Team Penske’s Joey Logano secured the pole position for the NASCAR Cup race in Atlanta, narrowly edging out Josh Berry of the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford. The Penske-prepared Fords dominated qualifying, locking down the top two rows of the grid. Though Berry tied with Logano and Paul in time, Logano claimed pole due to his higher position in owner’s points.
Logano, a two-time winner at the Georgia track, expressed pride in his team and their powerful Roush-Yates engines, emphasizing the importance of race performance beyond qualifying speed. Following Logano and Berry, Ryan Blaney, Austin Cindric, and Ryan Preece rounded out the top five. Brad Keselowski, Cole Custer, Zane Smith, Alex Bowman, and Chase Briscoe completed the top ten, with Bowman standing as the best non-Ford driver at ninth.
Qualifying was briefly delayed by lightning strikes within 8 miles of the 1.5-mile speedway, pausing the session for 30 minutes for safety reasons. At the pause, Cole Custer had recorded a solid lap in his No. 41 Haas Factory Ford, but his time was eventually surpassed by other Ford contenders. The session saw no major incidents, although Michael McDowell hit the outside wall while starting his flying lap and Chase Elliott experienced some loose handling in the third and fourth order.
Some prominent drivers, including the entire Truckhouse Racing team, qualified deep in the field; Denny Hamlin, who would have started on the pole based on metrics had the lightning delay continued, ended up 33rd. Christopher Bell and Carson Josey finished their final Cup race in Atlanta 28th and 30th, respectively.
Fan Take: This strong showing by Team Penske once again highlights the supremacy of their Ford machines, signaling a fierce competition ahead. For NASCAR fans, it means thrilling battles on the track and could reinforce Ford’s dominance in the sport this season.
