Sports
Denny Hamlin grabs NASCAR Cup pole at Pocono Raceway
Jun 13, 2026; Long Pond, Pennsylvania, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) during practice and qualifying for The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images It’s been a recurring theme in the NASCAR Cup Series in recent weeks. Denny Hamlin is out front.
The veteran driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota claimed his fourth Busch Light Pole position of the season Saturday afternoon at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway and will lead the field to green in Sunday’s Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA (1 p.m. ET on Prime Video, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Of note, with poor weather expected later Sunday afternoon, the green flag start time (1 p.m.) has been moved up two hours earlier than its originally scheduled time.
This marks the 64th pole position of Hamlin’s career and comes as the popular veteran is attempting to win three consecutive races for the first time in his celebrated career after victories the last two weeks in Nashville and Michigan.
He was the last driver to take to the track in Saturday’s qualifying session and just nudged Hendrick Motorsports’ driver Kyle Larson from the top position in the final minutes – Hamlin’s lap of 173.250 mph around the 2.5-mile triangular-shaped Pocono track was .057-second quicker than Larson’s best.
“Certainly had the grip, this whole team just did a great job with adjustments, making it a little better from practice, I didn’t execute a very good lap there in Turn 2, but overall I thought I hit [turns] three and one pretty decent – just good enough,” Hamlin said.
He acknowledged he and the team are certainly on a hot streak at the moment with wins in the non-points paying All-Star Race four weeks ago plus the two victories in the last two weeks. The effort has helped Hamlin cut 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick’s 100-plus point advantage over him atop the standings to only 51 points heading into Pocono, a place Hamlin has won a record seven times.
“It’s certainly going well and confidence is up with these guys [on the team] that every time I enter a corner at about 200, I know they’ve built me a car that’s going to stick,” Hamlin said, acknowledging his three-in-a-row opportunity.
“This is the best shot for sure, we’ve got a little work to do on the car overnight to get it to be a race winner, but I feel like we’re in that box where we need to be and we’ll fine tune it from here.”
Starting behind Hamlin and Larson are Daniel Suarez in the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet and Hamlin’s JGR teammates Ty Gibbs (No. 54 Toyota) and defending race winner Chase Briscoe (No. 19 Toyota).
Chris Buescher, who won his first career NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono in 2016, qualified sixth – his No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford the first Ford on the grid. Legacy Motor Club teammates Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek will start their Toyotas seventh and eighth. Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron (No. 24 Chevrolet) and Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney (No. 12 Ford) – who also earned his first career series win at Pocono in 2017 – round out the top-10 on the grid.
Of note, 23XI Racing’s Reddick will roll of 15th and his teammate, Bubba Wallace, will start from the rear of the field after a qualifying session accident. RFK owner-driver Brad Keselowski had engine trouble in the session and will start alongside Wallace on the last row.
NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying – Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA
Pocono Raceway
Long Pond, Pennsylvania
Saturday, June 13, 2026
1. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 173.250 mph.
2. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 173.067 mph.
3. (7) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 172.881 mph.
4. (54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 172.771 mph.
5. (19) Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 172.639 mph.
6. (17) Chris Buescher, Ford, 172.493 mph.
7. (43) Erik Jones, Toyota, 172.450 mph.
8. (42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 172.160 mph.
9. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet, 171.982 mph.
10. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 171.867 mph.
11. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 171.536 mph.
12. (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 171.481 mph.
13. (71) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 171.468 mph.
14. (33) Austin Hill(i), Chevrolet, 171.308 mph.
15. (41) Cole Custer, Chevrolet, 171.210 mph.
16. (45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 171.207 mph.
17. (2) Austin Cindric, Ford, 171.178 mph.
18. (38) Zane Smith, Ford, 171.132 mph.
19. (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 171.090 mph.
20. (21) Josh Berry, Ford, 171.015 mph.
21. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 170.921 mph.
22. (20) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 170.700 mph.
23. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 170.687 mph.
24. (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 170.681 mph.
25. (35) Riley Herbst, Toyota, 170.396 mph.
26. (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 170.332 mph.
27. (10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 170.264 mph.
28. (88) Connor Zilisch #, Chevrolet, 169.975 mph.
29. (34) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 169.645 mph.
30. (4) Noah Gragson, Ford, 169.565 mph.
31. (97) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet, 169.202 mph.
32. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 169.128 mph.
33. (51) Cody Ware, Chevrolet, 168.262 mph.
34. (78) Daniel Dye(i), Chevrolet, 167.779 mph.
35. (60) Ryan Preece, Ford, 167.532 mph.
36. (62) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 166.015 mph.
37. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 126.518 mph.
38. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 0.000 mph.
