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 RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Rookie Denny Hamlin, as calm and cool as ever, grabbed the pole for Saturday night's NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Richmond, by far the biggest challenge yet for the precocious youngster.
"I think qualifying up front is going to be a big deal," Hamlin said after wrapping up his third pole of the season and the fourth of his brief career with a lap of 127.986 mph. "I hope we can lead at least one lap and then just hang in there and get a good finish."
The 25-year-old Hamlin is one of eight drivers battling for seven remaining spots in the Chase for the Nextel Cup championship, a 10-race showdown that begins next week at Loudon, N.H.
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