Joey Logano led a sweep for Ford in qualifying at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, setting up for the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. Logano, three-time Cup Series champion, celebrated his 33rd career pole position and the second of this season, setting a time of 29.159 seconds (130.622 mph) on the 1.058-mile oval with the No. 22 Ford. This is the first pole position for the native of Middletown, Connecticut, in New Hampshire, where he achieved his first Cup victory in June 2009.
Ryan Blaney, teammate, will start second with 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.“Man, it’s my home track,” said Logano, who also won in New Hampshire in 2014. “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 (allied with Penske), qualified third, recovering from three consecutive last-place finishes in the first round of the playoffs. Tyler Reddick qualified fourth and William Byron fifth, with playoff drivers occupying four of the top five positions. After sweeping the first round with three consecutive victories, Joe Gibbs Racing struggled on Saturday at a track where it has won three times in a row. Denny Hamlin was the team’s top qualifier in ninth place, and Christopher Bell, a pre-race favorite who has won two of the last three Cup races at New Hampshire, qualified 19th. The starting positions for the rest of the playoff drivers are: Ross Chastain in eighth, Bubba Wallace 14th, Kyle Larson 16th, Chase Briscoe 18th, Austin Cindric 22nd, and Chase Elliott 27th.“I feel good for Sunday,” said Blaney, who matched his best starting position at New Hampshire with a lap that was 0.170 seconds behind Logano. “I thought I was close to getting the pole until I looked at the time. What a great lap by Joey and that group. Really cool to have a Penske front row.”
Ryan Blaney
