Denny Hamlin will start from the pole in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity 500 at the Martinsville Speedway. The driver of the No. 11, a six-time Martinsville winner, claimed the top starting position in Saturday’s single car qualifying session.
The pole was the 54th of Hamlin’s career, which is one shy of NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott. It is Hamlin’s sixth pole of the season, a career-high for the veteran driver.
Hamlin is in need of a massive day at “The Paperclip.” Seeking an elusive first Cup championship, Hamlin trails points leader Kyle Larson by 73 points with just two races remaining in the 2026 campaign.
Larson, who can clinch the 2026 title by scoring 59 points on Sunday, will roll off from the third position. The driver of the No. 5 seeks to be the first driver in the Chase era to clinch the title one race early.
The last driver to secure the championship one race early was Matt Kenseth in 2003 under the Winston Cup points format.
The top six starting positions are all taken up by Chase drivers. Ty Gibbs, Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, will start on the outside of the front row.
Team Penske drivers Austin Cindric and Joey Logano will start fourth and fifth, respectively. Ryan Preece will roll off from the sixth position, while Alex Bowman is the highest non-Chase starter in seventh.
William Byron, the defending winner of the Xfinity 500, will start from the eighth position. Chase Elliott, winner at Martinsville earlier this season, will roll off ninth.
Eight Chase drivers qualified outside the top 10. Among the notables include Ryan Blaney, a two-time Martinsville winner, who will start 13th on Sunday. Christopher Bell, the Martinsville fall 2022 winner, rolls off 14th.
Carson Hocevar was the lowest qualifier among the Chase field as he will start Sunday from the 25th position.
Full NASCAR Cup Series Starting Lineup at Martinsville
- Denny Hamlin (Chase)
- Ty Gibbs (Chase)
- Kyle Larson (Chase)
- Austin Cindric (Chase)
- Joey Logano (Chase)
- Ryan Preece (Chase)
- Alex Bowman
- William Byron (Chase)
- Chase Elliott (Chase)
- Josh Berry
- Chase Briscoe (Chase)
- Tyler Reddick (Chase)
- Ryan Blaney (Chase)
- Christopher Bell (Chase)
- Bubba Wallace (Chase)
- Ross Chastain
- Austin Hill
- Chris Buescher (Chase)
- Connor Zilisch
- Austin Dillon
- Cole Custer
- Todd Gilliland
- Brad Keselowski
- Daniel Suarez (Chase)
- Carson Hocevar (Chase)
- Michael McDowell
- Riley Herbst
- Ty Dillon
- Shane van Gisbergen
- Erik Jones
- Noah Gragson
- A.J. Allmendinger
- Zane Smith
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- John Hunter Nemechek
- Josh Bilicki
- Cody Ware
NASCAR Cup Series Set For Crucial Martinsville Race
The Xfinity 500 at the Martinsville Speedway is the ninth race of the Chase and the next-to-last race of the 2026 season. If anyone in the Chase field wants a shot at knocking off Larson, they will have to make up big-time ground at “The Paperclip.”
Behind Hamlin, who ranks second in the points standings, is Christopher Bell in third. The driver of the No. 20 enters Martinsville 74 points behind Larson. Chase Briscoe ranks fourth, 79 points behind Larson.
Everyone behind them is 100 or more points behind Larson. The Cup Series Xfinity 500 is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. Eastern time. It can be watched on NBC or listened to on the Motor Racing Network.
Denny Hamlin Paces NASCAR Cup Qualifying at Martinsville: Full Lineup