Hamlin grabs pole in a photo‑finish
Denny Hamlin captured pole position for the NASCAR Cup Series event at Chicagoland Speedway, securing his 52nd career pole and the fourth of the 2026 season.
He edged out Kyle Larson by a razor‑thin margin of just 0.001 seconds, a result that left the Hendrick Motorsports driver visibly frustrated.
RFK Racing lines up behind the leaders
The RFK Racing duo of Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski will line up behind them in third and fourth, while the rest of the field was shaped by a mix of weather and mechanical setbacks.
Hamlin said after the session that the combination of ideal track temperature and a bit of luck helped him extract the extra grip needed for the fast mile‑and‑a‑half layout.
Championship implications
The championship battle is now tighter than ever, with Hamlin moving to the top of the points standings, just one point ahead of Tyler Reddick, who will start 13th on Sunday.
Michael McDowell was unable to take part in qualifying after his car failed three separate inspection checks, leaving him with a backup plan for the race.
Qualifying highlights
Earlier in the session, Riley Herbst set an early benchmark with a lap of 30.576 seconds before Tyler Reddick eclipsed it with a 30.523‑second effort.
Cody Ware’s qualifying run ended abruptly when he clipped the wall, forcing him to abandon his attempt without posting a time.
Bubba Wallace posted a solid 30.420‑second lap, but it was ultimately Hamlin’s 30.296‑second effort that secured the pole.
Brad Keselowski came within three tenths of Hamlin’s pace, while Chris Buescher was only 0.015 seconds shy of the fastest lap.
Kyle Larson’s near‑perfect run fell just 0.001 seconds short, underscoring how finely tuned the competition was.