Joey Logano led a sweep for Ford in qualifying at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, setting the stage for the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. The Cup champion, with 33 poles in his career, set a time of 29.159 seconds (130.622 mph) on the 1.058-mile oval with the No. 22 Ford. This is Logano’s first pole position at New Hampshire, where he earned his first Cup victory in June 2009.
Ryan Blaney, Logano’s teammate, will start second in the No. 12 Ford, securing the front row for Team Penske for the second time this season. It’s Penske’s 11th pole at New Hampshire.“It’s my home track,” said Logano, who also won in New Hampshire in 2014. “It’s great to run well here. Hopefully we can capitalize.”
Joey Logano
“I feel good for Sunday,” commented Blaney, who matched his best starting position in New Hampshire with a lap that was 0.170 seconds behind Logano. “I thought I was close to getting the pole until I saw the time. What a great lap by Joey and his team. It’s great to have a Penske front row”.
Ryan BlaneyJosh Berry, with the No. 21 Ford from Wood Brothers Racing, allied with Penske, qualified third, recovering after being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Tyler Reddick finished fourth and William Byron fifth, highlighting the presence of playoff drivers in the top five. Joe Gibbs Racing, after a successful start in the first round, struggled on Saturday on a track where they have won three consecutive races. Denny Hamlin was the team’s top qualifier in ninth place, while Christopher Bell, winner of two of the last three Cup races in New Hampshire, qualified in 19th place. The finishing positions of other playoff drivers are: 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.
