Joey Logano, the defending NASCAR Cup Series champion, posted an impressive qualifying lap on Saturday to claim the Busch Light Pole Award for the Mobil 1 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. This achievement puts Logano at the front of the field for the Round of 12 Cup Series Playoffs opener scheduled for Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.
Driving the No. 22 Team Penske Ford, Logano reached a top speed of 130.622 mph, earning his second Busch Light Pole Award of the 2025 season. He narrowly surpassed his teammate Ryan Blaney, who clocked in at 129.865 mph, and Josh Berry from Wood Brothers Racing, an allied team, who recorded 129.754 mph.
Qualifying Highlights and Top Performers
Tyler Reddick and William Byron completed the top five qualifiers with speeds of 129.745 mph and 129.670 mph, respectively. The rest of the top ten included Carson Hocevar, Alex Bowman, Ross Chastain, Denny Hamlin, and Shane van Gisbergen, all posting speeds above 129.5 mph.
Several playoff contenders did not manage to crack the top ten, including Bubba Wallace (14th), Kyle Larson (16th), Chase Briscoe (18th), Christopher Bell (19th), Austin Cindric (22nd), and Chase Elliott (27th).
William Byron Leads Practice Session
Earlier in the day, William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports was the fastest in the practice session, reaching a speed of 127.834 mph in his No. 24 Chevrolet. AJ Allmendinger, Ryan Preece, Riley Herbst, and Cole Custer also ranked among the top five in practice speeds.
Ryan Blaney, while sixth quickest in practice, posted the strongest average speeds across multiple lap intervals, including 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 laps. Meanwhile, Ross Chastain was the slowest among playoff drivers, ranking 30th overall with a speed of 126.245 mph.
Implications for the Playoff Opener
Joey Logano’s pole position offers a strategic advantage as the playoffs begin at New Hampshire, positioning him to control the early pace of the Mobil 1 301 race. The mixed qualifying results for other playoff drivers suggest a competitive Sunday ahead, with some drivers facing challenges starting mid-pack or lower. Observers will watch how these qualifying performances translate into race day results at this critical playoff juncture.
