Hamlin Leads Toyotas to Top Four '600' Starting Positions

Denny Hamlin will start up front in the Coca-Cola 600

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(CONCORD, NC – MAY 28, 2022 – RIS) Denny Hamlin added a second Coca Cola 600 pole to his career, beating out Kurt Busch by the razor-thin margin of only three thousandths of a second for the top qualifying position in NASCAR’s longest race. Ironically, Hamlin is an owner of Busch’s car, even though Hamlin drives for the Joe Gibbs Racing team.

The third and fourth starters Sunday are also Joe Gibbs Racing cars, with Christopher Bell and Kyle Busch filling the second row of the grid, giving Toyota a sweep of the top four slots. William Byron’s No. 24 Chevy broke up the Toyota parade, with rookie (and Daytona 500 winner) Austin Cindric’s Ford joining Byron on the third row of the grid. "The end result is probably the perfect scenario for me,” Hamlin said. “Our car's been good. It was good off the truck. We just continued to tune on it quite a bit and we thought once this thing got into the night, that you want to run the low line through (turns) 3 and 4 as much as you can. I got as many reps as I could doing that and it looked like it was the difference maker.

"Hopefully, the No. 1 pit stall will help us relax a bit. ... Any time you get compared to others, which you usually do, they talk about what you’ve won: Daytona 500s, Southern 500s, Coca-Cola 600s and Brickyard races. Those races definitely matter. The No. 1 thing for me is definitely winning the Coke 600, for my relationship with Coke but also because I’m trying to knock off all the crown jewels."

In practice, defending 600 champion Kyle Larson crashed his No. 5 Chevy, sending the team to the garage with a badly damaged racecar. Brad Keselowski spun in his qualifying attempt and was scored with a lap of 58.599 sec/92.152 mph, sending the No 6 Ford to only 35th on the sheets, ahead of Larson and Corey LaJoie.

