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Denny Hamlin celebrates after winning the Busch Light Pole Award for Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway on June 13, 2026. Hamlin edged Kyle Larson to secure his sixth career pole at the Tricky Triangle and the 51st pole of his Cup Series career.
Denny Hamlin’s relationship with Pocono Raceway has long been one of the most successful in NASCAR. On Saturday, he added another reminder.
Hamlin captured the Busch Light Pole Award for Sunday’s Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA, continuing a remarkable run of success at the Tricky Triangle and putting himself in prime position for another strong result.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver posted a lap of 51.948 seconds at 173.250 mph to secure the top starting spot. The pole is Hamlin’s sixth at Pocono Raceway and the 51st of his NASCAR Cup Series career.
While plenty can happen over 400 miles on Sunday, Hamlin once again proved why his name is almost always part of the conversation whenever NASCAR visits northeastern Pennsylvania.
Hamlin Edges Larson for Top Spot
The qualifying session featured several heavy hitters near the top of the speed chart.
Kyle Larson came closest to knocking Hamlin off the pole, turning a lap of 173.067 mph to earn the outside spot on the front row.
Daniel Suárez qualified third, followed by Ty Gibbs and Chase Briscoe to round out the top five.
Chris Buescher, Erik Jones, John Hunter Nemechek, William Byron and Ryan Blaney completed the top 10.
Top-10 Qualifying Results
- Denny Hamlin – 173.250 mph
- Kyle Larson – 173.067 mph
- Daniel Suárez – 172.881 mph
- Ty Gibbs – 172.771 mph
- Chase Briscoe – 172.639 mph
- Chris Buescher – 172.493 mph
- Erik Jones – 172.450 mph
- John Hunter Nemechek – 172.160 mph
- William Byron – 171.982 mph
- Ryan Blaney – 171.867 mph
The front row sets up an intriguing matchup between Hamlin and Larson, two of the sport’s biggest stars and two drivers capable of contending for the victory when the green flag drops Sunday afternoon.
Maggie MacKenzie Maggie MacKenzie covers NASCAR for Heavy.com. She previously worked for NASCAR.com, where she reported, wrote, and edited race-weekend coverage and traveled to key events throughout the season. She has more than ten years of experience in sports media and is based in Boston, Massachusetts. More about Maggie MacKenzie