Hamlin grabs pole ahead of contenders
HOMESTEAD — The four drivers who will vie for NASCAR’s Monster Energy Cup championship are well positioned after earning spots in the top 10 in qualifying for Sunday’s EcoBoost 400.
who just missed being part of the Championship 4 last week at Phoenix, gained some consolation when he swooped in and grabbed the pole position Friday on the final run of qualifying at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Hamlin clocked the fast lap at 173.980 mph to wrest the pole from
the favorite among the Championship 4.
The others who will vie for the title on Sunday were closely bunched, with qualifying third,
fifth and ninth. “It’s half satisfaction. Half of it is disappointment. Because you only run this good for so long,” Hamlin said.
“Love this racetrack. Wish that we would have our chance [on Sunday], but there will be another day, another year for us.”
Truex is the only driver among the four finalists to not yet win the series title, but he has reason to believe that will change on Sunday.
Six of his seven wins this year have come on 1.5-mile tracks similar to Homestead-Miami Speedway.
“It was definitely a really good day, just [of a second] off from being a perfect day,” Truex said. “We outran the other three guys, which is good, but I don’t think it’s a big deal because we’re all pretty tight together, and this is a track you can pass on.”
Pure speed will not necessarily be the determining factor. Homestead-Miami is one of the toughest on tire wear among tracks on the circuit. Teams will have fewer tires at their disposal than they did last year due to a rule change.
Monster Energy Cup teams will be allowed nine race sets in addition to the qualifying set they start the race on, as compared to 12 race sets plus one transferred practice set last year. That will put a premium on tire management.
“It certainly is one of the more dramatic tire fall-off tracks,” Keselowski said. “At the end of the day, it’s just another challenge for us as drivers to face. That’s not a bad thing. That’s how you can make the cream rise to the top.”
Thus, Harvick said, “You just don’t want to be at the end of this race with less sets of tires than the guys that you’re racing with the way the tire strategy is. Obviously, tire fall-off is something that we always talk about here, and I think this weekend it’s going to be magnified.”
Precocious Oklahoma native capped an impressive year in his rise in NASCAR with a convincing run to the championship Friday in Camping World truck series. Bell, 22, finished second in the EcoBoost 200, nearly 13 seconds ahead of defending series champ
in his JBL Toyota.
Bell crossed the finished line just behind his friend
who earned his first race win and wrapped up the truck Rookie of the Year award in the final race for Brad Keselowski Racing.
But the night belonged to Bell, who will move up to the Xfinity Series full time next year. He has already driven seven races in NASCAR’s second-tier series this season, winning once.
He has the opportunity today to help Racing win the Xfinity owner’s championship in the Ford 300 series finale.
Bell, who reached the Championship 4 in the truck series last year, won five races on the circuit this season and led in just about every statistical category.
“It was huge, to be able to make the final four last year and get the experience you need just to win these things is really important," Bell said. “It’s a dream come true to be standing here, and we’ve got another one tomorrow.”