Denny Hamlin to lead all Joe Gibbs Racing front row at Phoenix
AVONDALE, ARIZ. — Denny Hamlin will lead an all Joe Gibbs Racing front row to the green flag Sunday in the NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix Raceway.
Hamlin ran a lap averaging 132.655 MPH, netting him his first pole at the 1-mile desert track since November 2014. The 41-time Cup Series pole winner earned his first pole at Phoenix in November 2005.
Ty Gibbs will start second after running a lap averaging 132.227 MPH. His previous-best start at Phoenix was 11th in the fall. It is the 2023 Cup Series rookie’s second front row start, alongside a second-place start at Martinsville last fall.
Starting fourth, Erik Jones earned the best start for Legacy Motor Club. It bests the organization’s previous-best start — seventh, Erik Jones at Phoenix last fall.
Carson Hocevar will start 10th, marking the third time a Spire Motorsports car has made the final round of Cup Series qualifying.
Fall Phoenix winner Ross Chastain will start 12th. Defending champion Ryan Blaney will start 15th.
Josh Berry will start 36th after clipping the apron exiting turn four, spinning and hitting the outside wall.
A few spots ahead, Kyle Busch will start 31st. A few more spots ahead, Derek Kraus will start 26th in his second NASCAR Cup Series start.
MORE on PHOENIX: NASCAR at Phoenix: Odds, times, lineups, results and more
SHRINERS CHILDREN’S 500 AT PHOENIX RACEWAY STARTING LINEUP
- Denny Hamlin
- Ty Gibbs
- Chase Elliott
- Erik Jones
- William Byron
- Tyler Reddick
- Noah Gragson
- Chase Briscoe
- Michael McDowell
- Carson Hocevar
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Ross Chastain
- Christopher Bell
- Chris Buescher
- Daniel Suarez
- Ryan Blaney
- Kyle Larson
- Brad Keselowski
- John Hunter Nemechek
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Daniel Hemric
- Bubba Wallace
- Joey Logano
- Harrison Burton
- Alex Bowman
- Derek Kraus
- Ryan Preece
- Zane Smith
- Todd Gilliland
- Austin Dillon
- Kyle Busch
- Kaz Grala
- Justin Haley
- Austin Cindric
- Corey LaJoie
- Josh Berry
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com