Denny Hamlin claimed the pole position for the South Point 400 Playoff race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, leading a Joe Gibbs Racing sweep of the top qualifying spots. Hamlin's No. 11 JGR Toyota Toyota achieved a speed of 184.849 mph, surpassing teammates Chase Briscoe and Christopher Bell. This marks Hamlin's first pole at Las Vegas and Toyota's 25th time sweeping the top three starting positions. Hamlin, the 2021 Las Vegas Playoff race winner and current championship leader, expressed confidence in his team's performance.
Heavy winds impacted practice and qualifying sessions, with substantial headwinds reported on the backstretch. Despite this, the eight Playoff drivers demonstrated solid performances. Beyond the Gibbs front trio, Hendrick Motorsports' Chase Elliott secured the fourth position, followed by William Byron and Kyle Larson, a three-time winner at Vegas. Reigning series champion Joey Logano, driving for Team Penske, finished ninth, while his teammate Ryan Blaney will start from the 14th position.
Logano, the defending series champion and Las Vegas race winner, enters the weekend energized after a dramatic final-lap extension of his Playoff life at the Charlotte ROVAL. He stated that advancing is the primary goal, regardless of the scenario. Logano's Team Penske No. 22 Ford team is composed of resilient, tough individuals, according to him.
Christopher Bell, a Joe Gibbs Racing driver, has consistently finished as the runner-up in the last two Las Vegas Playoff races, narrowly missing victory. Bell acknowledges the significance of this race and expresses confidence in his team's performance. Non-Playoff teams, such as Legacy Motor Club's Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek, remain competitive, aiming to secure victories and improve their standings.
