Hamlin secures Richmond pole
Rookie Denny Hamlin continued his strong performances this year by taking pole for Saturday night's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway
Hamlin edged out Chevrolet drivers Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon, with Ford's Mark Martin in fourth ahead of Richmond Busch race winner Kevin Harvick.
All five are among the nine drivers to fill the eight remaining places in the Chase, and while Harvick is almost secure, Burton and Martin who sit 30 and 32 points ahead of eleventh-placed Kasey Kahne must be happy to have qualified so well on the tight 3/4-mile oval.
Kahne did not have a great qualifying run, ending up almost exactly mid-pack in twentieth position. However, he is only one place behind Jimmie Johnson, who is second to Matt Kenseth in the points standing.
The driver with the most work to do on Saturday night is Tony Stewart, who crashed his main car in practice and will start almost last, in 40th position. 45 points ahead of Kahne, he will start the race as the driver most worried about keeping his place in the Chase.
Pos Driver Make Speed 1. Denny Hamlin Chevrolet 127.986 2. Jeff Burton Chevrolet 127.805 3. Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 127.690 4. Mark Martin Ford 127.407 5. Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 127.316 6. Scott Wimmer Chevrolet 127.215 7. Martin Truex Jr Chevrolet 127.065 8. Greg Biffle Ford 127.041 9. Carl Edwards Ford 127.023 10. Matt Kenseth Ford 126.981 11. David Stremme Dodge 126.886 12. Kyle Busch Chevrolet 126.856 13. Casey Mears Dodge 126.856 14. Elliott Sadler Dodge 126.814 15. Dave Blaney Dodge 126.725 16. Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 126.529 17. Ken Schrader Ford 126.505 18. Kurt Busch Dodge 126.434 19. Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 126.286 20. Kasey Kahne Dodge 126.210 21. Joe Nemechek Chevrolet 126.180 22. Dale Jarrett Ford 126.133 23. Ryan Newman Dodge 126.056 24. David Gilliland Ford 126.021 25. Tony Raines Chevrolet 125.945 26. Scott Riggs Dodge 125.904 27. Bobby Labonte Dodge 125.728 28. Sterling Marlin Chevrolet 125.687 29. Reed Sorenson Dodge 125.634 30. Jamie McMurray Ford 125.552 31. Travis Kvapil Chevrolet 125.500 32. J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 125.436 33. Dale Earnhardt Jr Chevrolet 125.401 34. Jeff Green Chevrolet 125.395 35. Chad Blount Chevrolet 125.075 36. Robby Gordon Chevrolet 125.046 37. Brian Vickers Chevrolet 125.035 38. Kyle Petty Dodge 125.029 39. Kevin Lepage Dodge 124.861 40. Tony Stewart Chevrolet 124.642 41. Kenny Wallace Chevrolet 124.585 42. Chad Chaffin Dodge 124.487 43. Morgan Shepherd Dodge 124.229
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