Qualifying report
NASCAR Cup Pocono
Denny Hamlin earns Pocono pole as William Byron wrecks in wild qualifying session
Several drivers struggled at the Tricky Triangle on Saturday, except for the one who has won here more than any other driver
Nick DeGroot
Edited: Jun 22, 2025, 4:15 AM
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Denny Hamlin missed the race in Mexico City, but it didn't seem to impact him as the NASCAR Cup Series rolled into Pocono. With a record seven wins at the 2.5-mile track, it was obvious that the No. 11 Toyota would be fast again, and in qualifying, no one could match his pace. He went to the top of the charts in his fifth pole position at Pocono but his first of the 2025 season.
"Obviously, because I was a little more rested than the field right there, I was able to get a little more speed," joked Hamlin.
"I mean, I love all of them," added Hamlin when asked about Pocono being one of his favorite tracks. "Every week, we have a great shot to win and this team just knows what I need out of the car. And with all the cars and tires and everything that has changed over time, you still make speed at this track the same way. I was able to execute it there in qualifying and that's a good start for us."
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Photo by: Jonathan Bachman - Getty Images
Joining Hamlin on the front row will be RFK Racing's Chris Buescher, who ended the session 0.083s behind Hamlin's fast lap. Buescher's first career Cup win came at Pocono back in 2016. Carson Hocevar qualified third, John-Hunter Nemechek fourth, and Cole Custer fifth in some really impressive runs for both the Legacy Motor Club and Haas Factory Team.
Chase Briscoe, Ty Gibbs, Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, and Daniel Suarez filled out the remainder of the top ten.
Qualifying trouble
Watch: William Byron hits inside wall hard during qualifying at Pocono
Four drivers didn't even set a qualifying time. As a result of inspection issues, Brennan Poole's team was not allowed to take part while Cody Ware crashed in practice and was unable to do so. Josh Berry's Wood Brothers No. 21 suffered a broken rear diffuser in the practice, which the team was busy repairing.
And then there was Bubba Wallace, whose No. 23 Toyota would not start when it was his time to go. 23XI Racing tried to push start it but to no avail, and he was visibly frustrated inside the car. A.J. Allmendinger and Todd Gilliland were the two slowest drivers on track, partly because they abandoned their laps after sketchy moments.
But the biggest moment came near the end of qualifying. William Byron wasn't going to challenge for pole, but he was likely going to be inside the top 10 when he lost control through the Tunnel Turn, spinning out and slamming the inside wall. After posting the fastest time in practice, the team will now have to make extensive repairs as they've chosen not to go to a backup car.
Byron's HMS teammate Chase Elliott was on track at the same time and the incident ruined his lap. Luckily, NASCAR allowed him to put on a fresh set of tires and Elliott was allowed to go back out, but that was only good enough for 18th. Shockingly, he was the highest-qualifying Hendrick Motorsports driver. Kyle Larson qualified 24th and Alex Bowman was 25th.
As for Mexico City winner Shane van Gisbergen, he ended up 23rd, matching his best qualifying effort of the season on an oval.
Photos from Pocono - Practice & Qualifying
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NASCAR Cup
44
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Cla Driver # Manufacturer Laps Time Interval Mph 1 D. HamlinJoe Gibbs Racing 11 Toyota 1
52.144
172.599 2 C. BuescherRFK Racing 17 Ford 1
+0.083
52.227
0.083 172.325 3 C. HocevarSpire Motorsports 77 Chevrolet 1
+0.235
52.379
0.152 171.825 4 J. NemechekLegacy Motor Club 42 Toyota 1
+0.246
52.390
0.011 171.789 5 C. CusterHaas Factory Team 41 Ford 1
+0.292
52.436
0.046 171.638 6 C. BriscoeJoe Gibbs Racing 19 Toyota 1
+0.300
52.444
0.008 171.612 7 T. GibbsJoe Gibbs Racing 54 Toyota 1
+0.320
52.464
0.020 171.546 8 T. Reddick23XI Racing 45 Toyota 1
+0.356
52.500
0.036 171.429 9 C. BellJoe Gibbs Racing 20 Toyota 1
+0.381
52.525
0.025 171.347 10 D. SuarezTrackHouse Racing 99 Chevrolet 1
+0.487
52.631
0.106 171.002 11 E. JonesLegacy Motor Club 43 Toyota 1
+0.488
52.632
0.001 170.999 12 J. LoganoTeam Penske 22 Ford 1
+0.529
52.673
0.041 170.866 13 R. PreeceRFK Racing 60 Ford 1
+0.583
52.727
0.054 170.691 14 B. KeselowskiRFK Racing 6 Ford 1
+0.637
52.781
0.054 170.516 15 Z. SmithFront Row Motorsports 38 Ford 1
+0.659
52.803
0.022 170.445 16 A. DillonRichard Childress Racing 3 Chevrolet 1
+0.667
52.811
0.008 170.419 17 N. GragsonFront Row Motorsports 4 Ford 1
+0.669
52.813
0.002 170.413 18 C. ElliottHendrick Motorsports 9 Chevrolet 1
+0.676
52.820
0.007 170.390 19 A. CindricTeam Penske 2 Ford 1
+0.692
52.836
0.016 170.338 20 R. BlaneyTeam Penske 12 Ford 1
+0.693
52.837
0.001 170.335 21 R. ChastainTrackHouse Racing 1 Chevrolet 1
+0.717
52.861
0.024 170.258 22 J. HaleySpire Motorsports 7 Chevrolet 1
+0.783
52.927
0.066 170.046 23 S. van GisbergenTrackHouse Racing 88 Chevrolet 1
+0.818
52.962
0.035 169.933 24 K. LarsonHendrick Motorsports 5 Chevrolet 1
+0.822
52.966
0.004 169.920 25 A. BowmanHendrick Motorsports 48 Chevrolet 1
+0.834
52.978
0.012 169.882 26 K. BuschRichard Childress Racing 8 Chevrolet 1
+0.951
53.095
0.117 169.507 27 T. DillonKaulig Racing 10 Chevrolet 1
+0.963
53.107
0.012 169.469 28 M. McDowellSpire Motorsports 71 Chevrolet 1
+0.996
53.140
0.033 169.364 29 R. Herbst23XI Racing 35 Toyota 1
+1.015
53.159
0.019 169.303 30 R. Stenhouse JrHyak Motorsports 47 Chevrolet 1
+1.517
53.661
0.502 167.720 31 W. ByronHendrick Motorsports 24 Chevrolet 1
+5.501
57.645
3.984 156.128 32 T. GillilandFront Row Motorsports 34 Ford 1
+7.037
59.181
1.536 152.076 33 A. AllmendingerKaulig Racing 16 Chevrolet 1
+11.933
1'04.077
4.896 140.456 -- B. PooleNY Racing Team 44 Chevrolet 0
NO TIME
-- C. WareRick Ware Racing 51 Ford 0
NO TIME
--
J. BerryWood Brothers Racing
21 Ford 0
NO TIME
-- B. Wallace23XI Racing 23 Toyota 0
NO TIME
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