Practice: 63rd Annual COCA-COLA 600, Charlotte Motor Speedway
Pos, Driver, Car, , Time, Speed, Lap #, # Laps, -Fastest, -Next, 
1) Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, 29.589, 182.500, 1, 10, ---.---, ---.---, 
2) Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Patriotic Chevrolet, 29.637, 182.205, 1, 20, -0.048, -0.048, 
3) Ross Chastain, No. 1 Advent Health Chevrolet, 29.703, 181.800, 1, 20, -0.114, -0.066, 
4) Austin Cindric #, No. 2 Menards/Cardell Cabinetry Ford, 29.705, 181.788, 2, 18, -0.116, -0.002, 
5) Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Red White and Blue , 29.730, 181.635, 2, 23, -0.141, -0.025, 
6) Kyle Busch, No. 18 M&M's Red White and Blue Toyota, 29.753, 181.494, 1, 20, -0.164, -0.023, 
7) Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota, 29.758, 181.464, 2, 23, -0.169, -0.005, 
8) Daniel Suarez, No. 99 CommScope Chevrolet, 29.802, 181.196, 1, 20, -0.213, -0.044, 
9) Ryan Blaney, No. 12 BodyArmor EDGE Ford, 29.847, 180.923, 2, 25, -0.258, -0.045, 
10) Joey Logano, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, 29.853, 180.886, 1, 22, -0.264, -0.006, 
11) Erik Jones, No. 43 FOCUSfactor Chevrolet, 29.885, 180.693, 2, 20, -0.296, -0.032, 
12) William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Patriotic Chevrolet, 29.897, 180.620, 2, 18, -0.308, -0.012, 
13) Bubba Wallace, No. 23 McDonald's Toyota, 29.937, 180.379, 1, 19, -0.348, -0.040, 
14) Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet, 29.963, 180.222, 3, 20, -0.374, -0.026, 
15) Christopher Bell, No. 20 Yahoo! Toyota, 29.983, 180.102, 3, 20, -0.394, -0.020, 
16) Corey LaJoie, No. 7 The USO & Coca-Cola Chevrolet, 30.013, 179.922, 1, 4, -0.424, -0.030, 
17) Kurt Busch, No. 45 Monster Energy Toyota, 30.075, 179.551, 3, 20, -0.486, -0.062, 
18) Michael McDowell, No. 34 Fr8Auctions.com Ford, 30.146, 179.128, 2, 22, -0.557, -0.071, 
19) Chris Buescher, No. 17 Fifth Third Bank Ford, 30.161, 179.039, 2, 15, -0.572, -0.015, 
20) Ryan Preece(i), No. 15 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford, 30.188, 178.879, 2, 9, -0.599, -0.027, 
21) Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford, 30.206, 178.772, 2, 19, -0.617, -0.018, 
22) Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet, 30.206, 178.772, 3, 24, -0.617, -0.000, 
23) Todd Gilliland #, No. 38 Boot Barn Ford, 30.232, 178.619, 3, 19, -0.643, -0.026, 
24) Cole Custer, No. 41 Chicken Cock Whiskey Ford, 30.266, 178.418, 1, 20, -0.677, -0.034, 
25) Aric Almirola, No. 10 Smithfield Ford, 30.277, 178.353, 2, 21, -0.688, -0.011, 
26) Justin Haley, No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet, 30.287, 178.294, 5, 18, -0.698, -0.010, 
27) Harrison Burton #, No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford, 30.294, 178.253, 3, 25, -0.705, -0.007, 
28) Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Kohler Generators Ford, 30.306, 178.183, 2, 14, -0.717, -0.012, 
29) Noah Gragson(i), No. 16 Charlotte Knights Chevrolet, 30.369, 177.813, 1, 21, -0.780, -0.063, 
30) Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford, 30.395, 177.661, 5, 21, -0.806, -0.026, 
31) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger/Reese's Chevrolet, 30.424, 177.491, 5, 14, -0.835, -0.029, 
32) Ty Dillon, No. 42 Black Rifle Coffee Company Chevrolet, 30.666, 176.091, 2, 20, -1.077, -0.242, 
33) Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Chevrolet, 30.730, 175.724, 3, 24, -1.141, -0.064, 
34) Cody Ware, No. 51 Nurtec ODT Military Salutes Ford, 30.738, 175.678, 2, 13, -1.149, -0.008, 
35) BJ McLeod, No. 78 Circle B Diecast Ford, 30.909, 174.706, 3, 3, -1.320, -0.171, 
36) Josh Bilicki(i), No. 77 Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet, 31.251, 172.794, 2, 18, -1.662, -0.342, 
37) Kaz Grala(i), *No. 50 SEGI TV Chevrolet, 31.795, 169.838, 7, 7, -2.206, -0.544,
(*) Required to qualify on time, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series, (#) Rookie

Best 10 Consecutive Lap Average
Pos, Driver, Car, From Lap, To Lap, Avg Speed
1) Martin Truex Jr., 19, 1, 10, 179.188
2) Ryan Blaney, 12, 1, 10, 178.923
3) Christopher Bell, 20, 1, 10, 178.379
4) Chase Elliott, 9, 1, 10, 178.370
5) William Byron, 24, 9, 18, 177.678
6) Kurt Busch, 45, 11, 20, 177.482
7) Tyler Reddick, 8, 1, 10, 177.122
8) Harrison Burton #, 21, 1, 10, 176.566
9) Denny Hamlin, 11, 13, 22, 176.531
10) Kyle Busch, 18, 10, 19, 176.439
11) Michael McDowell, 34, 10, 19, 176.113
12) Kevin Harvick, 4, 4, 13, 175.973
13) Todd Gilliland #, 38, 9, 18, 175.767
14) Noah Gragson(i), 16, 1, 10, 175.680
15) Austin Dillon, 3, 2, 11, 175.106
16) Ty Dillon, 42, 1, 10, 174.634
Car must run 10 consecutive laps to be included.

