Denny Hamlin captures NASCAR pole at Michigan but expects to start at rear because of damage

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BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) — Rebounding from a flat tire in practice that damaged the underside of his car, Denny Hamlin roared to his 50th career pole position in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Hamlin was the last driver of the session at Michigan International Speedway, and his No. 11 Toyota’s 195.117-mph lap knocked Carson Hocevar’s No. 77 Chevrolet (195.022 mph) from the top spot on the 2-mile oval. The speed stunned Hamlin, who credited his team with some quick fixes that stabilized the wounded vehicle.

“It was a handful,” the Joe Gibbs Racing star said after passing Hall of Famer Bobby Isaac for 10th in career poles in NASCAR’s premier series. “It was all I wanted, certainly. But hats off to this whole team. Yeah, that was surprising. It was the limit for sure.”

Hamlin continued a streak of Toyotas winning every pole at Michigan since the debut of the Next Gen car in 2022, but the news wasn’t all good. Hamlin expects his car will need further repairs that would be unapproved by NASCAR, sending him to the rear of the 37-car field for the start.

“That’s going to be a challenge in itself, certainly at this racetrack,” he said. “So we’re going to have to have good restarts and have the race play out just right.”

Last week, Hamlin started first at Nashville Superspeedway but was sent to the back on the opening lap for jumping the start. He rallied to lead a race-high 57 laps for his 62nd career win, leading a top-three Gibbs sweep with teammates Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe.

Hamlin said he’ll need to catch some breaks Sunday over 400 miles at Michigan.

“The race is long, and you can certainly do it,” he said. “It’s not unachievable. And sometimes when you’re in the back, it gives you an opportunity if there’s an early caution to try a different strategy. I know if you look at last week, that all seemed easy, but things really fell our way, and they’re going to have to again (Sunday).”

If Hamlin does start from the back, it’ll be a break for Hocevar after Saturday’s disappointment. The Portage, Michigan, native threw up his hands in disbelief after Hamlin bumped him from the pole at his home track.

“I would have loved to have that one,” Hocevar said. “I feel like it’s a really good race car, one of the best I’ve had here, so I hope it really translates to (Sunday). Starting up front is going to be super important.”

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing