Hamlin edges Larson by 0.001 seconds in Chicagoland qualifying

NASCAR’s Cup Series returned to Chicagoland Speedway this weekend for the first qualifying session at the track since 2019, and Denny Hamlin set the pace for Sunday’s Eero 400. Hamlin earned the Busch Light Pole Award with a lap of 30.296 seconds at 178.241 mph, edging Kyle Larson by 0.001 seconds. Chris Buescher, Brad Keselowski and Ty Gibbs rounded out the top five, while Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, Bubba Wallace, Chase Elliott and William Byron completed the top 10.

The qualifying lineup carried added weight at Chicagoland, where starting position could matter and teams are looking to position themselves as the regular season approaches its halfway point. JJ Yeley, Josh Bilicki and Corey Heim were slated to lead Group 1, while Hamlin opened Group 2. The field for the return event also included AJ Allmendinger, Ross Chastain, Alex Bowman, Keselowski, Elliott, Byron, Bell, Ryan Blaney, Larson and Ty Gibbs in Group 2.

The weekend’s only practice session gave teams one on-track look at the venue before Sunday’s race. Riley Herbst led practice with a lap of 30.326 seconds, followed by Bubba Wallace, Larson and Hamlin, who each turned 30.358-second laps. Erik Jones was the only driver involved in a notable incident when he bottomed out on track and returned to the garage with damage. Michael McDowell and Cody Ware did not record qualifying times. The race is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET Sunday on TNT Sports and HBO Max, with radio coverage on MRN. It will cover three stages of 80, 165 and 267 laps, with a listed purse of $11,233,037.