Denny Hamlin secures the pole at Watkins Glen
Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin won the pole position for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen (3 p.m. ET, USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App) – taking to the track twice in Saturday’s final qualifying session alone and bettering his already field-best speed in his second outing.
This is the fourth pole position of the season and third road course pole – also at Sonoma, Calif. and Chicago Street Race – for Hamlin, whose No. 11 JGR Toyota turned a lap of 125.298 mph around the 3.45-mile, 11-turn course in picturesque upstate New York.
“I feel confident in the speed of my car,” said Hamlin, whose only NASCAR Cup Series road course win came at Watkins Glen in 2016. “I still think in the top 10, there’s maybe seven better road course drivers overall putting all the laps together and speed. But I think track position is the biggest factor over all that, so it’s up to me to make sure I execute at the beginning of the race and then set the tone from there, have good pit stops, have good strategy and let’s see where we’re at.”
Hamlin will start alongside Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron on the front row – besting Byron’s mark in the No. 24 Hendrick Chevrolet by a slight 0.19 seconds. Last week’s Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course winner Michael McDowell will start third, followed by Hamlin’s JGR rookie teammate Ty Gibbs and Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson, the two-time defending winner at the track.
Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell, 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick, Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch and Spire Motorsports’ Corey LaJoie rounded out the top 10. It’s a career-best qualifying effort for LaJoie, who will roll off 10th in the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet.
Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott was among those that did not advance past the first round of qualifying. He was sixth fastest in Group A, with only the top five moving to the final round session, and his speed will place him 15th on Sunday’s grid.
Elliott was understandably frustrated Saturday about his qualifying. With two regular-season races remaining, the former series champion will need to win a race to advance to his ninth-consecutive Playoffs. And Watkins Glen has been a productive venue for the 2021 champion. He won back-to-back races here in 2018-19. The 2018 victory was his first ever at the Cup Series level.
“Unfortunate,” Elliott said of his qualifying run Saturday, noting he was very disappointed after having shown good pace in practice.
“Our prep coming in was really good,” Elliott said. “[Teammate] William [Byron] had a lot of pace there, so that’s good. Hopefully, I can figure out how to drive the vehicle faster.
“Daytona, to show up there [next week] and it be a must-win situation is like going to Vegas and having to hit the nearest slot machine for the jackpot,” Elliott continued. “That’s just silly. To me, this is opportunity we have the most control over and didn’t have a very good start to the weekend, so it puts you in a tough spot.
“It’s no one’s fault but mine that we’re in the spot we’re in. Hate it, but it is what it is, and we’ll fight tomorrow to the last lap, and hopefully, something will fall our way.”
Bubba Wallace, who currently holds the final playoff transfer position, will start 12th. Daniel Suárez, who is in 17th place in the championship and 28 points behind Wallace, will start 14th.
Martin Truex Jr., who currently leads the NASCAR Cup Series standings by 60 points over Hamlin, will start 19th on Sunday.
AJ Allmendinger fastest during practice
With a speed of 123.967 mph, Kaulig Racing’s Allmendinger led the field during the final session. LaJoie, Byron, Larson and Bell rounded out the top five.
Starting Line Up by Row
Watkins Glen International
Go Bowling at The Glen
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Saturday, 8/19/2023 @ 02:35 PM Eastern
Driver Date Time Speed
Track Race Record: Martin Truex Jr. 08/06/17 02:07:03 104.132
Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed
Row 1: 1 11 Denny Hamlin Mavis Tires & Brakes Toyota 70.392 125.298
2 24 William Byron Valvoline Chevrolet 70.582 124.961
Row 2: 3 34 Michael McDowell Love's Travel Stops Ford 70.589 124.949
4 54 Ty Gibbs # Monster Energy Toyota 70.622 124.890
Row 3: 5 5 Kyle Larson HendrickCars.com Chevrolet 70.631 124.874
6 16 AJ Allmendinger Celsius Chevrolet 70.761 124.645
Row 4: 7 20 Christopher Bell DEWALT Concrete Total Solutions Toyota 70.903 124.395
8 45 Tyler Reddick Toyota SmartPath Toyota 71.022 124.187
Row 5: 9 8 Kyle Busch Mark III Chevrolet 71.078 124.089
10 7 Corey LaJoie Gainbridge Chevrolet 71.224 123.835
Row 6: 11 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 70.926 124.355
12 23 Bubba Wallace McDonald's Toyota 70.946 124.320
Row 7: 13 17 Chris Buescher Fastenal Ford 70.966 124.285
14 99 Daniel Suarez Freeway.com Chevrolet 70.981 124.259
Row 8: 15 9 Chase Elliott NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet 70.992 124.239
16 3 Austin Dillon Okuma Chevrolet 71.080 124.086
Row 9: 17 2 Austin Cindric Autotrader Ford 71.123 124.011
18 48 Alex Bowman Ally Chevrolet 71.153 123.958
Row 10: 19 19 Martin Truex Jr. Siemens Toyota 71.154 123.956
20 31 Justin Haley LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet 71.192 123.890
Row 11: 21 42 Mike Rockenfeller Sunseeker Resort Chevrolet 71.199 123.878
22 1 Ross Chastain Moose Fraternity Chevrolet 71.205 123.868
Row 12: 23 12 Ryan Blaney Menards/Richmond Water Heaters Ford 71.233 123.819
24 6 Brad Keselowski BuildSubmarines.com Ford 71.384 123.557
Row 13: 25 38 Todd Gilliland Serial1.com E-Bikes Ford 71.384 123.557
26 14 Chase Briscoe Mahindra Tractors Ford 71.447 123.448
Row 14: 27 10 Aric Almirola Go Bowling Ford 71.456 123.433
28 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Sugarlands/EggoBrunchJarSipinCream Chev. 71.473 123.403
Row 15: 29 15 Andy Lally Camping World Ford 71.485 123.383
30 41 Ryan Preece United Rentals Ford 71.720 122.978
Row 16: 31 43 Erik Jones Allegiant Chevrolet 71.723 122.973
32 21 Harrison Burton DEX Imaging Ford 71.742 122.941
Row 17: 33 4 Kevin Harvick Busch Light Ford 71.758 122.913
34 51 Cole Custer(i) Biohaven/Jacob Co. Ford 71.834 122.800
Row 18: 35 78 Josh Bilicki(i) Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet 71.947 122.590
36 77 Ty Dillon Ferris Commercial Mowers Chevrolet 72.063 122.393
Did Not Qualify: None.
Manufacturer Starting Lineup DNQs Manufacturer Starting Lineup DNQs
Chevrolet 16 0 Ford 14 0
Toyota 6 0
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
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