Denny Hamlin, slated to celebrate his 46th birthday on November 18, solidified his place in NASCAR history, taking pole position at Martinsville Speedway and becoming the oldest driver to do so in 156 Cup Series races at the track. This isn’t just another pole, folks; this is Hamlin throwing down a 98.492-mph lap on that tricky 0.526-mile oval, outrunning his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Ty Gibbs who clocked 98.241 mph. Talk about putting Father Time on notice!
Hamlin’s Historic Run and His Message to the Doubters
This is Hamlin’s career-best sixth pole position this season, and it’s absolutely wild. He’s five months older than Morgan Shepherd was when Shepherd snagged the pole way back in April 1987. When asked about it, Hamlin didn’t mince words. He said, “That’s awesome. There’s times I feel like Father Time’s catching up. If that’s true, then you wouldn’t have been able to sit on six poles. It’s what drives me that I’ve got a shot and still am decent enough. So I’d love to keep setting those old man records.” He’s not slowing down, he’s embracing it! And don’t forget, five of his series-high six wins at Martinsville have come from the pole position. That’s a massive advantage heading into the race.
Kyle Larson’s Big Lead Under Threat
Kyle Larson, who qualified third with a 98.114 mph lap, is trying to navigate this with a 73-point lead over Hamlin. But even he’s not getting ahead of himself, especially with Hamlin breathing down his neck. Larson’s not expecting to lock up the championship this weekend before the season finale, and he definitely respects Hamlin’s track record here. “I think everybody else is convinced that we’re going to lock it up here this weekend,” Larson admitted. “Denny’s really good here. I’m more just kind of looking at it like how to keep it up front to leave myself a buffer for next week. We’ll see how the race plays out, but that’s kind of my mindset. Denny’s definitely a much better short track racer than me.” That’s a pretty telling quote right there, isn’t it? Hamlin’s got Larson thinking defense, even with that big points lead. Hamlin knows it too, saying their job is “to stay out in front of (Larson) and then just make them think.” He knows he needs to gain around “25, 30 points probably to even have a remote feeling of optimism,” and even then, he calls it “a stretch.” But he’s out there making moves.
What’s Next for the Chase Field
While Hamlin and Larson are battling it out, other drivers are looking to make their move. Christopher Bell, who is right behind Hamlin in the Chase standings, qualified 14th, while Chase Briscoe qualified 11th. Then you’ve got Austin Cindric starting fourth, ahead of his Penske teammate Joey Logano, who qualified fifth. Logano is chasing his own piece of history, trying to become the first driver since Rusty Wallace in 1993 to snag three consecutive Cup wins on short tracks. With Martinsville now in the books, the focus shifts to the November 8 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Every single point is going to matter, and if Hamlin keeps setting those “old man records,” this Chase is going to be absolutely wild until the very end!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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