NASCAR News: Joey Logano scores the pole for Cup race at Phoenix

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Team Penske’s Joey Logano claimed his first pole position of the 2026 season Saturday afternoon at Phoenix Raceway – setting a fast lap of 135.537 mph around the one-mile oval that will host Sunday’s Straight Talk Wireless 500.

The fast lap gives the driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang his 38th career pole position. The three-time NASCAR Cup Series champ will share the front row with two-time and reigning series champion Kyle Larson, who was a slight .017-second slower in his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

It was a strong Penske showing for the team, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary racing season. Logano’s teammates Austin Cindric (third) and last November’s Phoenix race winner Ryan Blaney (fifth) also earned top-five starting positions.

“All three Penske cars are fast,” said Logano, who reminded that it was a Penske Phoenix pole sweep with IndyCar teammate David Malukus claiming pole position for Saturday’s IndyCar race. In fact, all three Penske IndyCar drivers – also Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden – will be on the team’s NASCAR drivers’ pit boxes Sunday.

“Our three cars and the three IndyCars all looked solid in practice yesterday. Now it’s just time to execute the race, which is the hard part.

“You never know anymore (if you will win pole position),” Logano added. “When you have a longer practice like we used to have and put a fresh set of tires on and make a mock run and see the pace. But these days you don’t know. You just go out there and go as fast as you can and you don’t know if you’ll be 30th or first. It’s hard to say before the run starts.

“I felt like if I didn’t screw up the speed was in the car and I just had to make sure I got all of it out. The speed is there for the Penske cars right now.”

Championship points leader Tyler Reddick spun his No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota in practice but didn’t hit anything – recovering to post a solid eighth-place position in the qualifying session minutes later. Brad Keselowski had a more extreme experience, hitting the wall with his No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford – unable to qualify and forced to start from the rear of the 37-car field.

Defending race winner Christopher Bell qualified 12th in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

Anthony Alfredo, who is driving the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet this week for Alex Bowman, qualified 31st. However, he did post the best 10-lap speed average among the four Hendrick drivers in practice.

Of note, Spire Motorsports teammates Daniel Suarez (No. 7 Chevrolet) and Carson Hocevar (No. 77 Chevrolet) were fastest in practice. They will roll off fourth and seventh, respectively, on Sunday.

Starting Lineup