Defending champion Christopher Bell earned the pole position during qualifying for Sunday’s Crayon 301 NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) on Saturday.
Bell, driving the No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, posted a lap of 124.781 mph (30.524 seconds).
“It’s crazy how much difference the temperature can change the cars,” Bell said. “These things are really sliding around. You’re on the edge here for sure.”
Bell and Kyle Busch are the only two drivers to have won in every NASCAR national series at the track. Bell can become just the fifth driver (Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth) to win consecutive NCS races at “The Magic Mile” with a victory on Sunday.
Bell’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. was second with a speed of 124.752 mph. 2021 New Hampshire champion Aric Almirola (124.707 mph) was third fastest, with Joey Logano fourth and Ryan Blaney fifth.
“It’s really difficult to get the balance the way you want it,” Truex said. “Overall, we were fast. We’re excited to be here in New Hampshire. We’ve been after a win here for a while.”
Michael McDowell, driving the No. 34 Ford for Front Row Motorsports, posted the quickest practice speed with a lap of 126.416 mph (30.129 seconds).
The Crayon 301 is the 52nd NCS race at NHMS.
New Hampshire’s NCS qualifying record was set by Brad Keselowski in September 2014 with a lap of 140.598 mph (27.090 seconds).
NHMS PR
