NASCAR at Martinsville 2019 Qualifying Results: Denny Hamlin Wins Pole Position

Denny Hamlin further energized his quest for a championship Saturday at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia, by capturing his third NASCAR Cup Series pole of the 2019 season.

Hamlin will start on the inside of Row 1 for Sunday's First Data 500 alongside Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. Here is a look at the full qualifying order, courtesy of NASCAR.com (time in seconds):

1. Denny Hamlin: 19.354
2. Chase Elliott: 19.383
3. Martin Truex Jr.: 19.429
4. Aric Almirola: 19.453
5. Michael McDowell: 19.471
6. Ryan Blaney: 19.487
7. Clint Bowyer: 19.488
8. Erik Jones: 19.492
9. Daniel Suarez: 19.506
10. Joey Logano: 19.509
11. William Byron: 19.525
12. Matt DiBenedetto: 19.545
13. Kyle Busch: 19.547
14. Kyle Larson: 19.547
15. Brad Keselowski: 19.579
16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: 19.593
17. David Ragan: 19.619
18. Daniel Hemric: 19.641
19. Alex Bowman: 19.650
20. Chris Buescher: 19.669
21. Ryan Preece: 19.686
22. Kevin Harvick: 19.688
23. Austin Dillon: 19.732
24. Jimmie Johnson: 19.742
25. Kurt Busch: 19.745
26. Bubba Wallace: 19.756
27. Ryan Newman: 19.762
28. Corey LaJoie: 19.796
29. Ty Dillon: 19.821
30. Paul Menard: 19.900
31. Matt Crafton: 20.031
32. Landon Cassill: 20.070
33. BJ McLeod: 20.141
34. Reed Sorenson: 20.150
35. JJ Yeley: 20.292
36. Ross Chastain: 20.401
37. Timmy Hill: 20.449
38. Garrett Smithley: 20.477

When Hamlin took the track for his qualifying attempt, he edged out Joey Logano for the top spot in his first lap and then blew away the rest of the field on his second lap:

After the qualifying session, Hamlin credited the speed of his car for the strong qualifying run:

While Chase Elliott technically qualified second, an engine change in practice will result in him starting at the back of the field, meaning Truex will start on the outside of Row 1:

Elliott barely made it into the playoffs' round of eight by edging out Brad Keselowski last week, but he will have to work his way through the field in order to get off to a strong start.

Meanwhile, Hamlin is coming off a win last week at Kansas to cement his place in the round of eight, and he has to be considered the favorite to win again this week given how good his car looked Saturday. On top of that, Hamlin has five career wins at Martinsville to his credit, which is second among active drivers behind only Jimmie Johnson.

Aside from Hamlin and Elliott, the other drivers still in playoff contention qualified as follows: Kyle Busch (13), Truex (3), Logano (10), Kevin Harvick (22), Kyle Larson (14) and Ryan Blaney (6).

After getting eliminated prior to the round of eight, Aric Almirola, Clint Bowyer, Erik Jones and William Byron are among the strong qualifiers who have a chance to play spoiler Sunday.