NASCAR lineup at New Hampshire: Starting order, pole for Ambetter 301 based on qualifying

Tom Gatto

NASCAR lineup at New Hampshire: Starting order, pole for Ambetter 301 based on qualifying image

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.

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

Tom Gatto

Tom Gatto Photo

Tom Gatto joined The Sporting News as a senior editor in 2000 after 12 years at The Herald-News in Passaic, N.J., where he served in a variety of roles including sports editor, and a brief spell at APBNews.com in New York, where he worked as a syndication editor. He is a 1986 graduate of the University of South Carolina.