LOUDON, N.H. — Tyler Reddick turned a frustrating practice session into a pole-winning qualifying run Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, edging Josh Berry by just .015 seconds to earn the top starting spot for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Dollar Tree 301.

Reddick’s lap of 29.054 seconds at 131.094 mph in the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota was enough to beat Berry’s lap of 29.069 seconds in the legendary Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 Ford. William Byron qualified third, followed by Denny Hamlin and Shane van Gisbergen.

The pole was Reddick’s fifth of the 2026 season, the 16th of his Cup Series career and his first at New Hampshire in seven starts. It also marked Toyota’s 10th pole of the season.

What made the accomplishment particularly surprising was how difficult the day had been for Reddick and crew chief Billy Scott before qualifying began.

“We had things that we were unhappy with, things we wanted to work on,” Reddick said. “It wasn’t like we walked away from practice, let’s make a little adjustment here and there and we were good to go for the race. We knew we’ve got things we need to really work on.”

Reddick said the team struggled so much during the 50-minute practice session that he wanted changes made before reaching 10 laps in a planned longer run.

Yet when it came time to qualify, the regular-season championship contender displayed the speed that has made him one of NASCAR’s elite qualifiers. He avoided the issues that plagued him in practice and maximized a clean lap around the 1.058-mile oval.

“For us to take that, put it over here, and then start to focus on what we need to do in qualifying and then go lay a lap down like we did, that’s a big deal,” Reddick said. “It’s very easy after a practice like that to just have a mediocre qualifying effort and then your day just continues to not be great.”

Berry came within inches of claiming what would have been a major statement pole as he continues searching for his future ride beyond this season. The Tennessee native admitted his lap wasn’t perfect after getting loose in both ends of the speedway.

“I thought we were a touch on the free side. I really didn’t love my lap,” Berry said. “I thought somebody would run in the nineties, for sure. I just got a little bit free in one and then in three and four I got a little bit up on the seam and couldn’t quite finish four like I wanted.”

Still, Berry enters Sunday encouraged by recent speed from the Wood Brothers and Team Penske camp at a track where he has enjoyed consistent success.

“Statistically, this has been a very good track for me,” