Three-time NASCAR Cup champion Joey Logano, needing postseason surge, wins pole at Gateway

MADISON, Ill. (AP) — Joey Logano secured the pole position Saturday for NASCAR's postseason race at World Wide Technology Raceway, positioning himself for a needed boost in the championship Chase.

Logano posted a lap of 32.817 seconds on the 1 1/4-mile oval in suburban St. Louis that features tight turns at the south end and flat, sweeping turns on the north side. He averaged 137.124 mph and his No. 22 Ford was 0.276 seconds faster than Kyle Larson.

“We’ve got some good momentum on our side here recently,” said Logano, who has won twice in his last seven races to climb to eighth in the point standings. "We’ve had some good cars. We’ve done a good job. We’ve put ourselves back in the talks of racing for a championship.

“We may be the underdogs, but we’re very used to that. That’s where we live, and we feel we got a shot to do it.”

The three-time Cup Series champion won the inaugural Cup race at World Wide Technology Raceway on his way to the 2022 championship and has finished in the top five each of the past three years. He will also have the first pit stall Sunday, a key advantage on the second-narrowest pit road of the season.

“We feel pretty solid about it. It’s been a good track for us, and we’ve been able to figure out how to finish well here,” Logano said. “What you do in the past doesn’t ever guarantee the future.”

Logano's Penske teammate, Ryan Blaney (third in the Chase), qualified third and was followed by fellow championship contenders Christopher Bell (second), Chase Briscoe (fifth), Carson Hocevar (12th), Bubba Wallace (10th), Chase Elliott (ninth), Ty Gibbs (sixth).

Denny Hamlin, the season points leader and defending race champion, will start 10th. Tyler Reddick, who is fourth in the postseason standings, qualified 18th.

Austin Cindric, the 2024 Gateway winner, will start 13th, ahead of fellow Chase drivers Ryan Preece in 14th and Daniel Suárez in 15th.

Chris Buescher, who is 11th in the Chase standings, qualified 21st and lost its pit stall selection and car chief Joshua Sisco for the weekend after his car failed pre-race inspection twice.

Starting track position has paid a premium in the four races so far at Gateway. Hamlin (2025) and Kyle Busch (2023) won from the pole, and Cindric started second for his win two years ago.

Logano is the only past winner who didn’t start on the front row, getting to Victory Lane from seventh in 2022.

“This is definitely one of the tracks that we have circled. It was one that we should be strong at, and where we are in points, it’s one we have to be strong at," Logano said. “We don’t have much option at this point.”

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