Denny Hamlin knocked Kurt Busch off the provisional pole and will lead the field to green in Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
It was looking like it'd be Busch's third straight pole after he won the pole at Darlington and for the All-Star Race on Saturday, but Hamlin bested Busch and broke Busch's then-new track record with a lap of 195.624 MPH.
The 600 will be Hamlin's second points race since returning from a back injury that sidelined him for five races.
Hamlin's teammate Matt Kenseth starts third, Mark Martin is fourth and Clint Bowyer starts fifth, meaning that Toyotas have four of the top five spots. Kyle Busch, the driver of the other Joe Gibbs Racing car, was no slacker himself, qualifying eighth. .
Jimmie Johnson, winner of the All-Star Race, starts 12th. Mike Bliss was the only driver to fail to qualify.
Related coverage on Yahoo! Sports:
? Was it too soon for Dale Jarrett to make NASCAR's Hall of Fame?
? Happy Hour: NASCAR fans offer their suggestions for All-Star Race
? Jimmie Johnson excels at going the distance
Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/denny-hamlin-pole-coca-cola-600-003236238.html
Skip Barber Paolo Barilla Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels
