Hamlin on the Pole at Michigan, Kyle Busch Second

Matt Sullivan/Getty Images

BROOKLYN, MI – RIS – Denny Hamlin will start from Place One in Sunday’s Consumer Energy 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup race at Michigan International Speedway.  Hamlin won round one, round two, and the final round in dominating fashion.

Hamlin covered the two-mile oval with a lap of 35.504 seconds, 202.794 mph in his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. It’s the 28th pole of his career. Kyle Busch, also from JGR, will share the front row with Hamlin. Kevin Harvick, Erik Jones and Austin Dillon complete the top five.

“I actually wasn’t that confident,” Hamlin said of his fast lap. “I didn’t get all of it, for sure, but the team gave me a great-driving car that got faster on the racetrack. My guys are really stepping up and we’re starting to make a little hay, now.”

Hamlin has won back-to-back poles after leading qualifying last weekend at Watkins Glen International.

“We love to see results when you work so hard,” Hamlin said. “The toughest part is when you work really hard and don’t get the results. We had unfortunate circumstances happen to us last weekend with a pit stop but overall, I’ve been happy with our performance – showing up here with a car that was driving great all day.”

Right behind the two Toyota Camrys was Kevin Harvick, who was strong, as he usually has been all during the 2018 season.

“The first round, we kind of got scared there, Harvick said. “We thought there was a car in the fence and wound up giving up a little time during the first round but that didn’t hurt us. It was too tight in all three rounds and in practice and we never got ahead of it. I am really proud of everybody on our Busch Light/Mobil 1 Ford. We can definitely race them from there.”

Chase Elliott, last weekend’s winner at Watkins Glen, will start 21st in the 40-car field. Defending race winner Kyle Larson qualified 17th while Clint Bowyer, who won this year’s first stop at MIS on June 10, will line up 16th as the final month of the regular season begins.

For Elliott and his Hendrick Motorsports team, Friday’s qualifying session was a disappointment.

“It wasn’t turning like I was hoping it would,” he said of his No. 9 Chevrolet. “But we had a hard time here in the spring race, too. I’m not sure why. Hopefully, we can get it worked out tomorrow and move forward because that was not good.”

In this year’s first race at MIS, Elliott started 13th, failed to score any stage points and did not lead a lap en route to a ninth-place finish.

 Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed Lap # # Laps -Fastest -Next
Qualifying Round: 3
1 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Office Toyota 35.504 202.794 1 1 0.000 0.000
2 18 Kyle Busch Interstate Batteries Toyota 35.515 202.731 1 1 0.011 0.011
3 4 Kevin Harvick Busch Light/Mobil 1 Ford 35.626 202.100 1 1 0.122 0.111
4 20 Erik Jones Doosan Toyota 35.678 201.805 1 1 0.174 0.052
5 3 Austin Dillon Dow WE Are Innovators Chevrolet 35.688 201.748 1 1 0.184 0.010
6 31 Ryan Newman Grainger Chevrolet 35.704 201.658 1 1 0.200 0.016
7 78 Martin Truex Jr. 5-hour ENERGY/Bass Pro Shops Toyota 35.746 201.421 1 1 0.242 0.042
8 12 Ryan Blaney Menards/Knauf Insulation Ford 35.766 201.309 1 1 0.262 0.020
9 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 35.780 201.230 1 1 0.276 0.014
10 88 Alex Bowman Axalta Chevrolet 35.788 201.185 1 1 0.284 0.008
11 10 Aric Almirola Smithfield Ford 35.906 200.524 1 1 0.402 0.118
12 41 Kurt Busch Haas Automation Ford 35.994 200.033 1 1 0.490 0.088
Qualifying Round: 2
1 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Office Toyota 35.604 202.224 1 1 0.000 0.000
2 4 Kevin Harvick Busch Light/Mobil 1 Ford 35.662 201.896 1 1 0.058 0.058
3 18 Kyle Busch Interstate Batteries Toyota 35.682 201.782 1 1 0.078 0.020
4 41 Kurt Busch Haas Automation Ford 35.698 201.692 1 1 0.094 0.016
5 78 Martin Truex Jr. 5-hour ENERGY/Bass Pro Shops Toyota 35.707 201.641 1 1 0.103 0.009
6 88 Alex Bowman Axalta Chevrolet 35.715 201.596 1 1 0.111 0.008
7 20 Erik Jones Doosan Toyota 35.750 201.399 1 1 0.146 0.035
8 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 35.762 201.331 1 1 0.158 0.012
9 31 Ryan Newman Grainger Chevrolet 35.784 201.207 1 1 0.180 0.022
10 10 Aric Almirola Smithfield Ford 35.798 201.129 1 1 0.194 0.014
11 3 Austin Dillon Dow WE Are Innovators Chevrolet 35.812 201.050 1 3 0.208 0.014
12 12 Ryan Blaney Menards/Knauf Insulation Ford 35.836 200.915 1 1 0.232 0.024
13 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Fifth Third Bank Ford 35.849 200.842 1 1 0.245 0.013
14 21 Paul Menard Earn While You Learn/NewFordTech.com Ford 35.854 200.814 1 1 0.250 0.005
15 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald's/Cessna Chevrolet 35.897 200.574 1 1 0.293 0.043
16 14 Clint Bowyer Haas 30 Years of the VF1 Ford 35.952 200.267 1 3 0.348 0.055
17 42 Kyle Larson DC Solar Chevrolet 35.987 200.072 1 2 0.383 0.035
18 2 Brad Keselowski Discount Tire Ford 36.074 199.590 3 3 0.470 0.087
19 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's for Pros Chevrolet 36.091 199.496 1 3 0.487 0.017
20 24 William Byron # Liberty University Chevrolet 36.139 199.231 1 1 0.535 0.048
21 9 Chase Elliott NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet 36.167 199.077 1 2 0.563 0.028
22 43 Bubba Wallace # Medallion Bank/Petty's Garage Chevrolet 36.415 197.721 1 1 0.811 0.248
23 37 Chris Buescher Slim Jim Chevrolet 36.438 197.596 1 1 0.834 0.023
24 38 David Ragan Louis Kemp Crab Delights Ford 36.467 197.439 1 1 0.863 0.029
Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed Lap # # Laps -Fastest -Next
Qualifying Round: 1
1 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Office Toyota 35.716 201.590 1 1 0.000 0.000
2 41 Kurt Busch Haas Automation Ford 35.784 201.207 1 1 0.068 0.068
3 88 Alex Bowman Axalta Chevrolet 35.827 200.966 1 1 0.111 0.043
4 10 Aric Almirola Smithfield Ford 35.829 200.955 1 1 0.113 0.002
5 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 35.830 200.949 1 1 0.114 0.001
6 14 Clint Bowyer Haas 30 Years of the VF1 Ford 35.844 200.870 1 1 0.128 0.014
7 21 Paul Menard Earn While You Learn/NewFordTech.com Ford 35.871 200.719 1 1 0.155 0.027
8 2 Brad Keselowski Discount Tire Ford 35.908 200.512 1 1 0.192 0.037
9 12 Ryan Blaney Menards/Knauf Insulation Ford 35.932 200.378 1 1 0.216 0.024
10 20 Erik Jones Doosan Toyota 35.945 200.306 1 1 0.229 0.013
11 78 Martin Truex Jr. 5-hour ENERGY/Bass Pro Shops Toyota 36.025 199.861 1 1 0.309 0.080
12 31 Ryan Newman Grainger Chevrolet 36.055 199.695 1 1 0.339 0.030
13 18 Kyle Busch Interstate Batteries Toyota 36.107 199.407 1 1 0.391 0.052
14 9 Chase Elliott NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet 36.142 199.214 1 1 0.426 0.035
15 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Fifth Third Bank Ford 36.145 199.198 3 3 0.429 0.003
16 42 Kyle Larson DC Solar Chevrolet 36.159 199.121 1 1 0.443 0.014
17 3 Austin Dillon Dow WE Are Innovators Chevrolet 36.198 198.906 1 1 0.482 0.039
18 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald's/Cessna Chevrolet 36.206 198.862 3 3 0.490 0.008
19 4 Kevin Harvick Busch Light/Mobil 1 Ford 36.218 198.796 1 1 0.502 0.012
20 37 Chris Buescher Slim Jim Chevrolet 36.268 198.522 1 1 0.552 0.050
21 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's for Pros Chevrolet 36.324 198.216 1 1 0.608 0.056
22 24 William Byron # Liberty University Chevrolet 36.361 198.014 1 1 0.645 0.037
23 43 Bubba Wallace # Medallion Bank/Petty's Garage Chevrolet 36.444 197.563 3 3 0.728 0.083
24 38 David Ragan Louis Kemp Crab Delights Ford 36.457 197.493 1 1 0.741 0.013
25 47 AJ Allmendinger Kroger ClickList Chevrolet 36.483 197.352 3 3 0.767 0.026
26 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Rehydrate Ford 36.493 197.298 3 3 0.777 0.010
27 13 Ty Dillon GEICO Chevrolet 36.493 197.298 3 3 0.777 0.000
28 95 Kasey Kahne WRL General Contractors Chevrolet 36.495 197.287 3 3 0.779 0.002
29 34 Michael McDowell Dockside Logistics Ford 36.639 196.512 3 3 0.923 0.144
30 32 Matt DiBenedetto Harvest Investments & Properties Ford 36.663 196.383 1 1 0.947 0.024
31 00 Landon Cassill Mane n Tail Chevrolet 36.816 195.567 3 3 1.100 0.153
32 72 Corey LaJoie Schluter Systems Chevrolet 37.203 193.533 1 1 1.487 0.387
33 51 BJ McLeod(i) Jacob Companies Chevrolet 37.550 191.744 1 1 1.834 0.347
34 * 99 Gray Gaulding StarCom Fiber Chevrolet 37.806 190.446 1 3 2.090 0.256
35 15 Reed Sorenson Solomon Plumbing Chevrolet 37.962 189.663 1 1 2.246 0.156
36 * 7 Garrett Smithley(i) Victory Lane Quick Oil Change Chevrolet 38.228 188.344 1 1 2.512 0.266
37 * 66 Timmy Hill(i) Rewards.com Chevrolet 38.783 185.648 1 2 3.067 0.555
38 * 96 Jeffrey Earnhardt Xtreme Concepts/Project K9 Hero Toyota 39.119 184.054 3 3 3.403 0.336
39 23 Blake Jones Tennessee XXX Moonshine Toyota 39.492 182.315 1 1 3.776 0.373
40 19 Daniel Suarez Stanley Toyota 0.000 0.000 0 0 ----- -----