Time Trial Results63rd Annual COCA-COLA 600, Charlotte Motor Speedway
Track Qualifying Record: Kyle Busch,  10/11/14, 27.357 sec 197.39 mph
Qualifying Round 1A
Pos, Driver, Car, Time, Speed, Lap #, # Laps, -Fastest, -Next
1) Kurt Busch, No. 45 Monster Energy Toyota, 29.459, 183.306, 0, 1, 0.000, 0.000
2) Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota, 29.577, 182.574, 0, 1, 0.118, 0.118
3) Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Patriotic Chevrolet, 29.652, 182.113, 0, 1, 0.193, 0.075
4) Bubba Wallace, No. 23 McDonald's Toyota, 29.655, 182.094, 0, 1, 0.196, 0.003
5) Michael McDowell, No. 34 Fr8Auctions.com Ford, 29.861, 180.838, 0, 1, 0.402, 0.206
6) Chris Buescher, No. 17 Fifth Third Bank Ford, 29.914, 180.517, 0, 1, 0.455, 0.053
7) Justin Haley, No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet, 29.929, 180.427, 0, 1, 0.470, 0.015
8) Cole Custer, No. 41 Chicken Cock Whiskey Ford, 29.929, 180.427, 0, 1, 0.470, 0.000
9) Ross Chastain, No. 1 Advent Health Chevrolet, 29.946, 180.325, 0, 1, 0.487, 0.017
10) Joey Logano, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, 29.994, 180.036, 0, 1, 0.535, 0.048
11) Erik Jones, No. 43 FOCUSfactor Chevrolet, 30.020, 179.880, 0, 1, 0.561, 0.026
12) Aric Almirola, No. 10 Smithfield Ford, 30.020, 179.880, 0, 1, 0.561, 0.000
13) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger/Reese's Chevrolet, 30.232, 178.619, 0, 1, 0.773, 0.212
14) BJ McLeod, No. 78 Circle B Diecast Ford, 30.469, 177.229, 0, 1, 1.010, 0.237
15) Cody Ware, No. 51 Nurtec ODT Military Salutes Ford, 30.958, 174.430, 0, 1, 1.499, 0.489
16) Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Kohler Generators Ford, 58.599, 92.152, 0, 1, 29.140, 27.641
17) Corey LaJoie, No. 7 The USO & Coca-Cola Chevrolet, 0.000, 0.000, 0, 0, -----, -----
18) Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, 0.000, 0.000, 0, 0, -----, -----

Qualifying Round 1B
Pos, Driver, Car, Time, Speed, -Fastest, -Next
1) Kyle Busch, No. 18 M&M's Red White and Blue Toyota, 29.452, 183.349, 0.000, 0.000
2) Christopher Bell, No. 20 Yahoo! Toyota, 29.462, 183.287, 0.010, 0.010
3) William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Patriotic Chevrolet, 29.466, 183.262, 0.014, 0.004
4) Austin Cindric #, No. 2 Menards/Cardell Cabinetry Ford, 29.535, 182.834, 0.083, 0.069
5) Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet, 29.584, 182.531, 0.132, 0.049
6) Ryan Blaney, No. 12 BodyArmor EDGE Ford, 29.617, 182.328, 0.165, 0.033
7) Daniel Suarez, No. 99 CommScope Chevrolet, 29.701, 181.812, 0.249, 0.084
8) Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet, 29.721, 181.690, 0.269, 0.020
9) Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Red White and Blue Toyota, 29.725, 181.665, 0.273, 0.004
10) Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford, 29.760, 181.452, 0.308, 0.035
11) Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Chevrolet, 29.822, 181.074, 0.370, 0.062
12) Harrison Burton #, No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford, 29.865, 180.814, 0.413, 0.043
13) Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford, 29.868, 180.796, 0.416, 0.003
14) Ryan Preece(i), No. 15 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford, 30.141, 179.158, 0.689, 0.273
15) Noah Gragson(i), No. 16 Charlotte Knights Chevrolet, 30.188, 178.879, 0.736, 0.047
16) Ty Dillon, No. 42 Black Rifle Coffee Company Chevrolet, 30.223, 178.672, 0.771, 0.035
17) Todd Gilliland #, No. 38 Boot Barn Ford, 30.317, 178.118, 0.865, 0.094
18) Josh Bilicki(i), No. 77 Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet, 30.729, 175.730, 1.277, 0.412
19) *Kaz Grala(i), No. 50 SEGI TV Chevrolet, 31.884, 169.364, 2.432, 1.155

