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23rd
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For once this year Denny Hamlin was in the news with good news.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver who was fined in February for statements about the Gen 6 NASCAR Sprint Cup car and in a Twitter verbal war with Joey Logano had won his second-straight pole at Auto Club Speedway.
Driving a Toyota Hamlin turned a lap of 38.410 seconds around the two-mile oval.
Hamlin was surprised he took the pole because he was third in Friday's qualifying order. “I thought my chances of grabbing the pole were slim,” he said.
“I think our car was really fast. It's cocky to say, but I was saying I could almost guarantee a pole if we had a late draw. I think, except for one exceptional car, the pole would have been later. I knew my lap was really good. I knew it felt good. It's a good way to start the weekend. Hopefully I won't see any passing.”
This is Hamlin's third pole is his last six races at Auto Club Speedway and his second consecutive. He finished 11th last year. In October of 2009, he also captured the pole and finished 37th.
It was Hamlin's 13th pole in 264 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races and his first pole and four Top 10 start in 2013. Hamlin has just one Top 5 finish in 12 previous Sprint Cup races at Auto Club Speedway, finishing third in August of 2008.
Greg Biffle and Brad Keselowski had the second and third fastest laps in qualifying, respectively, but both will start at the back because of engine changes. Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth, Hamlin's teammates, rounded out the top 5.
Biffle explained, due to the engine change “unfortunately we had about eight minutes of practice today before qualifying. The guys worked really hard to get the engine changed. I got out with three minutes to go to make a lap and we made adjustments from that lap and we were able to put down a pretty fast lap.”
Keselowski, the series points leader, was likewise concerned that both he and Biffle had to change engines.
“I am a little nervous about the engine issues the 16 and 2 cars both had in practice and hopefully those will subside for the race and we are both going to start in the back. It is unfortunate but we will have a good time hopefully racing to the front.”
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver who was fined in February for statements about the Gen 6 NASCAR Sprint Cup car and in a Twitter verbal war with Joey Logano had won his second-straight pole at Auto Club Speedway.
Driving a Toyota Hamlin turned a lap of 38.410 seconds around the two-mile oval.
Hamlin was surprised he took the pole because he was third in Friday's qualifying order. “I thought my chances of grabbing the pole were slim,” he said.
“I think our car was really fast. It's cocky to say, but I was saying I could almost guarantee a pole if we had a late draw. I think, except for one exceptional car, the pole would have been later. I knew my lap was really good. I knew it felt good. It's a good way to start the weekend. Hopefully I won't see any passing.”
This is Hamlin's third pole is his last six races at Auto Club Speedway and his second consecutive. He finished 11th last year. In October of 2009, he also captured the pole and finished 37th.
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| Denny Hamlin (Photo: Denny Hamlin Facebook) |
It was Hamlin's 13th pole in 264 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races and his first pole and four Top 10 start in 2013. Hamlin has just one Top 5 finish in 12 previous Sprint Cup races at Auto Club Speedway, finishing third in August of 2008.
Greg Biffle and Brad Keselowski had the second and third fastest laps in qualifying, respectively, but both will start at the back because of engine changes. Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth, Hamlin's teammates, rounded out the top 5.
Biffle explained, due to the engine change “unfortunately we had about eight minutes of practice today before qualifying. The guys worked really hard to get the engine changed. I got out with three minutes to go to make a lap and we made adjustments from that lap and we were able to put down a pretty fast lap.”
Keselowski, the series points leader, was likewise concerned that both he and Biffle had to change engines.
“I am a little nervous about the engine issues the 16 and 2 cars both had in practice and hopefully those will subside for the race and we are both going to start in the back. It is unfortunate but we will have a good time hopefully racing to the front.”