Hamlin nabs Martinsville pole
Denny Hamlin took pole for the Martinsville Cup race with a 98.241‑mph lap in the No. 11 Toyota, marking his fifth Martinsville pole and 49th Cup Series pole overall — tying Bobby Isaac for 10th on the all‑time list. ( ) He’ll lead the field into today’s Cook Out 400 at Martinsville (3:30 p.m. ET on FS1), after a qualifying session that reshuffled some expected starters. (nascar.com)
William Byron will start on the front row alongside the pole winner, with Josh Berry third, Ty Gibbs fourth and Shane van Gisbergen fifth on the grid for the Cook Out 400. (RacingAmerica). The fastest lap registered in qualifying was 19.275 seconds, a time set late in the session as the order shuffled. (Racer.com). Shane van Gisbergen’s fifth-place start is the best oval starting spot of his NASCAR Cup Series career. (RacingAmerica). Brad Keselowski will make his 600th Cup start Sunday, becoming the 35th driver to reach that milestone. (Jayski) Keselowski qualified 23rd for Martinsville. (ESPN). The pole winner has first choice of pit stalls and possession of pit stall No. 1 at Martinsville is conventionally worth two to three positions per stop, though no Cup driver has turned the pole-plus-No. 1 box into a Martinsville victory since Jimmie Johnson in 2013. (NASCAR.com). The pole-sitter arrives at Martinsville off a season that includes a home-track victory last spring, and that recent win makes the pole-holder one of the favorites to try for back-to-back Martinsville triumphs. (ESPN) (Racer.com).
