Denny Hamlin is atop the NASCAR Cup Series points standings for the first time all season.
If that wasn’t enough reason for Hamlin to head into Fourth of July weekend in a celebratory mood, the series’ return to Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet for the first time since 2019 is definitely a welcome one.
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Hamlin won the Cup Series race in 2015 and has finished in the top 10 in five of his last six races in Joliet. Now, he’s on the pole for Sunday’s eero 400, adding to his local success that also included a pole in the 2023 street race in downtown Chicago.
“I’m a Chicago master, what can I say?” Hamlin said with a laugh.
In Saturday’s eero 400 qualifying, Hamlin edged Kyle Larson by one-thousandth of a second for the pole, finishing his lap in 30.296 seconds.
Chris Buescher, Brad Keselowski and Ty Gibbs were right behind while Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, Bubba Wallace, Chase Elliott and William Byron will round out the top 10 starters for Sunday’s race, which is set for 5 p.m.
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Hamlin typically thrives on 1.5-mile tracks like Chicagoland Speedway, finishing in the top five in each of his last six races on those layouts and winning twice.
But he didn’t think his qualifying run Saturday was going to be enough to put him on the pole.
“Generally, these are great race tracks for us,” Hamlin said. “I thought I ran a conservative but solid run into Turns 1 and 2. Three and four, I didn’t quite hit it great but it looked like I got off of turn four better than the competition. This is very surprising, truthfully.”
While Hamlin will look to continue his hot streak Sunday, much of the conversation around the track is centered on the uncertainty of Chicagoland Speedway’s future on the NASCAR schedule.
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With talks of a street race returning to downtown Chicago next year, will the return to Joliet be a one-and-done situation?
Briscoe, a native of Mitchell, Indiana, certainly hopes not.
“I love coming back home essentially,” Briscoe said. “It’s in the Midwest. I hope we can continue to come here. I love this track and always have. Hopefully, it’s an amazing race and the fans turn out so we can keep coming back.
“Even if there’s a Chicago street race, maybe we can do two races in Chicagoland. I don’t know what that looks like, but I love coming here.”
Austin Dillon, who qualified in the 25th spot, called Chicagoland Speedway a “track that has a lot of character” and confirmed he would love to keep coming back but also expressed his appreciation for the Chicago street race.
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He believes he knows what the bottom line will be when it comes to NASCAR’S ultimate decision.
“We have to make sure everyone shows up and enjoys it,” Dillon said. “If we put on a good show, ticket sales will always go up.”
In that vein, Hamlin indicated that he would try to get the word out any way he could, even referencing the couple who climbed the Empire State Building on Wednesday.
“I’m going to go to downtown Chicago and wave a flag that says, ‘Come to Chicagoland tomorrow,’” Hamlin said. “I might climb a tower like those people did.”
Jokes aside, Hamlin believes getting Chicago right is a vital step for NASCAR. And not just because he’s done well here.
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“I think it’s an important audience for us,” Hamlin said. “We came here for the test run (in April) and there were three cars with no logos on them and there were probably 500 people out here. There was not much to see, but they’ve been wanting for us to get back in this area.
“This track is going to race so well (Sunday) that it will be hard to say, ‘Let’s go back and take it off the schedule.’”
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