Joey Logano will have the best view in the house when the NASCAR Cup Series field takes the green flag Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway.
The Team Penske driver secured the pole for the Enjoy Illinois 300 with a 32.817-second lap at 137.124 mph during Saturday’s qualifying session. Kyle Larson came closest to knocking Logano off the top spot, but his 33.093-second lap left him 0.276 seconds behind.
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Ryan Blaney followed in third, giving Team Penske two of the first three starting positions for the second race of NASCAR’s 10-race Chase.
Christopher Bell qualified fourth, while Chase Briscoe completed the top five.
Team Penske Flexes Its Muscle in World Wide Technology Raceway Qualifying
Saturday’s session delivered a promising start for Penske before a race that could begin to shape the championship picture.
Logano and Blaney both qualified inside the top three, separated only by Larson’s No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
Carson Hocevar will start sixth, followed by Bubba Wallace, Chase Elliott, Ty Gibbs and Denny Hamlin to complete the top 10.
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Not every Chase contender will begin Sunday near the front.
Tyler Reddick qualified 18th, while William Byron faces a longer climb after qualifying 24th. Shane van Gisbergen will have even more traffic to navigate after posting the 35th-fastest lap.
The difference between the front and back of the field was relatively small on the stopwatch. Logano’s pole lap was 1.398 seconds quicker than Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who qualified 36th.
NASCAR Starting Lineup for the Enjoy Illinois 300
The complete starting lineup for Sunday’s Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway:
The Enjoy Illinois 300 is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 13 at 3 p.m. ET at the 1.25-mile World Wide Technology Raceway.
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