LOUDON, N.H. — Trying to snap a two-month slump in NASCAR Cup Series competition, Tyler Reddick rebounded from a poor practice session to finish first in Satuday’s qualifying session at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Reddick turned a lap of 29.054 seconds (131.094 mph) in the 23XI Racing No. 45 Toyota to capture the pole position for Sunday’s race on the 1.058-mile oval. He was just 0.015 second ahead of Josh Berry, whose Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 Ford will join Reddick’s ride on the front row in the starting lineup. William Byron qualified third in a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, followed by Denny Hamlin in a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and Shane van Gisbergen in a Trackhouse Racing Chevy.
Reddick was 31st fastest in the practice session before qualifying, but his team made the right adjustments to improve his speed.
“Oh man, I was really unhappy,” he said. “I can’t recall a practice when I’ve complained like that. But we just figured out what we need to work on. That is a big deal because it’s very easy after a practice like that to just have a mediocre qualifying effort. The fashion that we did it today was really awesome.”
It’s the fourth pole this season for Reddick but his first since April at Kansas Speedway.
After winning five of the first nine Cup Series races this year, including the season-opening Daytona 500, Reddick built a 129-point lead in the standings. He plummeted to fourth in the points with four finishes of 30th or worse over a six-race stretch.
That prompted a 23XI Racing shop visit and pep talk last week from NBA great Michael Jordan, who co-owns Reddick’s car with Hamlin and Curtis Polk, the basketball legend’s longtime business manager. Reddick responded with a confidence-boosting 11th-place finish last weekend at Richmond Raceway, where he led seven laps despite qualifying 32nd.
“We were able to turn that around and had good speed in the race,” he said. “Being able to put this qualifying lap together and go that fast, it’s promising. I think we can get this right.”
Berry, who qualified a career-best second at New Hampshire, also is gaining momentum as he hunts for a ride next season. The Tennessee native has reeled off three consecutive top-10 finishes for Wood Brothers, which will move Jesse Love into its No. 21 Ford in 2027.
“We’re fighting hard,” Berry said. “I need to make the most of it and try to figure out what’s next. That’s what we’re working on. My phone, I’d love for it to ring this afternoon.”
Sunday’s run at New Hampshire will be the penultimate event of the regular season before the 10-race Chase for the championship starts. The Cup Series visits Daytona International Speedway for the regular-season finale next Saturday, after which the 16-driver field of title contenders will be set, and the postseason opens Sept. 6 with the crown jewel Southern 500 at South Carolina’s Darlington Raceway.