Logano impresses with NASCAR pole at WWTR

Joey Logano will lead the field to the green flag Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Logano (C) topped NASCAR Cup Series qualifying with an impressive lap versus the field at 137.124. mph (32.817s). It is the Team Penske driver’s second pole of the season, and the 35th of his career. But it will be the first time Logano has started from the pole at St. Louis.

“The guys are doing a good job, and this is a racetrack that we had circled that we needed to capitalize on,” Logano said. “We know our points situation; we need to score max points here, and starting up front will help that, for sure. We just have to manage the strategy, and we definitely have a fast car, though. The Shell/Pennzoil Mustang in race trim was really good – short run, long run. Obviously, qualifying was spectacular.

“I even felt like my lap was average. I thought I did OK, but it wasn’t like, man, I nailed it. Not that I had much in it. But I didn’t make a mistake, at least. Overall, proud of the team and proud of the effort and the chance that we’ve got.”

Team Penske has won two of the four Cup Series races at World Wide Technology. Logano won the inaugural event in 2022, and Austin Cindric won there in 2024.

Kyle Larson (C) will share the front row with Logano. Larson’s fastest lap was 135.980 mph.

Ryan Blaney (C), who was fastest in practice, qualified third at 135.898 mph, Christopher Bell (C) qualified fourth at 135.767 mph and Chase Briscoe (C) qualified fifth at 135.546 mph. Carson Hocevar (C) qualified sixth at 135.395 mph and Bubba Wallace (C) qualified seventh at 135.355 mph.

Chase Elliott (C) qualified eighth at 135.302 mph and Ty Gibbs (C) qualified ninth at 135.294 mph. Denny Hamlin (C) completed the top 10 in qualifying at 135.086 mph.

Hamlin is the defending race winner. He is also the championship points leader by 12 points over Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell going into Sunday.

The six Chase drivers who qualified outside the top 10 were Austin Cindric in 13th, Ryan Preece in 14th, Daniel Suarez in 15th, Tyler Reddick in 18th, Chris Buescher in 21st, and William Byron in 24th.

A field of 36 will take the green flag for the 28th race of the season.

NEXT: Enjoy Illinois 300 at 3 p.m. ET Sunday.

(C) denotes Chase driver.

Full results to follow.