For the second time in his NASCAR Xfinity Series career, Josh Berry will lead the field to green, scoring the pole for Saturday’s Explore The Pocono Mountains 225 at Pocono Raceway.
A native of Hendersonville, Tennessee, Berry posted the quickest time in Friday’s single-car qualifying session from the 2.5-mile triangle-shaped facility, posting a time of 53.587 seconds (167.951mph).
Driving the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro for JR Motorsports, Berry gapped the second-place starter, Daniel Hemric, by nearly three-tenths of a second, en-route to his first pole position of 2023.
For Hemric, the second-place result is his strongest qualifying effort of the season, and his first front-row start since New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July 2022.
Sheldon Creed will start Saturday’s 225-mile event from third place, as he searches for his first career victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Connor Mosack, making his second of three scheduled starts in the No. 19 Toyota GR Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing, was able to match a career-high qualifying result, and will start outside the second row.
John Hunter Nemechek and Sammy Smith, teammates to Mosack at Joe Gibbs Racing, will start Saturday’s event in fifth and sixth place.
Brandon Jones, Sam Mayer, and Justin Allgaier will round out the JR Motorsports foursome starting seventh, eighth, and ninth, while Cole Custer will round out the top-10.
Chase Elliott, making a one-off appearance in the Xfinity Series with Hendrick Motorsports, qualified in 13th, while other notables included Chandler Smith in 16th, Riley Herbst in 21st, Daniel Suarez in 23rd, and Ty Dillon in 25th.
With 41 drivers entered in the event, three drivers – Dawson Cram, Timmy Hill, and Stefan Parsons – were sent home as a result of not posting a quick enough time to lock into the field.
Starting Lineup – Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 at Pocono Raceway:
Qualifying Results: 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 at Pocono
