NASCAR Cup Series at Nashville starting lineup: Denny Hamlin wins pole in rain-shortened qualifying session

Denny Hamlin won the pole for the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway, earning the top qualifying spot after posting the fastest lap in Group A qualifying before a popup shower forced NASCAR to cancel the final round of qualifying. Hamlin posted a time of 29.848 (160.413 MPH) in Group A, the fastest between Groups A and B.

The stage had been set for the run at the pole when a heavy rainstorm rolled into the area, dousing the speedway just after the conclusion of Group B qualifying. With all drivers having made a qualifying attempt, NASCAR quickly scrubbed the final round of qualifying and set the starting lineup based on Group A and B times.

Hamlin’s pole is his second of the 2022 season and his second in the last four races. Hamlin previously won the pole at the Coca-Cola 600.

Prior to the rain’s arrival, drivers and teams had welcomed a cloud cover over the speedway, providing some relief from the summer heat while also making for a cooler racetrack and faster speeds. Unfortunately, the change in track conditions was not so fortuitous for Kyle Busch.

Busch spun out in Turn 4 during his qualifying attempt, backing into the wall before driving in reverse down pit road and driving his car to the garage area. Busch will start 36th in Sunday’s race.

Ally 400 starting lineup

1. #11 – Denny Hamlin
2. #22 – Joey Logano
3. #5 – Kyle Larson
4. #9 – Chase Elliott
5. #99 – Daniel Suarez
6. #12 – Ryan Blaney
7. #1 – Ross Chastain
8. #4 – Kevin Harvick
9. #20 – Christopher Bell
10. #19 – Martin Truex Jr.
11. #10 – Aric Almirola
12. #48 – Alex Bowman
13. #24 – William Byron
14. #16 – A.J. Allmendinger
15. #17 – Chris Buescher
16. #8 – Tyler Reddick
17. #41 – Cole Custer
18. #34 – Michael McDowell
19. #45 – Kurt Busch
20. #3 – Austin Dillon
21. #31 – Justin Haley
22. #7 – Corey LaJoie
23. #43 – Erik Jones
24. #2 – Austin Cindric (R)
25. #47 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
26. #21 – Harrison Burton (R)
27. #6 – Brad Keselowski
28. #14 – Chase Briscoe
29. #42 – Ty Dillon
30. #23 – Bubba Wallace
31. #51 – Cody Ware
32. #15 – J.J. Yeley
33. #38 – Todd Gilliland (R)
34. #77 – Josh Bilicki
35. #78 – B.J. McLeod
36. #18 – Kyle Busch