Deadspin | Joey Logano scores the pole for Cup race at Phoenix

PHOENIX, Ariz. — Staff Penske’s Joey Logano claimed his first pole place of the 2026 season Saturday afternoon at Phoenix Raceway — setting a quick lap of 135.537 mph round the one-mile oval that may host Sunday’s Straight Discuss Wi-fi 500 (3:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The quick lap offers the driver of the No. 22 Staff Penske Ford Mustang his thirty eighth profession pole place. The three-time NASCAR Cup Sequence champ will share the entrance row with two-time and reigning collection champion Kyle Larson, who was a slight .017-second slower in his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

It was a powerful Penske exhibiting for the group, which is celebrating its sixtieth anniversary racing season. Logano’s teammates Austin Cindric (third) and final November’s Phoenix race winner Ryan Blaney (fifth) additionally earned top-five beginning positions.

“All three Penske vehicles are quick,” mentioned Logano, who reminded that it was a Penske Phoenix pole sweep with IndyCar teammate David Malukus claiming pole place for Saturday’s IndyCar race. The truth is, all three Penske IndyCar drivers — additionally Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden — shall be on the group’s NASCAR drivers’ pit packing containers Sunday.

“Our three vehicles and the three IndyCars all appeared strong in observe yesterday. Now it is simply time to execute the race, which is the exhausting half.

“You by no means know anymore (if you’ll win pole place),” Logano added. “When you’ve gotten an extended observe like we used to have and put a recent set of tires on and make a mock run and see the tempo. However nowadays you do not know. You simply go on the market and go as quick as you’ll be able to and you do not know in case you’ll be thirtieth or first. It is exhausting to say earlier than the run begins.

“I felt like if I did not screw up the pace was in the automotive and I simply had to ensure I obtained all of it out. The pace is there for the Penske vehicles proper now.”

Championship factors chief Tyler Reddick spun his No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota in observe however did not hit something — recovering to submit a strong eighth-place place in the qualifying session minutes later. Brad Keselowski had a extra excessive expertise, hitting the wall along with his No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford — unable to qualify and compelled to begin from the rear of the 37-car area.

Defending race winner Christopher Bell certified twelfth in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

Anthony Alfredo, who’s driving the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet this week for Alex Bowman, certified thirty first. Nonetheless, he did submit the greatest 10-lap pace common amongst the 4 Hendrick drivers in observe.

Of notice, Spire Motorsports teammates Daniel Suarez (No. 7 Chevrolet) and Carson Hocevar (No. 77 Chevrolet) have been quickest in observe. They’ll roll off fourth and seventh, respectively on Sunday.

REDDICK GOES FOR FOUR IN A ROW

23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick grinned and instantly conceded life is fortunately hectic nowadays as the famous person face of NASCAR. Making historical past by successful the first three races of the 2026 season, Reddick has earned the glory. Now he is studying to stability the additional calls for his excellence has created with the want to maintain the successful rolling on.

In some ways, the success does not make issues simpler — it creates new expectations and a spotlight. Nevertheless it’s definitely the higher possibility. He holds a 70-point benefit atop the championship standings. A victory in Sunday’s race would mark his first on the one-mile Phoenix oval and with solely a pair of top-five finishes (each third place efforts) in 12 earlier collection races right here, it could be an enormous signal of accomplishment. And carrying on with all the good vibes.

“We’re excited we have received three races however we’re not glad, we’re nonetheless hungry,” mentioned Reddick, who drives the No. 45 23XI Toyota for the 23XI Racing group co-owned by legendary NBA star Michael Jordan and fellow competitor Denny Hamlin.

“I do not really feel like a superhero,” he mentioned laughing at a reporter’s suggestion. “For me, it is similar to we’re doing the proper issues. We’re taking a sensible method to it, there’s thought to it. That is what can occur once we put together actually good race vehicles and present as much as the race monitor shut, qualify good and run good, we actually set ourselves up for success.

“We had that stretch there the place we have been ‘proper there’ and it did not occur final yr. However I really feel prefer it’s rewarding for everybody on this 23XI group for it to be taking place for the 45 the means it has this yr. Everybody has labored exhausting to recover from the hump. We’re positively not settling in and blissful, ‘we received three races and we’re good now.’ Everybody could be very, very keen to hold this on.”

HAMLIN’S RETURN

Denny Hamlin managed a smile however conceded returning to the Phoenix miler nonetheless stung a bit for the veteran, who dominated the November NASCAR Cup Sequence championship race right here — main 208 of the 319 laps — solely to overlook out on the title after a method name did not pan out on an additional time restart.

The 45-year-old 60-race winner returns to Phoenix ranked twenty third in the standings and can begin his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota eleventh on the grid for Sunday’s race.

“I am nonetheless indignant at the monitor somewhat bit,” mentioned Hamlin, who had appeared to have lastly claimed the first championship of his highly-decorated two-decade profession. “However the monitor does not have a soul so it may’t really feel the issues I really feel.

“You have nonetheless obtained to come back in right here and begin the complete course of over once more and do all the proper issues and see the place the end result pans out this time. Have not had a complete lot of races since we have been right here for the championship, so simply attempting to get acclimated with the place we’re at this level and seeing if we will we replicate a few of the magic we had.”

SVG IS GTG

Throughout his 2025 NASCAR Cup Sequence rookie season New Zealand racing champion Shane Van Gisbergen received 5 races — all on highway programs — and certified for the Playoffs. However even all through all that success the former Australian Supercars Sequence champion at all times spoke about his want to up his oval-racing recreation. He got here into his sophomore season having scored just one top-10 on an ovals (Tenth-place at Kansas).

In solely three races this season the 36-year-old driver of the No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet has already answered that with a profession greatest sixth-place exhibiting on the Atlanta high-banks two weeks in the past and powerful work at the DAYTONA 500 season opener. That mixed with a dependable robust run on the Austin highway course final Sunday (runner-up) has Van Gisbergen the highest in the championship standings (fifth place) he is ever been this early in the season.

“This race final yr we have been at a very completely different finish of the storage,” Van Gisbergen mentioned with a smile, noting the change in championship order. “The fellows get pleasure from it rather more being early in tech and it could be superb to remain up right here. However there is a lengthy technique to go and we actually want to simply hold having good run, be constant and rating factors. Definitely, very encouraging and a cool spot to be in.

“I feel it has been an superior development and I really feel like we’re getting higher and studying so much. It is good going via two races of information from the identical monitor and arising with a pattern of what we want. That is been superior and hopefully we hold exhibiting that progress.”

CHEVROLET’S BIG WEEKEND

Chevrolet has taken the expression “cross-over” to a brand new excessive on this racing quadruple-header weekend in the desert that includes races in the NASCAR Cup Sequence, NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Elements Sequence, the NTT IndyCar Sequence and the ARCA Menards Sequence.

There are a mixed 75 drivers entered in the 4 occasions — 18 in the NASCAR Cup Sequence, 30 in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Elements Sequence, 12 in the IndyCar Sequence and 15 in the ARCA Menard Sequence race. Phoenix Raceway is the web site of Chevrolet’s first oval win in IndyCar in 1969.

“Chevrolet is proud to be the solely producer powering the area throughout all races this weekend,” mentioned Jim Campbell, Vice President, Efficiency and Motorsports Business Operations, Normal Motors. “Our heritage has been constructed on each inventory automotive and open-wheel competitors, and Phoenix Raceway is a superb instance of that legacy.”

–Discipline Stage Media