HAMPTON, Ga. -- Joey Logano will lead the Cup Series field to the green flag Saturday night at EchoPark Speedway after winning the pole.
The three-time Cup Series champion and Josh Berry posted the same lap time on Friday evening (30.979 seconds), but Logano took the pole position with a tiebreaker. The No. 22 Team Penske Ford is higher in owner points than the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford.
MORE: EchoPark Speedway Cup Series starting lineup
This marks the first time this season that Logano won the pole for a Cup Series race. It is the 32nd pole win of his career and his third at the now-renamed Atlanta Motor Speedway.
"Being up front and controlling this race is the name of the game," Logano told media members after winning the pole. Ford drivers have certainly done this at the Georgia track. Logano, in particular, led 140 laps during the 2023 spring race after starting from the pole. He won the race after passing former teammate Brad Keselowski on the final lap.
Ryan Blaney was the third-fastest driver during single-car qualifying at the drafting track. He posted a lap of 30.983 seconds. Austin Cindric (31.037) and Ryan Preece (31.130) rounded out the top five.
The rest of the top 10 at EchoPark Speedway were Brad Keselowski (31.153), Cole Custer (31.155), Zane Smith (31.160), Alex Bowman (31.203), and Chase Briscoe (31.210).
Christopher Bell, the winner of the February race at the Georgia track, qualified 28th with a lap of 31.405 seconds. This was not a surprise to the Joe Gibbs Racing driver, who told media members that he would be in the middle of the pack.
"Well, I can promise you that we're not going to qualify up front," Bell said with a smile. "So, I was feeling good when we had the lightning strike (that delayed qualifying). I was hoping that we would not qualify.
"But I think we'll definitely be mid-pack at best and that's normal for us. So, yeah, we'll work our way forward."
The Cup Series night race at EchoPark Speedway will take place on Saturday, June 28. TNT will provide coverage for the first time at 7 p.m. Sports on Max will also have coverage for subscribers to the streaming service.