Denny Hamlin qualified 8th on Saturday afternoon for Sunday’s Geico 400. This race will mark the first race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Referred to as NASCAR’s “Post Season” this is where it counts. Denny should have a great starting spot Sunday and was very happy with his car in practice.

Are you pleased with today’s qualifying run?
“Going out late it’s tough to really get a good lap. It will only be a tenth or so off the pole. I left that much on the race track. So, we’re excited about the speed this car got.”

Do you have a strong car for the race?
“Yeah. We’re pretty happy with the balance. I think that it’s pretty close to where it needs to be. We definitely have something to work with.”

Are you spending any additional time talking with Joey (Logano) or Kyle (Busch) this weekend?
“No. Not really. We’ve just been concentrating on our program so much. They’re kind of in a different box right now. They’re thinking about 2013 — applying some setups that they think will work in the future. If they hit on something then we’ll obviously use it. Right now, we’re kind of riding the horse that’s been so good for us on the mile-and-a-half’s.”