LOUDON, N.H. (AP) 鈥� Trying to snap a two-month slump in the , rebounded from a poor practice session to qualify first Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
The 23XI Racing driver turned a 29.054-second lap (131.094 mph) in his No. 45 Toyota to capture the pole for Sunday鈥檚 race on the 1.058-mile oval, beating by 0.015 seconds. William Byron qualified third, followed by Denny Hamlin and Shane van Gisbergen.
Reddick was 31st fastest in the practice session before qualifying, but his team made the right adjustments to improve his speed.
鈥淥h man, I was really unhappy,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 recall a practice when I鈥檝e complained like that. But we just figured out what we need to work on. That is a big deal because it鈥檚 very easy after a practice like that to just have a mediocre qualifying effort. The fashion that we did it today was really awesome.鈥�
It鈥檚 the fourth pole this season for Reddick but the first since April at Kansas Speedway.
After winning five of the first nine races (including the Daytona 500 season opener), 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, . Reddick responded with a confidence-boosting 11th at Richmond Raceway, where he led seven laps despite qualifying 32nd.
鈥淲e were able to turn that around and had good speed in the race,鈥� he said. 鈥淏eing able to put this qualifying lap together and go that fast, it鈥檚 promising. I think we can get this right.鈥�
Berry, who qualified a career-best second at New Hampshire, also is gaining momentum as he hunts for a ride next season. He has reeled off three consecutive top-10 finishes for Wood Brothers Racing, which will move Jesse Love into its No. 21 Ford in 2027.
鈥淲e鈥檙e fighting hard,鈥� Berry said. 鈥淚 need to make the most of it and try to figure out what鈥檚 next. That鈥檚 what we鈥檙e working on. My phone, I鈥檇 love for it to ring this afternoon.鈥�
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