Denny Hamlin was the last car to go on track in Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series qualifying session for Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway, and he broke the heart of Carson Hocevar, the hometown boy.
Hamlin rocketed to the 50th pole position of his Cup Series career with a lap time of 36.901 seconds (195.022 mph).
Tyler Reddick, Ty Gibbs, and Chase Briscoe rounded out the top-five fastest in the session.
Photo: Lesley Ann Miller | Lumen Digital Agency
FireKeepers Casino 400 Starting Lineup
| Rank | Car | Driver | Team | Sponsor | Make | Lap time | Diff | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | National Debt Relief | Toyota | 36.901 | -- | 195.117 |
| 2 | 77 | Carson Hocevar | Spire Motorsports | Zeigler Auto Group | Chevrolet | 36.919 | 0.018 | 195.022 |
| 3 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Rockstar Energy Drink | Toyota | 36.929 | 0.028 | 194.969 |
| 4 | 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing | Monster Energy | Toyota | 36.953 | 0.052 | 194.842 |
| 5 | 19 | Chase Briscoe | Joe Gibbs Racing | Bass Pro Shops | Toyota | 36.956 | 0.055 | 194.826 |
| 6 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | NAPA Auto Parts | Chevrolet | 36.958 | 0.057 | 194.816 |
| 7 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | HendrickCars.com | Chevrolet | 36.967 | 0.066 | 194.768 |
| 8 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Rheem | Toyota | 37.003 | 0.102 | 194.579 |
| 9 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Axalta Solar Boost | Chevrolet | 37.038 | 0.137 | 194.395 |
| 10 | 43 | Erik Jones | LEGACY MOTOR CLUB | Dollar Tree | Toyota | 37.090 | 0.189 | 194.122 |
| 11 | 7 | Daniel Suarez | Spire Motorsports | NationsGuard | Chevrolet | 37.121 | 0.220 | 193.960 |
| 12 | 35 | Riley Herbst | 23XI Racing | Monster Energy Zero Sugar | Toyota | 37.127 | 0.226 | 193.929 |
| 13 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Columbia | Toyota | 37.133 | 0.232 | 193.898 |
| 14 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Kroger / Oscar Mayer / The Rustik Oven | Ford | 37.186 | 0.285 | 193.621 |
| 15 | 41 | Cole Custer | Haas Factory Team | Air Lift | Chevrolet | 37.205 | 0.304 | 193.522 |
| 16 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Aaron's Rent to Own | Ford | 37.213 | 0.312 | 193.481 |
| 17 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | LEGACY MOTOR CLUB | Pye-Barker Fire & Safety | Toyota | 37.240 | 0.339 | 193.340 |
| 18 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Autotrader | Ford | 37.257 | 0.356 | 193.252 |
| 19 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Menards / Richmond Water Heaters | Ford | 37.258 | 0.357 | 193.247 |
| 20 | 71 | Michael McDowell | Spire Motorsports | Garner Trucking | Chevrolet | 37.277 | 0.376 | 193.149 |
| 21 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Dow | Chevrolet | 37.277 | 0.376 | 193.149 |
| 22 | 4 | Noah Gragson | Front Row Motorsports | Ribbiot | Ford | 37.341 | 0.440 | 192.818 |
| 23 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Hyak Motorsports | Pylon Aviation | Chevrolet | 37.342 | 0.441 | 192.812 |
| 24 | 10 | Ty Dillon | Kaulig Racing | Patriot Mobile | Chevrolet | 37.408 | 0.507 | 192.472 |
| 25 | 16 | AJ Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Grizzly Nicotine Pouches | Chevrolet | 37.457 | 0.556 | 192.220 |
| 26 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Solomon Plumbing | Ford | 37.476 | 0.575 | 192.123 |
| 27 | 60 | Ryan Preece | RFK Racing | BuildSubmarines.com | Ford | 37.551 | 0.650 | 191.739 |
| 28 | 33 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Rebel Bourbon | Chevrolet | 37.553 | 0.652 | 191.729 |
| 29 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Ally | Chevrolet | 37.561 | 0.660 | 191.688 |
| 30 | 97 | Shane van Gisbergen | Trackhouse Racing | SafetyCulture | Chevrolet | 37.562 | 0.661 | 191.683 |
| 31 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Discount Tire | Ford | 37.667 | 0.766 | 191.149 |
| 32 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Busch Light | Chevrolet | 37.690 | 0.789 | 191.032 |
| 33 | 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Super.com | Chevrolet | 37.715 | 0.814 | 190.905 |
| 34 | 88 | Connor Zilisch | Trackhouse Racing | WeatherTech | Chevrolet | 37.720 | 0.819 | 190.880 |
| 35 | 34 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Love's Travel Stops | Ford | 37.730 | 0.829 | 190.830 |
| 36 | 44 | JJ Yeley | NY Racing Team | Fanatics Casino | Chevrolet | 38.570 | 1.669 | 186.674 |
| 37 | 21 | Josh Berry | Wood Brothers Racing | Motorcraft / Quick Lane | Ford | 0.000 | -- | 0.000 |
