Joey Logano leads the standings in New Hampshire
Joey Logano, the current NASCAR Cup champion, secured the pole position at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, marking a milestone in his career and leading a Ford dominance in the qualifying for the second round of the series playoffs. Logano, driving the No. 22 Ford, completed a lap of 29.159 seconds (130.622 mph) on the 1.058-mile oval, securing his thirty-third pole position in his career and the second of the current season. This achievement represents the first pole for the driver at New Hampshire, the scene of his first Cup victory in June 2009.Ryan Blaney, Logano’s teammate, secured the second place on the grid with the No. 12 Ford, solidifying a Team Penske front-row sweep in qualifying. This is Penske’s eleventh pole at New Hampshire.It’s my home track. It feels really good to run well here. Hopefully we can capitalize.
Joey Logano
Josh Berry, with the No. 21 Ford of Wood Brothers Racing, which maintains an alliance with Penske, qualified third, demonstrating a remarkable recovery after the results of the first round of the playoffs. Tyler Reddick finished fourth, followed by William Byron in fifth place, with the playoff drivers securing four of the top five positions. In contrast, Joe Gibbs Racing, after an outstanding performance in the first round with three consecutive victories, faced difficulties on Saturday on a track where they had achieved three straight wins. Denny Hamlin was the team’s best qualifier in ninth place, while Christopher Bell, who has won two of the last three Cup races in New Hampshire, finished in nineteenth position. The finishing positions for other playoff drivers are as follows: Ross Chastain in eighth place, Bubba Wallace in 14th, Kyle Larson in 16th, Chase Briscoe in 18th, Austin Cindric in 22nd, and Chase Elliott in 27th.I feel good for Sunday. I thought I was close to getting the pole until I looked at the time. What a great lap by Joey and that group. It’s really cool to have a Penske front row.
Ryan Blaney
