NASCAR at Richmond 2016 Qualifying Results: Race Order, Final Times and Reaction

The field for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' Federated Auto Parts 400 from Richmond International Speedway was set during Friday's qualifying, and it was Denny Hamlin who took the pole in his home state of Virginia, via Fox Sports:

With the best time of 22.069, he will top the field, which looks like this:

Place	Driver	Time
1	Denny Hamlin	22.069
2	Kyle Larson	22.079
3	Matt Kenseth	22.087
4	Jamie McMurray	22.097
5	Kurt Busch	22.105
6	Martin Truex Jr.	22.123
7	Kasey Kahne	22.123
8	Austin Dillon	22.197
9	Kyle Busch	22.230
10	Jimmie Johnson	22.323
11	Jeff Gordon	22.346
12	Joey Logano	22.392
2nd Cut
13	Carl Edwards	22.082
14	Tony Stewart	22.086
15	Ryan Newman	22.123
16	AJ Allmendinger	22.128
17	Brad Keselowski	22.145
18	Trevor Bayne	22.173
19	Kevin Harvick	22.212
20	Ryan Blaney	22.217
21	David Ragan	22.257
22	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	22.378
23	Aric Almirola	22.425
24	Regan Smith	22.440
1st Cut
25	Matt DiBenedetto	22.077
26	Casey Mears	22.078
27	Michael McDowell	22.079
28	Greg Biffle	22.083
29	Danica Patrick	22.102
30	Paul Menard	22.117
31	Chris Buescher	22.139
32	Landon Cassill	22.143
33	Clint Bowyer	22.171
34	Chase Elliott	22.172
35	Brian Scott	22.215
36	Josh Wise	22.268
37	Michael Annett	22.269
38	Reed Sorenson	22.328
39	Dylan Lupton	22.461
40	Jeffrey Earnhardt	22.466
41	Cole Whitt (DNQ)	22.519

Hamlin, who has two wins at Richmond in his career, didn't hold back in qualifying. While most drivers waited until later in the rounds to wait for the coolest possible track temperature, Hamlin was the first out of the pits in the final round and posted the fastest time.

But it's been almost six years since he's won the checkered flag at Richmond, with his last victory coming in September 2010. It was also Hamlin's first pole of the season, much to his relief, via Motorsport.com's Lee Spencer:

Kyle Larson wasn't too far behind Hamlin in qualifying, as he took the No. 2 spot for Saturday's race just 0.01 seconds behind the pole winner.

Even with Friday's racing taking place in the evening, the drivers had to deal with sweltering conditions during qualifying. At the start of the first round, it was 96 degrees in Richmond, but it felt like 103 degrees. Even worse for the drivers, the track temperature was at 129 degrees, per the NBC Sports telecast. 

Such extreme temperatures cook the asphalt on the track, creating slick conditions. That forced drivers to try to find the portions of the track that provided the best grip. 

With this being the last race before the Sprint Cup's chase, there was added pressure in difficult conditions for eligible drivers close to the top 30 spots in the points standings to put on a solid showing in qualifying as their postseason fate is on the line.

That final 30th spot, held by Chris Buescher, was all but put up for grabs after he failed to make it to the second round of qualifying, as he'll start the Federated Auto Parts 400 in 31st.

Buescher will enter Saturday's race 11 points ahead of No. 31 David Ragan, who helped his chances of making the top 30 a bit more with a 21st-place spot earned qualifying.

Among notable names, points leader Kevin Harvick will start in 19th, while Brad Keselowski, who is 43 points behind in second, will start in 17th.

Drivers in the back of the field are going to have a difficult time moving up in the field, which is why qualifying toward the front of the pack was so important.

Richmond provides such a short track, which comes in at 3/4 of a mile. It is unforgiving for those in the back of the field as the tight quarters makes it nearly impossible to pass opposing drivers while creating a competitive atmosphere. 

Stats courtesy of NASCAR.com.