NASCAR Cup Series driver Ross Chastain. Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

Ross Chastain tops practice, rain grants Denny Hamlin Cup Series pole at Michigan

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Aug 17, 2024 2:00 PM ET

Mother Nature isn't being kind to NASCAR in the Irish Hills of Michigan.

While Cup Series cars were on track on Saturday, the Cup Series practice session was shortened due to rain, while Busch Light Pole Qualifying was canceled entirely.

Ironically, Ross Chastain's No. 1 car took the No. 1 spot in practice, as Chastain's Chevrolet Camaro set the session's best lap at 192.303 miles per hour.

Martin Truex Jr. was second in practice, with Kyle Larson, William Byron and Bubba Wallace rounding out the top five. Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, Carson Hocevar, Chris Buescher and A.J. Allmendinger completed the top 10.

Other notable practice results included Ryan Blaney in 11th, Ty Gibbs in 15th, Tyler Reddick in 21st, Joey Logano in 22nd and Kyle Busch in 27th.

Fans may have been upset to see qualifying be washed away by rain, but Denny Hamlin likely didn't mind.

How they will line up to take the green tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/r15g5W35R8
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 17, 2024

For the second straight week, Hamlin will lead the Cup Series field to the green flag, with 23XI Racing driver Reddick starting second.

Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson and Bubba Wallace round out the top five starters, with Chase Elliott, Ross Chastain, Ryan Blaney, William Byron and Austin Dillon completing the top 10.

Other notable starting positions include Busch in 13th, Logano in 14th, Chris Buescher in 18th, Gibbs in 19th and Truex Jr. in 24th.

Sunday's FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan is slated for a green flag shortly after 2:30 p.m. ET with coverage on USA Network, MRN, the NBC Sports App and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

More must-reads: