Denny Hamlin secured the pole position for Sunday’s Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway, marking his sixth pole of the NASCAR Cup Series season and strengthening his championship prospects. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver posted a lap speed of 98.492 miles per hour on the .526-mile short track, narrowly edging teammate Ty Gibbs by 0.049 seconds.

Hamlin’s performance at Martinsville underscores his dominance at short tracks this season, with five of his last six wins coming from pole positions. His strong qualifying run puts him in a favorable spot as the playoffs approach their final stages, with seven drivers still in contention for the NASCAR Cup Series title.

Points leader Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports qualified third, aiming to maintain his lead in the championship standings. Larson recognized Hamlin’s prowess on short tracks and vowed to stay competitive throughout the race. “We know Hamlin’s strong here, so our goal is to keep ourselves in a position to fight for the win,” Larson said.

Other notable qualifiers included Austin Cindric, Joey Logano, and Ryan Preece, all positioned to impact the outcome of the closely contested playoff race. With only two races remaining in the postseason, the championship battle remains tightly contested, and Hamlin’s pole position provides a significant strategic advantage heading into Martinsville’s challenging event.