year-old Briscoe, is the only one among the four competing in his very first championship bid.
“Certainly, it’s always an advantage to qualify on the pole; there’s never a disadvantage to starting first and having the number one pit stall,” Hamlin said. “So, I don’t know if it directly correlates, but it’s always an advantage.
“Just try to do everything you can to execute,” Hamlin added. “I just truly believe that tomorrow that the best cars, whoever it is and it could be somebody who qualified 20th, could make their way to the front with the tire and track surface we have right now.
“I think it’s going to be a battle amongst us four, with a few others sprinkled in there. It’s going to be fun to watch.”
NASCAR Cup Series
Starting Line Up by Row
Phoenix Raceway
NASCAR Cup Series Championship
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Saturday, 11/1/2025 @ 06:02 PM Eastern
Driver Date Time Speed
Track Race Record: Tony Stewart 11/07/99 2:38:28 118.132
Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed
Row 1: 1 11 Denny Hamlin (P) Progressive Toyota 26.914 133.759
2 24 William Byron (P) Axalta Chevrolet 26.956 133.551
Row 2: 3 5 Kyle Larson (P) HendrickCars.com Chevrolet 26.979 133.437
4 2 Austin Cindric Discount Tire Ford 27.017 133.249
Row 3: 5 12 Ryan Blaney Menards/Dutch Boy Ford 27.029 133.190
6 77 Carson Hocevar Delaware Life Chevrolet 27.039 133.141
Row 4: 7 21 Josh Berry Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford 27.093 132.876
8 48 Alex Bowman Ally Chevrolet 27.094 132.871
Row 5: 9 17 Chris Buescher Body Guard Ford 27.111 132.787
10 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 27.119 132.748
Row 6: 11 8 Kyle Busch Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet 27.129 132.699
12 19 Chase Briscoe (P) Bass Pro Shops Toyota 27.133 132.680
Row 7: 13 1 Ross Chastain Busch Light Chevrolet 27.137 132.660
14 99 Daniel Suarez Trackhouse Chevrolet 27.143 132.631
Row 8: 15 43 Erik Jones Dollar Tree Toyota 27.154 132.577
16 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Real American Beer Chevrolet 27.172 132.489
Row 9: 17 9 Chase Elliott NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet 27.176 132.470
18 4 Noah Gragson Long John Silver's Ford 27.184 132.431
Row 10: 19 6 Brad Keselowski Castrol Ford 27.189 132.406
20 20 Christopher Bell DEWALT/Interstate Batteries Toyota 27.196 132.372
Row 11: 21 60 Ryan Preece Fry's/Celsius Ford 27.197 132.368
22 38 Zane Smith Aaron's Rent To Own Ford 27.218 132.265
Row 12: 23 23 Bubba Wallace McDonald's Toyota 27.219 132.261
24 45 Tyler Reddick The Beast Toyota 27.220 132.256
Row 13: 25 54 Ty Gibbs Monster Energy Toyota 27.238 132.168
26 3 Austin Dillon BPS/Winchester Waterfowl Chevrolet 27.243 132.144
Row 14: 27 41 Cole Custer Haas/Bonanza Ford 27.244 132.139
28 42 John Hunter Nemechek Mobil 1 Toyota 27.251 132.105
Row 15: 29 7 Justin Haley Gainbridge Chevrolet 27.300 131.868
30 34 Todd Gilliland Love's Travel Stops Ford 27.306 131.839
Row 16: 31 88 Shane Van Gisbergen # WeatherTech Chevrolet 27.316 131.791
32 35 Riley Herbst # Monster Energy Zero Sugar Toyota 27.359 131.584
Row 17: 33 51 Cody Ware Mighty Fire Breaker Ford 27.445 131.171
34 10 Ty Dillon Alpine Partners Chevrolet 27.522 130.804
Row 18: 35 44 JJ Yeley(i) Fanatics Sportsbook Chevrolet 27.720 129.870
36 66 Casey Mears(i) SI Yachts Ford 27.765 129.660
Row 19: 37 71 Michael McDowell Tide Chevrolet 27.959 128.760
38 16 AJ Allmendinger Celsius Chevrolet 0.000 0.000
Did Not Qualify: None.
Manufacturer Starting Lineup DNQs Manufacturer Starting Lineup DNQs
Chevrolet 16 0 Ford 13 0
Toyota 9 0
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
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