Joey Logano topped NASCAR Cup Series qualifying ahead of Sunday’s All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway.
After qualifying was postponed from Friday, the Cup Series took to the 0.625-mile oval on Saturday morning.
Logano wheeled his No. 22 Team Penske Ford to a fastest time of 89.754. He edged former teammate and last week’s winner at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, Brad Keselowski, by 0.386 seconds.
The session provided a twist with a pit crew challenge within every driver’s qualifying run.
“It’s probably the most fun qualifying session we have all year, and I think that’s why we didn’t cancel it last night,” Logano said. “We just postponed it to today because everyone looks forward to this event, and it really does a great job at showcasing every team member on the team. From setting the dash to make sure all the lights are right and making sure you maximize your speed on pit road, to the car going fast obviously.
“Executing onto pit road, rolling time. The spotter helping me be able to make sure I hit all the right lights around the corners to maximize that. Obviously, the pit crew doing their part and then back onto the racetrack. It’s a very detail-oriented exchange all the way through that we typically see every weekend when we have green flag stops, but it’s really neat to put it all on the line and do that today,” Logano continued.
“It’s a very special pole, maybe the most special pole I’ve ever had because it’s a great example of everybody and I’m proud of that. It’s a lot of work that goes into the minute-and-a-half out there.”
Christopher Bell and Daniel Suarez followed suit, while RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher qualified fifth.
Tyler Reddick starts sixth, while Ross Chastain and Martin Truex Jr. start seventh and eighth. Front Row Motorsports’ Michael McDowell and Kaulig Racing’s A.J. Allmendinger completed the top 10.
Substituting for Kyle Larson while Larson contests Indianapolis 500 qualifying, Kevin Harvick wheeled the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to a 12th-place result.
With a fastest time of 13.223 seconds, Christopher Bell’s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing pit crew scored the Pit Crew Challenge victory.
“I’m incredibly happy for them and honored to be their driver,” Bell said. “I was happy to stop on my mark, which has been a huge topic of conversation in our meetings. These guys did amazing. That was a whole lot of fun.”
Saturday night will feature two 60-lap heat races for the All-Star Race. Heat one sets the inside row, while heat two sets the outside row.