Kyle Larson was edged by Denny Hamlin for the Chicagoland pole by a mere 0.001 seconds on Saturday.
What happened?
Hamlin's lap of 30.296 seconds barely held off Larson's 30.297-second effort, giving Hamlin his fourth Busch Light Pole Award of the year.
Larson will start from the outside of Row 1 for Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series eero 400.
Why it matters for Kyle Larson
This close call marks the closest pole-winning lap of the 2026 season, with Larson missing the top spot by the slimmest possible margin.
Denny Hamlin credited favorable conditions for his success, but his speed has become a consistent storyline, establishing himself as the benchmark on intermediate ovals.
What comes next?
The eero 400 is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET on TNT, truTV, HBO Max, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, with Larson looking to capitalize on his strong qualifying performance.
RFK Racing continued its impressive season with Chris Buescher qualifying third and Brad Keselowski fourth, while Joe Gibbs Racing placed four Toyotas inside the top seven.
Larson's Hendrick Motorsports team will be looking to make adjustments to give him an edge in the race.
The top 10 qualifying results saw Bubba Wallace, Chase Elliott and William Byron round out the field, with Hamlin's 52nd career Cup Series pole breaking a tie with Ryan Newman for ninth on NASCAR's all-time pole list.
Sunday's 267-lap eero 400 promises to be an exciting event, with Larson and Hamlin set to battle it out for the top spot.