Logano claims pole in Phoenix
AVONDALE, Ariz.—Joey Logano capped a day in the spotlight with a fast late lap Friday to claim the pole for the NASCAR Camping World 500.
With the temperature in the low 90s and the sun beginning to set, Ryan Blaney qualified second to give Ford the top two spots to start Sunday’s race.
Logano and Blaney bumped Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Chevrolet out of the top spot he had held through most of the final five-minute qualifying round on Friday.
The day began for Logano with a meeting with Kyle Busch and NASCAR officials about the crash and subsequent scuffle late in last Sunday’s race in Las
Vegas.
Logano won with a top speed of 137.321 mph on the Phoenix International Raceway track made slick by the heat.
Busch qualified ninth.
Drivers waited as late as possible in all three rounds to hope for slightly cooler weather to boost their speed.
But all were prepared for a long, hot day on Sunday, when the high is predicted to hit 96 degrees.
Logano won his 18th career pole but first in 17 races in Phoenix. He won the Can-Am Sprint Cup Series race on the same track last Nov. 13, the next-to-last race of the season.
Defending champion Kevin Harvick, an eight-time winner in Phoenix, had trouble and qualified 23rd. He is in the first season in a Ford after driving Chevrolets his entire career.