Qualifying Round 2
Pos, Driver, Car, Time, Speed, Lap #, # Laps, -Fastest, -Next
1) Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota, 29.399 sec, 183.680 mph, 1, 1, 0.000, 0.000
2) Kurt Busch, No. 45 Monster Energy Toyota, 29.402, 183.661, 1, 1, 0.003, 0.003
3) Christopher Bell, No. 20 Yahoo! Toyota, 29.403, 183.655, 1, 1, 0.004, 0.001
4) Kyle Busch, No. 18 M&M's Red White and Blue Toyota, 29.427, 183.505, 1, 1, 0.028, 0.024
5) William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Patriotic Chevrolet, 29.520, 182.927, 1, 1, 0.121, 0.093
6) Austin Cindric #, No. 2 Menards/Cardell Cabinetry Ford, 29.621, 182.303, 1, 1, 0.222, 0.101
7) Bubba Wallace, No. 23 McDonald's Toyota, 29.623, 182.291, 1, 1, 0.224, 0.002
8) Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet, 29.638, 182.199, 1, 1, 0.239, 0.015
9) Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Patriotic Chevrolet, 29.643, 182.168, 1, 1, 0.244, 0.005
10) Michael McDowell, No. 34 Fr8Auctions.com Ford, 29.820, 181.087, 1, 1, 0.421, 0.177

Starting Line Up: 63rd Annual COCA-COLA 600, Charlotte Motor Speedway
Pos, Driver, Car, Time, Speed
1) Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota, 29.399, 183.680
2) Kurt Busch, No. 45 Monster Energy Toyota, 29.402, 183.661
3) Christopher Bell, No. 20 Yahoo! Toyota, 29.403, 183.655
4) Kyle Busch, No. 18 M&M's Red White and Blue Toyota, 29.427, 183.505
5) William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Patriotic Chevrolet, 29.520, 182.927
6) Austin Cindric #, No. 2 Menards/Cardell Cabinetry Ford, 29.621, 182.303
7) Bubba Wallace, No. 23 McDonald's Toyota, 29.623, 182.291
8) Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet, 29.638, 182.199
9) Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Patriotic Chevrolet, 29.643, 182.168
10) Michael McDowell, No. 34 Fr8Auctions.com Ford, 29.820, 181.087
11) Ryan Blaney, No. 12 BodyArmor EDGE Ford, 29.617, 182.328
12) Daniel Suarez, No. 99 CommScope Chevrolet, 29.701, 181.812
13) Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet, 29.721, 181.690
14) Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Red White and Blue Toyota, 29.725, 181.665
15) Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford, 29.760, 181.452
16) Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Chevrolet, 29.822, 181.074
17) Harrison Burton #, No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford, 29.865, 180.814
18) Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford, 29.868, 180.796
19) Chris Buescher, No. 17 Fifth Third Bank Ford, 29.914, 180.517
20) Justin Haley, No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet, 29.929, 180.427
21) Cole Custer, No. 41 Chicken Cock Whiskey Ford, 29.929, 180.427
22) Ross Chastain, No. 1 Advent Health Chevrolet, 29.946, 180.325
23) Joey Logano, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, 29.994, 180.036
24) Aric Almirola, No. 10 Smithfield Ford, 30.020, 179.880
25) Erik Jones, No. 43 FOCUSfactor Chevrolet, 30.020, 179.880
26) Ryan Preece(i), No. 15 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford, 30.141, 179.158
27) Noah Gragson(i), No. 16 Charlotte Knights Chevrolet, 30.188, 178.879
28) Ty Dillon, No. 42 Black Rifle Coffee Company Chevrolet, 30.223, 178.672
29) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger/Reese's Chevrolet, 30.232, 178.619
30) Todd Gilliland #, No. 38 Boot Barn Ford, 30.317, 178.118
31) BJ McLeod, No. 78 Circle B Diecast Ford, 30.469, 177.229
32) Josh Bilicki(i), No. 77 Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet, 30.729, 175.730
33) Cody Ware, No. 51 Nurtec ODT Military Salutes Ford, 30.958, 174.430
34) Kaz Grala(i), No. 50 SEGI TV Chevrolet, 31.884, 169.364
35) Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Kohler Generators Ford, 58.599, 92.152
36) Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, 0.000, 0.000
37) Corey LaJoie, No. 7 The USO & Coca-Cola Chevrolet, 0.000, 0.000
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series, (#) Rookie