Denny Hamlin wins Sprint Cup pole in Phoenix

Denny Hamlin led a squad of Chase title contenders in qualifying Friday, capturing the pole for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway.

Hamlin, who won at Phoenix in 2012, turned a lap of 142.113 mph in his No. 11 Toyota on the one-mile PIR oval to start first in Sunday’s pivotal race for the Cup championship.

“This gives you a huge momentum boost,” Hamlin said.

He’s one of eight drivers still in NASCAR’s Chase title playoff, a field that will be cut to four after Sunday’s race. If any of the eight wins Sunday, he automatically advances to the final round. Otherwise, the top four in points advance.

Before qualifying, the sport continued debating last weekend’s post-race brawl between Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski and their crews. NASCAR suspended four crew members as a result.

Gordon was angry at a late-race move by Keselowski that cut one of Gordon’s tires and caused his car to spin at Texas Motor Speedway. When Gordon approached Keselowski on pit road to complain, Keselowski showed little interest in listening.

Kevin Harvick, who was watching the proceedings, then shoved Keselowski toward Gordon and the brawl erupted. The shove spawned a new hashtag on Twitter: “Harvicking.”

Harvick said Friday he didn’t regret his action, but “you probably could have handled it differently. I’d rather not have a hashtag named after me.”

Harvick said he mainly objected to Keselowski ignoring Gordon.

“I’ve been in that situation with [Keselowski] before and had him turn his back on me and just walk off,” Harvick said. “It just kind of rubbed me the wrong way and I reacted.”

Gordon agreed. The situation “doesn’t mean you have to take back what you did, you just have to understand what it did to the other person,” Gordon said.

Even the late Dale Earnhardt, the legendary “Intimidator” who had no problem rubbing rivals’ fenders, would talk to those rivals after a race, Gordon said.

Keselowski all but declined to rehash the events in Texas and his rivals’ complaints.

“I honestly haven’t spent a lot of time with all that stuff,” he said. “I have to worry about winning this weekend, this race and this championship.”

Kurt Busch probe

Kurt Busch is being investigated for domestic assault, the Dover (Del.) Police Department said.

Police did not identify the alleged victim, but the Associated Press reported it was Busch’s ex-girlfriend Patricia Driscoll.

In addition, the Armed Forces Foundation — a group that helps military families that’s headed by Driscoll and that Busch supported — on Friday issued a statement of support to Driscoll and said it cut ties with Busch.

Busch’s lawyer, Rusty Hardin, said in a statement that “this allegation is a complete fabrication by a woman who has refused to accept the end of a relationship and Mr. Busch vehemently denies her allegations in every respect.”

Busch, who drives for Stewart-Haas Racing, has not been charged. He qualified 10th for Sunday’s race and declined to answer questions from reporters.

Busch, 36, was the Cup series champion in 2004 and has a history of run-ins on and off the track with other drivers and reporters, one of which earned him a $50,000 fine from NASCAR in 2011.

Follow Jim Peltz on Twitter @PeltzLATimes