In a remarkable display of speed and precision, Joey Logano led a Ford sweep in the qualifying for the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, preparing for the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. Logano, three-time Cup Series champion, enthusiastically celebrated his 33rd career pole position and the second of the season. He clocked a time of 29.159 seconds (130.622 mph) behind the wheel of the number 22 Ford on the 1.058-mile oval.
This is Logano’s first pole position at New Hampshire, a circuit where he celebrated his first Cup victory in June 2009.
Ryan Blaney, Logano’s teammate, secured the second spot on the grid with the No. 12 Ford, solidifying a front-row lockout for Team Penske. It’s 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, whose Ford number 21 from Wood Brothers Racing has an alliance with Penske, qualified third, showing a remarkable recovery after being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Tyler Reddick and William Byron rounded out the top five, with several playoff drivers occupying the most prominent starting positions. After a dominant start in the first round, Joe Gibbs Racing faced challenges in Saturday’s qualifying. Denny Hamlin, the team’s best qualifier, placed ninth, while Christopher Bell, winner of two of the last three Cup races in New Hampshire, started from the nineteenth position. The finishing positions of other playoff drivers include 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 saw the time. What a great lap by Joey and that group. It’s great to have a Penske front row.
Ryan Blaney