Starting Line Up by Row
Michigan International Speedway
49th Annual Consumers Energy 400
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Fri, August 10, 2018 @ 06:38 PM Eastern
Driver Date Time Speed
Track Race Record: Dale Jarrett 06/13/99 02:17:56 173.997
Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed
Row 1: 1 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Office Toyota 35.504 202.794
2 18 Kyle Busch Interstate Batteries Toyota 35.515 202.731
Row 2: 3 4 Kevin Harvick Busch Light/Mobil 1 Ford 35.626 202.100
4 20 Erik Jones Doosan Toyota 35.678 201.805
Row 3: 5 3 Austin Dillon Dow WE Are Innovators Chevrolet 35.688 201.748
6 31 Ryan Newman Grainger Chevrolet 35.704 201.658
Row 4: 7 78 Martin Truex Jr. 5-hour ENERGY/Bass Pro Shops Toyota 35.746 201.421
8 12 Ryan Blaney Menards/Knauf Insulation Ford 35.766 201.309
Row 5: 9 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 35.780 201.230
10 88 Alex Bowman Axalta Chevrolet 35.788 201.185
Row 6: 11 10 Aric Almirola Smithfield Ford 35.906 200.524
12 41 Kurt Busch Haas Automation Ford 35.994 200.033
Row 7: 13 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Fifth Third Bank Ford 35.849 200.842
14 21 Paul Menard Earn While You Learn/NewFordTech.com Ford 35.854 200.814
Row 8: 15 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald's/Cessna Chevrolet 35.897 200.574
16 14 Clint Bowyer Haas 30 Years of the VF1 Ford 35.952 200.267
Row 9: 17 42 Kyle Larson DC Solar Chevrolet 35.987 200.072
18 2 Brad Keselowski Discount Tire Ford 36.074 199.590
Row 10: 19 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's for Pros Chevrolet 36.091 199.496
20 24 William Byron # Liberty University Chevrolet 36.139 199.231
Row 11: 21 9 Chase Elliott NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet 36.167 199.077
22 43 Bubba Wallace # Medallion Bank/Petty's Garage Chevrolet 36.415 197.721
Row 12: 23 37 Chris Buescher Slim Jim Chevrolet 36.438 197.596
24 38 David Ragan Louis Kemp Crab Delights Ford 36.467 197.439
Row 13: 25 47 AJ Allmendinger Kroger ClickList Chevrolet 36.483 197.352
26 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Rehydrate Ford 36.493 197.298
Row 14: 27 13 Ty Dillon GEICO Chevrolet 36.493 197.298
28 95 Kasey Kahne WRL General Contractors Chevrolet 36.495 197.287
Row 15: 29 34 Michael McDowell Dockside Logistics Ford 36.639 196.512
30 32 Matt DiBenedetto Harvest Investments & Properties Ford 36.663 196.383
Row 16: 31 00 Landon Cassill Mane n Tail Chevrolet 36.816 195.567
32 72 Corey LaJoie Schluter Systems Chevrolet 37.203 193.533
Row 17: 33 51 BJ McLeod(i) Jacob Companies Chevrolet 37.550 191.744
34 99 Gray Gaulding StarCom Fiber Chevrolet 37.806 190.446
Row 18: 35 15 Reed Sorenson Solomon Plumbing Chevrolet 37.962 189.663
36 7 Garrett Smithley(i) Victory Lane Quick Oil Change Chevrolet 38.228 188.344
Row 19: 37 66 Timmy Hill(i) Rewards.com Chevrolet 38.783 185.648
38 96 Jeffrey Earnhardt Xtreme Concepts/Project K9 Hero Toyota 39.119 184.054
Row 20: 39 23 Blake Jones Tennessee XXX Moonshine Toyota 39.492 182.315
40 19 Daniel Suarez Stanley Toyota 0.000 0.000
Did Not Qualify: None.
Manufacturer Starting Lineup DNQs Manufacturer Starting Lineup DNQs
Chevrolet 20 0 Toyota 7 0
Ford 13 0
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series