NASCAR qualifying, lineup set for Richmond as Olympic break concludes; Denny Hamlin fastest

After two weeks off for NBC and its cable affiliates to focus on their coverage of Snoop Dogg (and the Olympics), NASCAR’s Cup Series teams turned some business laps Saturday at Richmond International Raceway.

Austin Dillon, desperate for anything positive at this point of the season, showed a lot of speed in Saturday’s practice and through qualifying, where he ended up fourth fastest.

But to no one’s surprise, it was Virginia native Denny Hamlin who won the pole, several months after winning this season’s first visit to Richmond.

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Top 10 qualifying speeds

Denny Hamlin: 118.162

Chase Elliott: 118.105

Martin Truex Jr.: 117.780

Austin Dillon 117.770

Josh Berry: 117.601

Bubba Wallace: 117.591

Christopher Bell: 117.570

Tyler Reddick: 117.488

Chris Buescher 117.279

Joey Logano: 117.096

The Cook Out 400 lineup for Sunday at Richmond

Row 1

1. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

2. Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Row 2

3. Josh Berry, No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

4. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Row 3

5. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

6. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Row 4

7. Chris Buescher, No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford

8. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota

Row 5

9. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford

10. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota

Row 6

11. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford

12. Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Row 7

13. William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

14. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Row 8

15. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

16. Noah Gragson, No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

Row 9

17. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

18. Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford

Row 10

19. Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

20. Zane Smith, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

Row 11

21. Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

22. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Row 12

23. Todd Gilliland, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford

24. Corey Lajoie, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

Row 13

25. Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

26. Ryan Preece, No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

Row 14

27. Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

28. Michael McDowell, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford

Row 15

29. Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford

30. Ty Dillon, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

Row 16

31. Harrison Burton, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford

32. Daniel Hemric, No. 31 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

Row 17

33. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet

34. Riley Herbst, No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford

Row 18

35. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

36. Justin Haley, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford

Row 19

37. Parker Retzlaff, No. 66 Power Source Ford

Track Facts: Richmond International Speedway

Length: Three-quarters of a mile.

Shape: D-shaped oval.

Surface: Ashphalt.

Banking: Turns 14 degrees, frontstretch 8 degrees, backstretch 2 degrees.

How to watch

The Cook Out 400 will be televised on USA, beginning at 6:30 Sunday evening.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR qualifying results, lineup for Richmond as Olympic break ends