–NASCAR Wire Service
Sports
Blue Jays activate two-time All-Star C Alejandro Kirk (thumb)
Apr 3, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk (30) hits an RBI-double against the Chicago White Sox during the second inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk was activated from the 60-day injured list prior to Friday’s series opener against the visiting New York Yankees.
Kirk has been sidelined since fracturing his left thumb against the Chicago White Sox on April 3.
Kirk will be behind the plate and bat fourth against the Yankees.
Kirk, 27, was 3-for-20 (.150) in five games prior to going on the IL. He had one homer and two RBIs.
The two-time All-Star is a .267 career hitter with 52 homers and 265 RBIs in 569 games since reaching the majors with Toronto in 2020.
Toronto also placed outfielder Daulton Varsho (left wrist inflammation) on the 10-day list, retroactive to Wednesday; designated catcher Tyler Heineman for assignment; and recalled outfielder Davis Schneider from Triple-A Buffalo.
Varsho was batting .256 with five homers and 17 RBIs in 64 games this season. He is in his fourth season with the Blue Jays after spending his first three campaigns with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Heineman batted .154 with one homer and six RBIs in 31 games this season. Schneider hit .127 with one homer and eight RBIs in 38 games with Toronto earlier this season.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cardinals’ Blaze Jordan to make major league debut Friday
MLB St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Blaze Jordan The St. Louis Cardinals selected rookie corner infielder Blaze Jordan from Triple-A Memphis on Friday to make his major league debut against the host Minnesota Twins.
Jordan will bat eighth and play third base for the Cardinals.
A 2020 third-round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox, Jordan was dealt to St. Louis in last year’s trade that sent left-hander Steven Matz to Boston. In 57 games at Triple-A this year, the 23-year-old was batting .313 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs.
His selection was one of five roster moves the Cardinals made on Friday.
They also recalled right-hander Chris Roycroft from Memphis, optioned infielder Nolan Gorman and right-hander Hunter Dobbins to Triple-A and moved infielder Ramon Urias (elbows) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL.
Roycroft, 28, made five appearances out of the bullpen for St. Louis earlier this year (3 2/3 innings) and amassed a 12.27 ERA. He has a 5.98 career ERA in 52 games for St. Louis (2024-26).
Gorman, 26, has slumped to a career-low .194 batting average with one hit in his last 26 at-bats. He has seven homers and 26 RBIs over 62 games in his fifth major league season, all with the Cardinals.
Dobbins, 26, got into four games and made two starts for the Cardinals this season, going 1-0 with a 3.63 ERA. He arrived in a separate trade with Boston after making his major league debut there last year.
–Field Level Media
Sports
George McNeill, Scott Hend share lead at Principal Charity Classic
George McNeill of Fort Myers, Florida, studies his putt on the par three, 6th hole. The second round of the Senior PGA Championship was held Friday, April 17, 2026 at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida. George McNeill and Australia’s Scott Hend are tied for the lead at the Principal Charity Classic following the first round Friday in Des Moines, Iowa.
McNeill and Hend each shot 7-under-par 65 at Wakonda Club and will take a one-shot lead over four players into the weekend. Vaughn Taylor, Tag Ridings, Australian John Senden and defending champion Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain sit at 6-under 66.
McNeill turned 50 last fall and is playing his first season on the PGA Tour Champions. He’s made the cut in all eight starts and has two runner-up finishes, including at last week’s team event, the American Family Insurance Championship, where he played with Kenny Perry.
“Honestly, I’m just trying to play like I have been. I feel like I played fairly well all year,” said McNeill, who made an eagle at the par-5 13th to go with six birdies and one bogey.
“… But again, all these courses are brand new to me so there’s a lot of stuff that I’m looking at it and reading putts and greens. These guys who have been here year after year after year, it helps. So I’m just trying to play like I have been, get out of my own way.”
Hend racked up nine birdies Friday, including four over the final six holes. He broke through for his first PGA Tour Champions win last month at the Trophy Hassan II in Morocco.
Hend said it takes “more than a couple days” to get used to an unfamiliar course, though that didn’t stop him from going low in his first visit to Wakonda.
“I didn’t play the last four holes, so I didn’t know what the last four holes were like,” Hend said. “So got on the 18th tee, I said to my caddie, ‘Where’s the green?’ He’s like, ‘I think it’s over there.’ He walked up trying to get the proper line. I’m just trying to learn the golf course and hopefully by Sunday afternoon I’ll know what to do.”
Tied for seventh at 5-under 67 are Doug Barron, Matt Gogel, Brett Quigley, Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal, Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke and Aussies Richard Green and David Brandson.
–Field Level Media
Blue Jays activate two-time All-Star C Alejandro Kirk (thumb)
Cardinals’ Blaze Jordan to make major league debut Friday
