“Saturday has really been our Achilles heel at this race track”: Denny Hamlin makes feelings known after claiming Las Vegas pole

Denny Hamlin led Joe Gibbs Racing to clinch the Busch Light Pole at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Hamlin found the feat a 'great way' to change his fortunes at the 1.5-mile oval.

Hamlin wasn't the fastest in Saturday afternoon practice, but he kept himself among the top five. Building on his momentum, the No.11 driver recorded a stellar qualifying with a lap time of 29.213 seconds at 184.849 mph.

His nearest rivals were his teammates Chase Briscoe and Christopher Bell, who rounded out the top three. JGR previously swept the top three at Indianapolis this season.

In a post-qualifying interview, Hamlin admitted to his shortcomings at the track and said (via Motorsport.com),

"I felt good about it. There wasn't a whole lot left out there for it, but great job to get my car good. It was good in the short run practice as well, but we gotta work on it in the long run for tomorrow. Saturday has really been our Achilles heel at this race track, and that's a great way to turn that around."

In his 27 starts at the high-banked oval, Denny Hamlin hasn't recorded a pole until now. The 44-year-old has a track average of 14.1 in the Next Gen Era, while his best result comes from a win back in September 2021. His last outing at Las Vegas saw him finish 25th after a 15th-place start.

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Joey Logano credits Denny Hamlin for keeping his title hopes alive

Joey Logano was all praise for Denny Hamlin after last weekend's playoff elimination race at Charlotte Roval. Hamlin ended up coming between Logano's fight with Ross Chastain for the final transfer spot.

If Chastain had made it past Hamlin, the reigning champion would've ended his playoff run then and there. Instead, a final-lap skirmish between Hamlin and Chastain helped Logano edge out the Trackhouse Racing driver.

In an interview with Shannon Spake, Logano outlined his playoff chances if not for Hamlin's involvement.

"I mean, I think I need to start looking for good Christmas gifts for the guy. I mean, I think I should put him on the list... But yeah, just I mean, that was a difference maker, right? I mean, honestly, our faith fate was in Denny Hamlin's hands, right? if he chose not to pass the one, we're out."

Denny Hamlin finished 23rd after getting taken out by Chastain, but the result was enough to keep him atop the playoff standings. He enters the Round of 8 with a two-point advantage over Team Penske's Ryan Blaney. Kyle Larson and William Byron round out the top four, while Joey Logano sits last with 24 points below the cutline.

The points gap means that Logano is in a must-win situation to make it through to the finale.