Denny Hamlin takes pole position in the NASCAR Cup Series in Nashville

Hamlin’s first qualifying spot on Saturday will be the second time in 2024 and the 42nd time in his career that he has taken the pole.

Rookie Josh Berry set the first lap to beat in Nashville, reaching speeds of just over 155 mph, but it was Hamlin – the last driver to take to the track in qualifying on Saturday – who set the fastest lap of the day.

With Hamlin and Christopher Bell starting first and third, respectively, Nashville is proving to be a good track for the Joe Gibbs Racing drivers. JGR driver Ty Gibbs – who was fastest in practice earlier in the day – qualified eighth, making Martin Truex Jr. the only JGR driver not to qualify in the top 10.

Bell will share the second row with 2021 Nashville race winner Kyle Larson, while Brad Keselowski will start fifth. Daytona 500 winner Tyler Reddick and William Byron will start sixth and seventh, respectively, while Gibbs, Chris Buescher and St. Louis winner Austin Cindric round out the top 10.

Other notable qualifying performances include Chase Elliott at No. 13, Truex Jr. at No. 17, Ryan Blaney at No. 18, defending Nashville champion Ross Chastain at No. 20 and Corey Heim at No. 29.

Bubba Wallace, Joey Logano and Kyle Busch – all of whom are currently battling hard for a place in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs – will start from positions 24, 26 and 27.

Tennessee native Chad Finchum will start last in Sunday’s race, sharing row 19 with 2021 Xfinity Series champion Daniel Hemric.

The Ally 400 tips off shortly after 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, with coverage on NBC, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.