With a 29.159s lap, three-time Cup champion Joey Logano was the fastest man in New Hampshire on Saturday, collecting his 33rd career pole and second of the 2025 season.
“I got a great group of guys,” smiled Logano, who considered NHMS his home race. “Paul [Wolfe, crew chief] knows how to help me get the car good and where it needs to be … It’s the home track. Feels so good to run well here. It’s a good starting spot, obviously. Hopefully we’re able to capitalize tomorrow. We got a good pit stall, if nothing else.”
He will share the front row with Penske teammate Ryan Blaney, who said of the effort: “I feel good for tomorrow. I was fairly happy about our lap in qualifying. I didn’t know what Joey ran. He went out right in front of me. I knew Josh ran — I knew what I had to beat. I thought I was close until I looked at the time. I’m a tenth-and-a-half off of Joey. What a heck of a lap by that group and him. Really cool to have a Penske front row and Josh right there in third. Appreciate everybody for bringing fast cars.”
Josh Berry, who was eliminated from the playoffs with a trio of last-place finishes in the Round of 16, was the fourth driver on track for qualifying at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Despite that, he put down a lap that was good enough to keep him on provisional pole for most of the session.
The only drivers who could deny the Wood Brothers a much-needed pole position were their allies at Team Penske. Logano went nearly two full tenths quicker than Berry in a stunning lap, quickly followed by Blaney who slotted in between them both.
Logano was also one of three drivers to take part in the Goodyear tire test at NHMS earlier in the summer. Austin Cindric was nearly up there with his teammates, but almost spun out at the exit of the final corner while on pace to beat Berry.
Behind the trio of Fords, Tyler Reddick qualified fourth with William Byron fifth. Carson Hocevar was sixth, Alex Bowman seventh, Ross Chastain eighth, Denny Hamlin ninth, and Shane van Gisbergen timed in 10th for the best oval qualifying effort of his NASCAR Cup career.
Looking deeper in the field, the next playoff driver was Bubba Wallace in 14th, then Kyle Larson in 16th, Chase Briscoe 18th, and defending winner Christopher Bell 19th. After sliding sideways, Cindric had to settle for 22nd.
However, the worst-performing playoff driver was 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott, who will start 27th on Sunday.
