NASCAR Cup Series: Denny Hamlin takes pole for 2018 Ford EcoBoost 400
By Asher Fair
Denny Hamlin took the pole position for the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season finale, the Ford EcoBoost 400, at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin knocked off teammate and Championship 4 driver Kyle Busch off the provisional pole position for the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season finale, the Ford EcoBoost 400, at Homestead-Miami Speedway with his lap in the third and final qualifying session as time expired.
Hamlin took the pole position for the 267-lap race around the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) Homestead-Miami Speedway oval in Homestead, Florida by recording a lap at 31.059 seconds (173.863 miles per hour), which was the final lap of all drivers in the session, in his #11 Toyota.
This pole position is Hamlin’s fourth of the season and the 30th of his Cup Series career. It is also his third career pole position at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He has taken the pole position for the races at the track in three of the last four seasons, including the last two.
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Busch is set to start alongside Hamlin on the front row in second place in his #18 Toyota as the highest qualifying Championship 4 driver. Furniture Row Racing’s Martin Truex Jr., one of the other three Championship 4 drivers, qualified in third to round of a top three Toyota sweep in his #78 Toyota.
Ford drivers took the next three positions on the starting grid. Team Penske teammates Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano qualified in fourth and fifth place in their #2 and #22 Ford, respectively. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kurt Busch qualified in sixth in his #41 Ford. Of these three drivers, only Logano is a Championship 4 driver.
Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick qualified in 12th place in his #4 Ford and is set to start in the lowest position of the four Championship 4 drivers.
The other five drivers who made it into the third and final qualifying session were Joe Gibbs Racing’s Erik Jones, Richard Childress Racing’s Ryan Newman, Roush Fenway Racing’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Stewart-Haas Racing’s Aric Almirola and Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyle Larson. They are set to start in seventh, eighth, ninth, 10th and 11th place in their #20 Toyota, #31 Chevrolet, #17 Ford, #10 Ford and #42 Chevrolet, respectively.
Here are the full qualifying results for the 2018 Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Race Results
1st – Denny Hamlin
2nd – Kyle Busch
3rd – Martin Truex Jr.
4th – Brad Keselowski
5th – Joey Logano
6th – Kurt Busch
7th – Erik Jones
8th – Ryan Newman
9th – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
10th – Aric Almirola
11th – Kyle Larson
12th – Kevin Harvick
13th – Alex Bowman
14th – Chase Elliott
15th – Ryan Blaney
16th – Austin Dillon
17th – Matt Kenseth
18th – Daniel Suarez
19th – Jimmie Johnson
20th – A.J. Allmendinger
21st – Jamie McMurray
22nd – Paul Menard
23rd – Darrell Wallace Jr.
24th – Michael McDowell
25th – David Ragan
26th – Clint Bowyer
27th – Chris Buescher
28th – William Byron
29th – Matt DiBenedetto
30th – Regan Smith
31st – Ty Dillon
32nd – Landon Cassill
33rd – J.J. Yeley
34th – Corey Lajoie
35th – Kyle Weatherman
36th – B.J. McLeod
37th – Tanner Berryhill
38th – Timmy Hill
39th – Ross Chastain
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The 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season finale, the Ford EcoBoost 400, is scheduled to take place on Sunday, November 18, and it is set to be broadcast live from Homestead-Miami Speedway beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.