Denny Hamlin Takes Pole Position at Chicagoland Speedway

Denny Hamlin leads the NASCAR Cup Series points standings, and he’s entering the Fourth of July weekend with good reason to celebrate. This year marks the series’ return to Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, last visited in 2019. Hamlin has a strong record at this track, having secured a win in 2015 and placing in the top ten five times in his last six races in Joliet. Notably, Hamlin secured the pole position for Sunday’s eero 400, continuing his success in the area where he also claimed a pole in the 2023 street race in downtown Chicago.

Hamlin humorously declared, “I’m a Chicago master, what can I say?” after narrowly beating Kyle Larson by one-thousandth of a second in Saturday’s eero 400 qualifying. He completed his lap in 30.296 seconds. Following Hamlin, Chris Buescher, Brad Keselowski, and Ty Gibbs secured strong qualifying positions, while Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, Bubba Wallace, Chase Elliott, and William Byron rounded out the top ten starters for Sunday’s race, scheduled for 5 p.m.

Hamlin has consistently performed well on 1.5-mile tracks like Chicagoland Speedway, achieving top-five finishes in each of his last six races on these layouts and securing two wins. Despite his qualifying success, Hamlin admitted he was surprised to take the pole, saying, “Generally, these are great tracks for us. I thought I ran a conservative but solid run into Turns 1 and 2. Three and four, I didn’t quite hit it great but it looked like I got off of turn four better than the competition. This is very surprising, truthfully.”

While Hamlin aims to maintain his hot streak, the future of Chicagoland Speedway on NASCAR’s schedule remains uncertain. Discussions about potentially hosting a street race in downtown Chicago next year raise questions about Joliet’s place on the calendar. Chase Briscoe, originally from Mitchell, Indiana, voiced his desire for the track’s continuation, stating, “I love coming back home essentially. It’s in the Midwest. I hope we can continue to come here. I love this track and always have. Hopefully, it’s an amazing race and the fans turn out so we can keep coming back. Even if there’s a Chicago street race, maybe we can do two races in Chicagoland.”

Austin Dillon, who qualified in the 25th position, highlighted Chicagoland Speedway’s unique character. He expressed a desire to return while also appreciating Chicago’s street race appeal. Dillon emphasized the importance of fan turnout and enjoyment, saying that strong attendance and a good show are crucial for future decisions. Hamlin echoed this sentiment, humorously suggesting he would go downtown to promote the event, “I’m going to go to downtown Chicago and wave a flag that says, ‘Come to Chicagoland tomorrow.’ I might climb a tower like those people did.”

Hamlin believes capturing Chicago’s audience is crucial for NASCAR’s future, noting its significance regardless of his personal success. “I think it’s an important audience for us,” said Hamlin. “We came here for the test run (in April) and there were three cars with no logos on them, and there were probably 500 people out here. There was not much to see, but they’ve been wanting us to get back in this area. This track is going to race so well (Sunday) that it will be hard to say, ‘Let’s go back and take it off the schedule.'”