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Martin Truex Jr. or Kyle Busch? Busch or Truex?
In the final qualifying round on Friday at Homestead – Miami Speedway, with Busch and Truex leading the way as the final seconds passed, Denny Hamlin was coming in on his last lap. And just before the end of the session, Hamlin stole the pole away from the two title contenders.
This is Hamlin's second consecutive home homestead heat, and he has continued his five straight years of championship contenders without winning the pole for the season finale.
Busch has qualified second and Truex third. Joey Logano qualified fifth and Kevin Harvick was the last of four remaining playoff riders qualifying in 12th place.
Some other notes of Friday on the track:
▪ Kyle Larson, from California, will make a nice sign and carry a sticker on the side of his # 42 car this Sunday to support the campfire victims in Northern California. Larson asks fans to text "BUTTEFIRE" to 91999 or donate online to donate with him to United Way of Northern California.
▪ Hamlin announced on social media that he would have a new team leader next season, moving from his longtime partner to Michael "Wheels" Wheeler. Unless a win Sunday night, it will be Hamlin's first full-time season without a win. Hamlin and Wheeler have held positions together since 2004 and Hamlin had previously stated that he wanted Wheeler to remain his team leader for the rest of his career.
▪ The True Row team gets underway after the end of the year due to the loss of major sponsorship, making the race at Sunday's championship the last NASCAR event in which the team participates. Nevertheless, the team's president, Joe Garone, told reporters on Friday morning that Furniture Row's sponsorship issues were unique and not necessarily indicative of the sport as a whole.
"NASCAR is still a place of sponsorship for companies – there is no doubt about it," Garone said. "When you look at where corporate sponsorship can be, it can not be in the sport of sticks and balls, and we always attract huge crowds. So, we have to adapt the partner. This has to match their business model, and some of the sponsors have existed for as long as the one we lost, they are collapsing, the economy is changing and sometimes they have to look for something different, and c & rsquo; Was a unique situation. "
▪ Another note on Furniture Row, but more fun: for its last NASCAR race, the Denver-based racing team opted for a classic look for its latest car. Truex's number 78 is the same black and orange design that he has led most of his career in the organization.
▪ No matter where he finishes at Homestead, William Byron, from Charlotte, won the Cup Series Rookie of the Year trophy. Byron's main competition was won by Bubba Wallace, who finished second in the Daytona 500 but did not see a big boost the rest of the year. Byron is ranked 23rd compared to Wallace at 28th, although his best result was a sixth place finish in Pocono, Pennsylvania.
▪ One last weather note, especially as the winter hits Charlotte this week. Predictions for Sunday's race? High of 81 and partly sunny. Now everyone is going to hit wood.
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