Denny Hamlin begins his bid for a sweep at Richmond by winning the pole in qualifying

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Denny Hamlin’s bid for a sweep at Richmond is off to a good start.

Hamlin won the pole for Sunday night’s NASCAR Cup Series race, topping qualifying Saturday in his No. 11 Toyota. It was Hamlin’s third pole of the year, although he went on to finish out of the top 10 after his first two at Phoenix and Nashville.

Hamlin won at Richmond earlier this season and is trying to become the first driver to sweep the track’s two Cup races since Martin Truex Jr. in 2019. Hamlin’s five career victories at Richmond are one behind Kyle Busch, the leader among active racers.

“I probably put a little more pressure on myself to perform at this race track, just simply because I know what it takes to win here and what I need out of the car,” Hamlin said. “I feel like I have good techniques that help equal the success in the past, but we have gone through so many car changes, tire changes — things like that, but the basics still ring true in the end. I love winning here. To have five is certainly exciting. I feel like each one has been a little different.”

Hamlin edged Truex, his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, in qualifying.

“I feel like we made some really good adjustments between the two rounds, and I was able to execute the lap I was trying to execute,” Hamlin said. “Was I surprised it held up? Yes. I definitely was.”

Truex, who is retiring from full-time racing after this season, is still seeking his first victory of the year. At Richmond in March, Truex was in good shape to win before a late caution sent all the contenders to pit road. Hamlin ultimately prevailed in overtime.

Qualifying doesn’t always mean much at Richmond. The track ranks second all-time to Daytona in wins from outside the top 20.

For the first time in a points-paying Cup race, teams will have multiple tire options. Teams receive sets of Goodyear “Prime” tires and sets of “Option” tires. The latter is softer, trading longevity for short-term grip and speed.

“I would love the Option tire — the soft tire — just to be the tire,” Hamlin said. “If we are experimenting this to see if we can run those tires in a race as the only tire, I think that is certainly a viable option.”

Prior to qualifying, Hamlin was asked a timely but less pressing question: Should motorsports be in the Olympics?

“I saw some sports that I didn’t know this time around, so I would love to see motorsports as part of it,” he said. “But I don’t know how feasible it is, just knowing that we all drive different equipment.”

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