Joey Logano paid close attention to the NASCAR Cup Seriesâ qualifying round Saturday.
The three-time circuit champion possesses the top finishing average (P3) among all Cup pilots during the past three races at Gateway. Despite his success, the No. 22 Ford had yet to earn a pole position.
âI havenât done that,â Logano told TNT Sports before his qualifying run. âI havenât had a clean lap anytime Iâve qualified here.â
He still hasnât.
Logano placed 13th after clocking a hot lap of 32.719 seconds.
Denny Hamlin earned the pole position for Sundayâs Enjoy Illinois 300 after posting a qualifying lap of 139.190 mph, marking back-to-back playoff starts from the inside of the front row. He wasnât satisfied.
âI thought I could do a little better for the team,â Hamlin said. âWe got great track position. We just have to maintain it (Sunday).â
Hamlin has finished second in consecutive Gateway outings.
The only driver to have top 10 finishes in the previous three Cup events at the 1.25-mile flat oval, Logano was depending on a solid starting spot to aid his quest to reach the Round of 12. He enters Sundayâs Enjoy Illinois 300 below the postseason cutoff line.
Heâll have some work to do.
3 NASCAR Cup Series Drivers On Cutoff Edge
Entering the second of three Round of 16 events, Chase Briscoe earned passage to the second round with last Saturdayâs dominating win at Darlington Raceway.
Hereâs a look at three drivers who need a strong ride at the 1.25-mile flat oval Sunday.
- Alex Bowman: The Hendrick Motorsports driver is 19 points below the cutoff line and has not performed well at Gateway. Bowman has finished outside of the top 25 in his past two outings at the venue.
- Josh Berry: For starters, itâs crucial for the No. 21 Ford driver, who enters 19 points off the playoff pace, to enter the second lap cleanly.
- Joey Logano: The defending champion is just three points below the cutoff line and Logano should feel confident. He claimed the 2022 Gateway title and is 3-for-3 in top-five finishes.
NASCAR Cup Series’ Enjoy Illinois 300 Entry List
Here is the lineup for Sundayâs NASCAR Cup Seriesâ Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway:
Starting Position, Driver, Car No.
- 1, Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota
- 2, Kyle Larson, No. 5 Chevrolet
- 3, Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Toyota
- 4, Ross Chastain, No. 1 Chevrolet
- 5, Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Ford
- 6, William Blaney, No. 24 Chevrolet
- 7, Tyler Reddick, No. 45 Toyota
- 8, Christopher Bell, No. 20 Toyota
- 9, Austin Cindric, No. 2 Ford
- 10, Zane Smith, No. 38 Ford
- 11, Chris Buescher, No. 17 Ford
- 12, Josh Berry, No. 21 Ford
- 13, Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford
- 14, Bubba Wallace, No. 23 Toyota
- 15, Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet
- 16, Erik Jones, No. 43 Toyota
- 17, AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Chevrolet
- 18, Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Chevrolet
- 19, Chase Elliott, No. 9 Chevrolet
- 20, John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Toyota
- 21, Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Toyota
- 22, Kyle Busch, No. 8 Chevrolet
- 23, Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Ford
- 24, Noah Gragson, No. 4 Ford
- 25, Alex Bowman, No. 48 Chevrolet
- 26, Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Chevrolet
- 27, Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Chevrolet
- 28, Michael McDowell, No. 71 Chevrolet
- 29, Cole Custer, No. 41 Ford
- 30, Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Ford
- 31, Justin Haley, No. 7 Chevrolet
- 32, Ryan Preece, No. 60 Ford
- 33, Riley Herbst, No. 35 Toyota
- 34, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Chevrolet
- 35, Ty Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet
- 36, Cody Ware, No. 51 Ford
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