The last driver to make a qualifying run around Michigan International Speedway on Saturday afternoon, Denny Hamlin claimed the Busch Light Pole Award for Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 (3 p.m. ET on Prime Video, HBO Max, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) — dashing Michigan native Carson Hocevar’s hopes for some home state glory in the final minutes of the session.
Hamlin’s lap of 195.117 mph in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota bettered Hocevar’s run in the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet by a slight .018-seconds around the two-mile Michigan high-banks and gives the veteran — and defending Michigan race winner — Hamlin 50 career NASCAR Cup Series pole positions.
After climbing out of his Toyota, 45-year-old Hamlin walked over to 23-year-old Hocevar on pit road, where they spoke briefly and hugged. Hamlin smiled and joked that he only felt “this bad” holding up a nearly-touching thumb and forefinger for taking the qualifying win.
Only an hour earlier during practice, Hamlin’s car had a tire issue and he was unable to participate in the full session as his team made repairs, making the pole win all the more remarkable and dramatic.
“They did a great job accounting for the damage on the bottom side (of his car), they re-balanced it but it was a handful — all I wanted, certainly,” said Hamlin, who won from pole position last week at Nashville. “That was surprising.
“That was the limit for sure,” Hamlin said.
Despite being recognized as the pole winner, Hamlin will start from the rear in Sunday’s race due to repairs needed for his car after Saturday’s session.
Hocevar was clearly disappointed in the qualifying outcome. Earlier in the afternoon, he led the most laps in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race only to finish third. A first-time NASCAR Cup Series winner at Talladega in April, Hocevar insisted, however, he was still optimistic about his chances come Sunday afternoon.
“It’s a testament to these guys, they do a really good job,” Hocevar said. “Yeah, I would have loved to have that there, but third in the truck race {Saturday afternoon} and second in Cup qualifying, hopefully that’s a trend there.
“I feel like it’s a really good race car, one of the best I’ve had here. So, I hope it translates tomorrow. I feel really good about our race car so starting out front is super important.
“I know it’s just qualifying, but damn, I didn’t know I wanted it this much here. Just means a lot for so many reasons.”
Current Cup Series leader, 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick (who topped Saturday practice) was third-fastest in the No. 45 Toyota that Hamlin co-owns with NBA superstar Michael Jordan. Hamlin’s JGR teammates Ty Gibbs and Chase Briscoe were next quickest, giving Toyota four of the top-five starting positions.
Chase Elliott was the second-highest qualifying Chevrolet in sixth place. Chris Buescher, the 2023 Michigan winner, was the top qualifying Ford in 14th place. Ford has a Michigan track record 44 wins — 18 more than Chevrolet and 37 more than Toyota, however Toyota has won the last two races (Reddick in 2024 and Hamlin in 2025).
The last polesitter to win at Michigan from pole was Team Penske’s Joey Logano in 2019. In fact, Logano’s three Michigan wins (2019, 2016, 2013) all came from pole position. He’ll start 18th Sunday.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Denny Hamlin wins pole for Michigan NASCAR Cup race
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