Avondale, AZ - In a good
week, that got even better for Joe Gibbs Racing Rookie
Denny Hamlin, won the pole Saturday at Phoenix
International Speedway for Sunday's Checker Auto Parts
500.
The No.11 JGR FedEx
Chevrolet turned a lap at the one-mile Phoenix
International Raceway in 26.831 seconds (134.173
m.p.h.).
Hamlin, won the
pole only in his sixth race. Starting shotgun on
the front row with Hamlin will be "Chase" driver Jimmie
Johnson who posted a second-best time of 26.965 seconds.
A pair of Roush
Racing & Chase contenders, Carl Edwards (26.975) and
Greg Biffle (26.980) make up row two.
Hamlin's Gibbs
Racing teammate Bobby Labonte, qualified fifth with a
lap of 27.020 seconds. Other Gibbs teammate, and
Championship leader Tony Stewart, qualified ninth with a
lap at 27.115.
Chase Contenders
qualified: Ryan Newman (11th), Matt Kenseth (16th), Kurt
Busch (17th), Rusty Wallace (26th), Mark Martin (29th)
and Jeremy Mayfield (39th).
Last year's race
winner Dale Earnhardt, Jr. turned a lap at 27.185
seconds.
