Denny Hamlin sealed his third straight pole position after dominating qualifying for the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway.
The Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota driver turned a blistering lap of 51.948 seconds, beating Kyle Larson by just 0.055 seconds in what proved to be one of the tightest qualifying battles at Pocono in recent memory.
The pole represents a monumental advantage for Hamlin, who arrives at Pocono with back-to-back wins at Nashville and Michigan, carrying momentum that has transformed him into Tyler Reddick’s closest championship challenger this season.
Daniel Suarez rounded out the top three, just 0.119 seconds adrift, while defending Pocono winner Chase Briscoe qualified fifth. Chris Buescher, Erik Jones, John Hunter Nemechek, William Byron, and Ryan Blaney wrapped up the top ten.
Title leader Reddick could only manage 16th as his dominant advantage over Hamlin continues to fall.
2026 NASCAR Cup Series points standings after Michigan
Full 2026 NASCAR Cup Pocono starting lineup – Great American Getaway 400
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 51.948 |
| 2 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | +0.055 |
| 3 | 7 | Daniel Suarez | Spire Motorsports Chevrolet | +0.111 |
| 4 | 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | +0.144 |
| 5 | 19 | Chase Briscoe | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | +0.184 |
| 6 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing Ford | +0.228 |
| 7 | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club Toyota | +0.241 |
| 8 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Legacy Motor Club Toyota | +0.329 |
| 9 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | +0.383 |
| 10 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske Ford | +0.418 |
| 11 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske Ford | +0.519 |
| 12 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | +0.536 |
| 13 | 71 | Michael McDowell | Spire Motorsports Chevrolet | +0.540 |
| 14 | 33 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet | +0.589 |
| 15 | 41 | Cole Custer | Haas Factory Team Chevrolet | +0.619 |
| 16 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing Toyota | +0.620 |
| 17 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske Ford | +0.629 |
| 18 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports Ford | +0.643 |
| 19 | 16 | A.J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing Chevrolet | +0.656 |
| 20 | 21 | Josh Berry | Wood Brothers Racing Ford | +0.679 |
| 21 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet | +0.708 |
| 22 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | +0.776 |
| 23 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | +0.780 |
| 24 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet | +0.782 |
| 25 | 35 | Riley Herbst | 23XI Racing Toyota | +0.870 |
| 26 | 77 | Carson Hocevar | Spire Motorsports Chevrolet | +0.890 |
| 27 | 10 | Ty Dillon | Kaulig Racing Chevrolet | +0.911 |
| 28 | 88 | Connor Zilisch | Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet | +1.001 |
| 29 | 34 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports Ford | +1.104 |
| 30 | 4 | Noah Gragson | Front Row Motorsports Ford | +1.129 |
| 31 | 97 | Shane van Gisbergen | Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet | +1.243 |
| 32 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet | +1.266 |
| 33 | 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet | +1.540 |
| 34 | 78 | Daniel Dye | Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet | +1.694 |
| 35 | 60 | Ryan Preece | RFK Racing Ford | +1.773 |
| 36 | 62 | Casey Mears | Beard Motorsports Chevrolet | +2.264 |
| 37 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing Ford | +19.188 |
| 38 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing Toyota |
