AVONDALE, Ariz. – Joey Logano’s hunt for his second NASCAR Cup Series championship doesn’t get any easier after winning the pole for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship race.
Logano in his No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang edged his Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney by 0.003 thousandths of a second to earn his fourth pole of the season.
“Good place to start, better place to finish,” said Logano of his 26th career Cup Series pole. “I thought I over-cooked it a little bit in the entry to (Turn) 1, which I did the first time. I over-compensated a little bit for that and I also over-compensated in (Turn) 3, too, where I struggled the first time.
“I wish I could do it again, but – hey- overall, it doesn’t matter. We’re where we need to be.”
As the highest qualifier among the Championship 4 drivers, Logano’s No. 22 Penske team led by crew chief Paul Wolfe will also receive the first pick of pit stalls for Sunday’s race.
“We’ve been preparing for several weeks and qualifying was something we talked about a lot and also the race,” he said.
Championship 4 rival Chase Elliott continued a solid pace Saturday afternoon and delivered the fifth fastest lap in his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro.
“I was pretty pleased with our qualifying effort,” said Elliott. “I thought we went faster than we did yesterday for a one-lap pace. I was pleasantly surprised with that. Hopefully it holds on tomorrow and we can have a good day.”
Elliott knows what it will take to have a shot at executing his second Cup Series championship.
“Just ready to try to execute a perfect day,” added Elliott. “That’s all we can do now.”
Christopher Bell continued to struggle with his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
Despite improving the handling of his race car, the Norman, Oklahoma native could only produce the 17th fastest lap in time trials and could force the team to throw another Hail Mary if they continue to struggle for the 312-lap on Sunday afternoon.
“I mean, the weekend definitely hasn’t started off how any of us had planned,” explained Bell. “I was really happy with the changes that they made to the car overnight from practice to qualifying. I think that was a really big positive.
“That’s definitely been one of our strengths, is improving over the course of the race, improving over the course of the weekend.
“I am definitely really happy we didn’t race yesterday, that’s for sure. I’m not counting myself out yet.”
The biggest disappointment in qualifying came from Championship 4 participant Ross Chastain. The No. 1 Advent Health Chevrolet Camaro produced the quickest lap in practice on Friday afternoon.
24 hours later, the Alva, Fla. native only managed the 25th fastest lap – putting the Trackhouse team in a precarious position ahead of the Championship 4 race.
Despite upset with their effort in qualifying, Chastain remained upbeat about his car’s capabilities and believes he can quickly maneuver through the field and join the others for the title fight.
“I mean, yeah, look, I’d much rather be up front,” explained Chastain. “If anything, we’ve shown all year and continue to show is our Trackhouse cars can pass. I can’t wait to pass these guys. It’s going to make for a great story.”
Spring Phoenix winner Chase Briscoe qualified third, with Kyle Larson who is competing for the owner’s title on Sunday and Elliott rounding out the top-five.
Harrison Burton impressed with a sixth-place qualifying effort for his Wood Brothers Racing team with Kevin Harvick, William Byron, Cole Custer and Ty Gibbs comprising the remainder of the top-10.
While the Championship 4 has been a focal point, Custer has remained in the headlines this weekend at Phoenix and over his future as a Cup driver with Stewart-Haas Racing.
Custer brushed off the topic saying he was focused on the race on Sunday. “I’ll worry about that after,” Custer told reporters Saturday at Phoenix. “That’s up to Tony (Stewart) and Gene (Haas).”
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.[table=4053]
Failed to Qualify: None
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
* Must Qualify on Time
# Denotes Rookie
P Playoff Driver
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