Denny Hamlin always seems to be at home at The Tricky Triangle.
Hamlin has six wins at Pocono Raceway. He swept both races in 2006, and he won at the track in back-to-back years in 2009-10 and 2019-20. In 32 races there, he has 21 top-10 finishes.
Hamlin is setting himself up well in 2022 after earning the pole position for Sunday's race. He ran just ahead of teammate and reigning race champion Kyle Busch.
Kurt Busch, who reached the final round of qualifying, crashed on the third turn and could not finish his lap, which means he will start 10th in a backup car Sunday.
Kurt Busch crashes HARD in qualifying at @PoconoRaceway!
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 23, 2022
The @23XIRacing driver made it into the final round, but this crash likely puts them in a backup and at the rear of the field. #NASCAR
📺 : @USA_Network pic.twitter.com/aTS8vM8YSp
The Sporting News has the results of Saturday's qualifying and the starting order for Sunday's M&M's Fan Appreciation 400 (3:22 p.m. ET green flag; USA, TSN5, PRN).
M&M's Fan Appreciation 400 qualifying results
Final group results
| Finish | Driver | Lap time (sec.) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Denny Hamlin | 52.944 |
| 2. | Kyle Busch | 53.098 |
| 3. | Chase Elliott | 53.14 |
| 4. | Kyle Larson | 53.25 |
| 5. | Chris Buescher | 53.279 |
| 6. | Ryan Blaney | 53.457 |
| 7. | Bubba Wallace | 53.472 |
| 8. | Martin Truex Jr. | 53.579 |
| 9. | Daniel Suarez | 53.59 |
| 10. | Kurt Busch | 0 |
Who won the pole for the NASCAR race at Pocono?
Denny Hamlin will lead the Cup Series field to green on Sunday at Pocono.
This is the third time Hamlin will race from the pole position this season. He previously led the field at the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte and the Ally 400 in Nashville.
"We just made some big strides from practice, honestly,” Hamlin told NBC Sports. “That was the biggest thing. The team just did a phenomenal job getting this thing ready for qualifying, I made some adjustments, and it was all better.”
Starting lineup for Pocono race
Sunday's lineup features five Toyotas in the top 10, including the top two positions with Hamlin and Kyle Busch. There are also three Joe Gibbs Racing teammates in the top 10, with Martin Truex Jr. joining Hamlin and Busch.
| Starting pos. | Driver | Car No. | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 2 | Kyle Busch | 18 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 3 | Chase Elliott | 9 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 4 | Kyle Larson | 5 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 5 | Chris Buescher | 17 | Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing |
| 6 | Ryan Blaney | 12 | Team Penske |
| 7 | Bubba Wallace | 23 | 23XI Racing |
| 8 | Martin Truex Jr. | 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 9 | Daniel Suarez | 99 | Trackhouse Racing |
| 10 | Kurt Busch | 45 | 23XI Racing |
| 11 | Christopher Bell | 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 12 | Aric Almirola | 10 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 13 | Chase Briscoe | 14 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 14 | Joey Logano | 22 | Team Penske |
| 15 | Austin Dillon | 3 | Richard Childress Racing |
| 16 | Tyler Reddick | 8 | Richard Childress Racing |
| 17 | Alex Bowman | 48 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 18 | William Byron | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 19 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
| 20 | Austin Cindric | 2 | Team Penske |
| 21 | Ross Chastain | 1 | Trackhouse Racing |
| 22 | Noah Gragson | 16 | Kaulig Racing |
| 23 | Corey LaJoie | 7 | Spire Motorsports |
| 24 | Kevin Harvick | 4 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 25 | Michael McDowell | 34 | Front Row Motorsports |
| 26 | Brad Keselowski | 6 | Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing |
| 27 | Ty Dillon | 42 | Petty GMS Motorsports |
| 28 | Harrison Burton | 21 | Wood Brothers Racing |
| 29 | Todd Gilliland | 38 | Front Row Motorsports |
| 30 | Justin Haley | 31 | Kaulig Racing |
| 31 | Josh Bilicki | 77 | Spire Motorsports |
| 32 | Cole Custer | 41 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 33 | JJ Yeley | 15 | Rick Ware Racing |
| 34 | Erik Jones | 43 | Petty GMS Motorsports |
| 35 | BJ McLeod | 78 | Live Fast Motorsports |
| 36 | Cody Ware | 51 | Rick Ware Racing |