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Denny Hamlin slams into the wall in Turn 2 at Indianapolis during qualifying run

JHby: Jonathan Howard07/26/25Jondean25
Denny Hamlin Indy qualifying wreck
Screenshot credit: NASCAR via X.com

What a hit! Denny Hamlin was more than two-tenths up on the pole time, and then he found himself in the wall. Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been unforgiving to these NASCAR drivers, and Hamlin had an all-time great qualifying run end early.

When Denny Hamlin went through Turn 1, it was clear what kind of lap he was on. However, as we saw multiple times today, Turn 2 was Hamlin’s demise. Chase Briscoe wins the pole award as Hamlin never made it back to the finish.

An absolutely massive hit for Hamlin. He will be in a backup car and in the back of the field to start the Brickyard 400 on Sunday.

Denny Hamlin is still trying to find his first Brickyard 400 win. Fresh off his win at Dover and his contract extension through 2027, Hamlin is looking to keep that momentum going.

Starting in last will not help. His pit stall selection is not going to be all that great, either. If there is any solace for Hamlin it is that the Toyotas as a whole were really fast in practice and qualifying. It remains to be seen if that was a result of qualifying trim or if that will carry over to the race itself.

Hamlin was not the only driver to have issues in Turn 2. Chase Elliott, John Hunter Nemechek, Michael McDowell, and others had problems as well. But Hamlin definitely took the biggest hit.

Denny Hamlin wrecks, Chase Briscoe on pole

Indiana’s very own, Chase Briscoe, is on the pole for the Brickyard 400. What a day for the Hoosier at his home track. Briscoe grew up idolizing Tony Stewart. Now, 20 years after Smoke’s first Brickyard win, is it Briscoe’s turn?

Chase Briscoe barely beat out Bubba Wallace for the pole. Toyota has the first five starting spots locked down today. It looked like Denny Hamlin was going to blow everyone out of the water by two-tenths of a second, but he wound up in the Turn 2 wall.

This season has been very good for Chase Briscoe on the qualifying side of things. He has now won five pole awards and has the pole for the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, and Brickyard 400. Briscoe is the first driver to ever accomplish that feat in the same season.

A few drivers are going to have to make their way through the field. There is the finale of the In-Season Tournament going on between Ty Dillon and Ty Gibbs. A lot to keep your eyes on for Sunday’s Brickyard 400.