Joey Logano dominates qualifying for third consecutive Martinsville pole

MARTINSVILLE, VA - APRIL 01: Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, poses with the Coors Light Pole Award after qualifying for pole position for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway on April 1, 2016 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)
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MARTINSVILLE, VA - APRIL 01:  Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, poses with the Coors Light Pole Award after qualifying for pole position for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway on April 1, 2016 in Martinsville, Virginia.  (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)
MARTINSVILLE, VA – APRIL 01: Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, poses with the Coors Light Pole Award after qualifying for pole position for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway on April 1, 2016 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)

It was somewhat of a redeeming moment for Joey Logano. Logano scored his third consecutive Martinsville pole Friday night leading all three of the knockout qualifying sessions. The Penske Racing driver put down a fast lap of 19.513 seconds, 97.043 mph, two minutes into the final five-minute session on the .526-mile paperclip-shaped short track for the 15th pole of his career.

It marks the first time a driver has swept all three sessions since NASCAR instituted knockout qualifying in 2014 and he is the first driver to win three consecutive poles at Martinsville since Jeff Gordon did it in 2003-2004.

“Anytime you can tie Jeff Gordon with a record that he’s got here at Martinsville makes me feel good,” Logano said.

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Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.