Denny Hamlin joins exclusive NASCAR 50-50 club as – Sports News
46-year-old Denny Hamlin appeared to put himself in a prime place for a third NASCAR win of the younger season (and a second consecutive one) by capturing the pole for the 2026 FireKeepers Casino 400 on the Michigan Superspeedway.
The pole makes Hamlin, additionally the latest All-Star race winner, simply the seventh driver to hitch the 50-50 club with each 50 NASCAR Cup Series wins and poles. He’s surrounded by exclusive company, as Richard Petty, David Pearson, Jeff Gordon, Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, and Bobby Allison make up the opposite six members.
However, Hamlin must begin within the rear of Sunday’s race in Michigan. His No. 11 Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing wants repairs unapproved by NASCAR, that means he should begin on the back of the pack.
“There’s damage underneath his car from when he had a flat tire, and they have to fix it, which is an unapproved adjustment, and he’ll drop to the back,” tweeted NASCAR reporter Jeff Gluck.
Hamlin, who got here back from a giant deficit to win final week within the Cracker Barrel 400 on the Nashville Superspeedway, remains to be optimistic about his possibilities.
“That’s going to be a challenge in itself, certainly at this racetrack,” he stated on Saturday. “So we’re going to have to have good restarts and have the race play out just right.”
“The race is long, and you can certainly do it. It’s not unachievable. And sometimes when you’re in the back, it gives you an opportunity if there’s an early caution to try a different strategy. I know if you look at last week, that all seemed easy, but things really fell our way, and they’re going to have to again [on Sunday].”
Hamlin sits second within the 2026 Cup Series standings with 560 factors, over 70 clear of Ryan Blaney in third however more than 100 behind Tyler Reddick in first.
The 45-year-old Hamlin’s 62 profession wins are essentially the most with out a season-long crown in Cup Series historical past by a vital margin. He got here agonizingly close final 12 months, dropping out narrowly on the ultimate day to Kyle Larson.
Despite needing repairs, his car was lights-out in qualifying: his 195.117 mph lap was simply enough to edge hometown-favorite Carson Hocevar for first place on the Michigan oval.
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