Hamlin snatches the pole at Dover

DOVER, DE - MAY 29: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Cares Toyota, left, poses with Miss Coors Light Amanda Mertz and the Coors Light Pole Award after qualifying for the pole for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks at Dover International Speedway on May 29, 2015 in Dover, Delaware. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)
DOVER, DE - MAY 29:  Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Cares Toyota, left, poses with Miss Coors Light Amanda Mertz and the Coors Light Pole Award after qualifying for the pole for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks at Dover International Speedway on May 29, 2015 in Dover, Delaware.  (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)
DOVER, DE – MAY 29: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Cares Toyota, left, poses with Miss Coors Light Amanda Mertz and the Coors Light Pole Award after qualifying for the pole for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks at Dover International Speedway on May 29, 2015 in Dover, Delaware. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Denny Hamlin went out last but ended up first Friday night. Hamlin was the last driver to take a lap in the final of three rounds of knockout qualifying; however, he put down the fastest lap and secured the pole for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup series FedEx 400 at Dover International Speedway.

Hamlin’s lap of 22.483 seconds translated to 160.121 miles per hour giving the Joe Gibbs Racing driver his first pole of the season and the 21st of his career.  It is Hamlin’s third pole at Dover and his first since the fall of 2013.

“Well, we still haven’t won here, but we’ve been more competitive for sure,” Hamlin said. MORE>>>

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.