Avondale, AZ (Sports Network) - Denny Hamlin will start on the pole for Saturday's Able Body Labor 200 Nationwide Series race after setting a new track qualifying record at Phoenix International Raceway.
Hamlin lapped the one-mile oval at 133.968 m.p.h. (26.872 seconds), which surpassed Kyle Busch's 2004 track record. The pole victory was Hamlin's second this year and the 14th of his Nationwide career. He also won the pole in last year's fall race at Phoenix.
Carl Edwards, the defending race winner, qualified 0.13 seconds behind Hamlin to claim the outside pole.
Kevin Harvick, who won Friday's Camping World Truck Series race at Phoenix, qualified third, while points leader Busch took the fourth spot. Busch currently holds a 247-point lead. If he leaves Phoenix with at least a 195- point advantage over the second-place driver, he will wrap up the series title with one race remaining -- Homestead.
Clint Bowyer completed the top-five.
Jason Leffler, Paul Menard, Mike Bliss, David Ragan and Reed Sorenson qualified sixth through 10th, respectively.
Open-wheel veteran Alex Tagliani lost control of his car and backed it into the wall during his second qualifying lap. Tagliani qualified for the race based on owner points. He will start 41st.
Chris Lawson, Blake Koch, Morgan Shepherd and Daryl Harr failed to qualify.
The 200-mile race is scheduled to begin around 4:30 p.m. (et).