Denny Hamlin wins Martinsville pole for Xfinity 500

NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 31, 2026

Hamlin wins pole

Denny Hamlin won the pole for Sunday’s Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway, putting himself at the front of the field for the NASCAR Cup Series’ penultimate race of the 2026 season. Hamlin’s lap came in at 19.226 seconds and 98.492 mph, and he beat Ty Gibbs by 0.049 seconds. Gibbs qualified second and will start alongside Hamlin on the front row. Kyle Larson qualified third, Austin Cindric fourth and Joey Logano fifth. That gives the top five a strong mix of title contenders and race threats right at the start of the event. Hamlin’s run was the quickest of the session, and it delivered the kind of starting spot that can shape the opening stage at Martinsville. The qualifying order also places three drivers with direct title implications among the top three spots, with Hamlin and Larson separated by only two positions on the grid.

Larson leads title chase

Kyle Larson enters Martinsville with the championship race still open, and the points table gives him the clearest path to the title. Larson leads Hamlin by 73 points, Christopher Bell by 74 and Chase Briscoe by 79. Seven drivers remain mathematically alive in the championship battle. Larson can clinch the championship Sunday by scoring 59 points, a mark that keeps the focus on his own race while the rest of the contenders try to close the gap. He also holds tiebreakers over Bell, Logano and Ryan Blaney. That matters if the standings tighten late. Larson loses tiebreakers to Tyler Reddick, Hamlin and Briscoe, which means the margins around him still matter across every stage and every position. The math leaves Larson in control, but it does not let him coast. He has to deliver a solid day and stay ahead of the drivers who can still catch him. Hamlin’s pole only adds to the pressure at the front of the field, because Larson will start just two spots behind the driver he is chasing in the standings. The race begins with the title chase compressed into the top of the lineup and the championship picture still active for multiple drivers.

Martinsville history

Martinsville also brings a strong track record into the mix for the two drivers at the center of the story. Hamlin is a six-time winner at Martinsville and the active driver with the most wins at the track. That history gives him one of the strongest resumes in the field at a venue where familiarity matters. Larson has his own success there, too. He has won at Martinsville before and has finished in the top 10 in each of his last eight races at the track. Those results add context to the stakes of this weekend’s race, because the drivers at the center of the championship fight also bring meaningful Martinsville experience. Larson is trying to become NASCAR’s first back-to-back Cup Series champion since Jimmie Johnson’s five-title run from 2006 to 2010. Hamlin, meanwhile, returns to one of his best tracks. The front of the grid sets the tone for the race, and Martinsville gives each of those drivers a chance to turn a strong starting spot into something even bigger when the green flag falls.