Denny Hamlin captures the Pole for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race

AVONDALE, Ariz. — Denny Hamlin delivers the first blow to his Championship 4 rivals and captures the pole for the NASCAR Cup Series championship race at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday.

Hamlin set a flying 26.914 second time to top the qualifying session and will lead his Championship 4 rivals, and the field, to the green flag.

Though he has the pole, Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron (26.956) and Kyle Larson (26.979) start right on his tail in second and third.

Overall, the times were very close throughout the field. Only .200 separated first through 20th. With those tight blanket of times we were bound to see one of the finalist slip.

The final member of the quartet, Chase Briscoe, round out the group with a 27.133 second time. He’ll be on the back foot early with his 12th place starting spot.

Joining the three Championship 4 competitors up front is Austin Cindric in fourth and teammate Ryan Blaney in fifth.

Carson Hocevar, Josh Berry, Alex Bowman, Chris Buescher, and Joey Logano round out the top ten qualifiers.

The only other driver slotted between Briscoe and his fellow finalists is Kyle Busch. He will make his 750th career Cup Series start from 11th.

After a hectic practice session on Friday, only AJ Allmendinger chose not qualify after sustaining damage in practice. He will start 38th and last.

Starting Lineup for the Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway

Ryan Kemna is a photojournalist for The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2025.

Currently residing in the Minneapolis, MN, area, Kemna brings his passion for motorsports, photography, and a good story to readers.