In a high-speed, thrilling day at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Joey Logano led a Ford sweep in qualifying, securing the pole position for the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. Logano, three-time Cup Series champion, celebrated his 33rd career achievement, marking his second pole of the season. The driver recorded a lap of 29.159 seconds, reaching a speed of 130.622 mph aboard the No. 22 Ford on the 1.058-mile oval.
This is the first time the native of Middletown, Connecticut, has achieved the pole position in New Hampshire, the scene of his first Cup victory in June 2009. “It’s my home track,” expressed Logano, who also took the victory in New Hampshire in 2014. “It’s an incredible feeling to run well here. We hope to be able to capitalize on this.”
Ryan Blaney, Logano’s teammate, qualified second in the No. 12 Ford, ensuring Team Penske occupies the front row of the grid for the second time this season. This is Penske’s eleventh pole at New Hampshire.Josh Berry, whose Ford No. 21 of Wood Brothers Racing has an alliance with Penske, qualified third, showing a recovery after being eliminated with three consecutive last places in the first round of the playoffs. Tyler Reddick and William Byron rounded out the top five, with four of the top five spots being occupied by drivers in the playoffs. After sweeping the first round with three consecutive wins, Joe Gibbs Racing struggled on Saturday at a track where they have won three times in a row. 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, qualified in 19th place. The finishing positions for the rest of the playoff drivers were: 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 his team. It’s great to have a Penske front row.
Ryan Blaney
