The races are winding down in NASCAR's Cup Series regular season. That might help to explain why a lot of winless drivers qualified up front for Sunday's Ambetter 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (3:18 p.m. ET green flag; USA Network, TSN, PRN).
In fact, seven of the top 10 starters have yet to win this season. A victory in the regular season all but ensures a playoff berth. Beginning the day in Loudon with good track position is a big step toward that goal.
Counting Sunday, seven races remain before the playoffs.
Here is how the field will line up for the race based on the results of Saturday's qualifying session:
MORE: Watch NASCAR at New Hampshire live with fuboTV (free trial)
Ambetter 301 qualifying results
Final group results
| Position | Driver | Time (sec.) |
| 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | 29.964 |
| 2 | Chase Elliott | 30.009 |
| 3 | Kurt Busch | 30.032 |
| 4 | Bubba Wallace | 30.106 |
| 5 | Christopher Bell | 30.127 |
| 6 | William Byron | 30.136 |
| 7 | Aric Amirola | 30.219 |
| 8 | Kyle Larson | 30.224 |
| 9 | Brad Keselowski | 30.409 |
| 10 | Kevin Harvick | 0.000 |
Who won the pole for the NASCAR race at New Hampshire?
Martin Truex Jr. will start on the pole for the Ambetter 301. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver secured the P1, his first in four years (Kentucky, 2018), with the only sub-30-second average time on New Hampshire's 1.058-mile track.
His first pole since 2018 and first with @JoeGibbsRacing! pic.twitter.com/xD3qC4cAVB
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 16, 2022
Truex has yet to win this season after going to victory lane four times in 2021. He called the pole a "small victory."
"So, victories are all good, and hopefully we can make it work for us (Sunday), which is obviously a lot more important," he said, per NASCAR.com.
Series points leader Chase Elliott, who's coming off a win at his home track in Atlanta, will be next to Truex on the front row.
Kevin Harvick, another of the winless drivers starting toward the front, will start 10th after a hiccup in qualifying. The No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing car got loose in Turn 2, prompting Harvick to end the run before the finish. He did not post a qualifying time.
Starting lineup for New Hampshire race
Thirty-six cars were entered for the Ambetter 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the 20th race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season.
| Starting pos. | Driver | Car No. | Team |
| 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 2 | Chase Elliott | 9 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 3 | Kurt Busch | 45 | 23XI Racing |
| 4 | Bubba Wallace | 23 | 23XI Racing |
| 5 | Christopher Bell | 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 6 | William Byron | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 7 | Aric Almirola | 10 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 8 | Kyle Larson | 5 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 9 | Brad Keselowski | 6 | Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing |
| 10 | Kevin Harvick | 4 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 11 | Ryan Blaney | 12 | Team Penske |
| 12 | Joey Logano | 22 | Team Penske |
| 13 | Tyler Reddick | 8 | Richard Childress Racing |
| 14 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 15 | Michael McDowell | 34 | Front Row Motorsports |
| 16 | Chris Buescher | 17 | Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing |
| 17 | Kyle Busch | 18 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 18 | Ross Chastain | 1 | Trackhouse Racing |
| 19 | Daniel Suarez | 99 | Trackhouse Racing |
| 20 | AJ Allmendinger | 16 | Kaulig Racing |
| 21 | Corey LaJoie | 7 | Spire Motorsports |
| 22 | Erik Jones | 43 | Petty GMS Motorsports |
| 23 | Cole Custer | 41 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 24 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
| 25 | Justin Haley | 31 | Kaulig Racing |
| 26 | Todd Gilliland | 38 | Front Row Motorsports |
| 27 | Alex Bowman | 48 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 28 | Austin Cindric | 2 | Team Penske |
| 29 | Chase Briscoe | 14 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 30 | Austin Dillon | 3 | Richard Childress Racing |
| 31 | Harrison Burton | 21 | Wood Brothers Racing |
| 32 | BJ McLeod | 78 | Live Fast Motorsports |
| 33 | JJ Yeley | 15 | Rick Ware Racing |
| 34 | Josh Bilicki | 77 | Spire Motorsports |
| 35 | Ty Dillon | 42 | Petty GMS Motorsports |
| 36 | Cody Ware | 51 | Rick Ware Racing |
