Denny Hamlin Leads NASCAR Cup Series Points for the First Time This Season
Denny Hamlin is making headlines as he tops the NASCAR Cup Series points standings for the first time this season. For Hamlin, the timing couldn’t be better with the series returning to Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet for the first time since 2019. This venue holds fond memories for Hamlin, who won the Cup Series race there in 2015 and has consistently finished in the top 10 in five of his last six races.
Adding to his accolades, Hamlin secured the pole position for Sunday’s eero 400, continuing his successful streak at the track. He also achieved a pole position in the 2023 street race held in downtown Chicago.
“I’m a Chicago master, what can I say?” Hamlin said with a laugh.
Tight Competition in Qualifying
In Saturday’s eero 400 qualifying, Hamlin narrowly edged out Kyle Larson by one-thousandth of a second, clocking his lap at 30.296 seconds. Other competitors such as Chris Buescher, Brad Keselowski, and Ty Gibbs followed closely. The top 10 starters for Sunday’s race include Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, Bubba Wallace, Chase Elliott, and William Byron.
Hamlin typically excels on 1.5-mile tracks like Chicagoland Speedway, finishing consistently in the top five in each of his last six races on such layouts, with two victories. Despite this track history, Hamlin admitted that he didn’t expect his qualifying run to secure the pole.
“Generally, these are great race tracks for us,” Hamlin stated. “I thought I ran a conservative but solid run into Turns 1 and 2. Three and four, I didn’t quite hit it great but it looked like I got off of turn four better than the competition. This is very surprising, truthfully.”
Future of Chicagoland Speedway
As Hamlin prepares for Sunday’s race, discussions surrounding the future of the Chicagoland Speedway on NASCAR’s schedule are prevalent. With talks of a street race returning to downtown Chicago next year, many wonder if Joliet’s return is a one-time event.
Chase Briscoe, who hails from Mitchell, Indiana, hopes that racing in Joliet continues.
“I love coming back home essentially,” Briscoe said. “It’s in the Midwest. I hope we can continue to come here. I love this track and always have. Hopefully, it’s an amazing race and the fans turn out so we can keep coming back.”
He even expressed interest in the possibility of having both a street race and a race in Chicagoland.
Challenges and Opportunities Ahead
Austin Dillon, qualifying in the 25th position, appreciates the unique character of Chicagoland Speedway and supports returning while also valuing the street race.
“We have to make sure everyone shows up and enjoys it,” Dillon commented. “If we put on a good show, ticket sales will always go up.”
Hamlin humorously suggested promoting Chicagoland’s race, even referencing a couple climbing the Empire State Building recently.
“I’m going to go to downtown Chicago and wave a flag that says, ‘Come to Chicagoland tomorrow,’” Hamlin joked. “I might climb a tower like those people did.”
Joking aside, Hamlin recognizes the importance of engaging the Chicago audience.
“I think it’s an important audience for us,” Hamlin said. “We came here for the test run (in April) and there were three cars with no logos on them and there were probably 500 people out here. There was not much to see, but they’ve been wanting for us to get back in this area.”
Hamlin believes that the upcoming race will showcase the venue’s potential, making it challenging to exclude it from future schedules.
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