Tyler Reddick struggled mightily during Saturday morning's practice session at New Hampshire Motor Speedway as he posted the 31st-fastest lap. Yet, this did not hold him back during qualifying.
Videos by FanBuzz
Reddick won the pole at the New England track. He posted a lap of 29.054 seconds and secured his fifth pole of the season. This is his 16th career Cup Series pole and his first at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Josh Berry qualified second with a lap of 29.069 seconds. This marks his best starting position at the track in three starts. Berry started 10th in 2024 and third last season. He finished top three in both races.
MORE: Cup Series Lineup at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
"Statistically, this has been a very good track for me, so hopefully we can keep it rolling," Berry said after qualifying.
"I mean, it's hard to keep up an average like we've had, but I feel like we've got a good car, and I feel like long runs have been where we've been focusing and we just need to maintain our track position and fight all day long and you never know."
He committed and won the #BuschLightPole. pic.twitter.com/zdAUgpn01d
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 22, 2026
The rest of the top 10 included William Byron (29.079), Denny Hamlin (29.081), Shane van Gisbergen (29.106), Christopher Bell (29.174), Ty Gibbs (29.187), Ryan Blaney (29.198), Kyle Larson (29.199), and Alex Bowman (29.204).
Van Gisbergen will not get to keep this starting position. His No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet had issues with the starter during practice, so his team will have to change it before the race. This means that he will drop to the rear of the field before taking the green flag.
This starting position will be significant for both Bell and Blaney, the two active drivers who have most recently won at the track. Blaney won last season's race while Bell won in both 2022 and 2024.
The Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway will take place on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. NASCAR moved up the start time by one hour due to the threat of thunderstorms and rain in the area.
The race will air on USA. Leigh Diffey, Jeff Burton, and Steve Letarte will provide commentary from the booth as drivers try to lock up spots in The Chase.
