None of NASCAR’s marquee names will be lining up on the front row in Chicago. Instead, the trio of Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, and Chase Elliott will be rolling off from the back of the pack.
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While Hamlin wasn’t exactly a lock to start up front, his previous two qualifying runs at Chicago — P1 and P11 — had fans expecting at least a spot inside the top 10. As for Elliott and Larson, two of the sharpest road course wheelmen in the field outside of Shane van Gisbergen, their cars encountered knocks in practice and qualifying, respectively.
Hamlin’s practice session with Group 1 was over before it began. His No. 11 JGR Toyota barely made it out of the pit lane when smoke started pouring from under the hood. Something had let go in the engine bay, spilling oil onto the street course and sending the car into a spin. Though he avoided the wall, the internal failure was terminal, forcing an early end to his session without a single flying lap completed.
It’s the latest in a string of mechanical misfortunes for Hamlin, who previously suffered DNFs at both Texas and Kansas due to similar issues, his car even bursting into flames at Texas. Chicago, too, has never been kind to him.
Hamlin started from the pole in 2023 but wrecked just two laps in. Although he managed to claw his way back to P11 that day, he followed it up with a rough 30th-place finish in last year’s rain-hampered return. With zero practice under his belt this weekend, Hamlin will have to start Sunday’s race from the rear.
Elliott, running in Group 2, also found trouble in practice. He clipped the outside wall in the short chute between Turns 3 and 4, just past the backstretch and a heavy braking zone. The contact inflicted heavy damage to the left side of his No. 9 HMS Chevy, sidelining Elliott for qualifying.
Meanwhile, Larson managed to qualify 14th but didn’t escape unscathed. He picked up damage during his run, prompting his No. 5 team to repair the car and give up their starting position.
Now, all three championship-caliber contenders will have to dig deep and fight their way forward, with the unforgiving streets of Chicago standing in their way.
All Hendrick cars suffered damage
Saturday turned into a washout for the entire Hendrick Motorsports brigade, as all four drivers found themselves in trouble. While Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson saw their hopes dented in practice and qualifying, William Byron and Alex Bowman also added their names to the casualty list with wrecks during Saturday’s sessions.
Byron initially looked like the man to beat in Group 1, clocking a 1:31.008 lap, over three-tenths quicker than Shane van Gisbergen, to top the charts. But with less than two minutes left on the clock, it all unraveled.
Byron’s No. 24 Chevy lost grip and slapped the outside wall in Turn 10, snapping the left-rear toe link and damaging the car’s side in the process. Like his Hendrick teammates, Byron will now drop to the rear of the field for Sunday’s main event.
Bowman, the last of the four HMS drivers, didn’t fare much better. In Group 2, he tagged the wall and sustained suspension damage, forcing the team’s hand. Though he turned in the 11th-fastest qualifying lap to improve pit selection, his No. 48 crew opted for repairs, surrendering his starting position in exchange for a better-prepared car.
With all four Hendrick machines headed to the rear, the outfit will have to dig themselves out of a deep hole when the green flag drops on Chicago’s 75-lap street fight.
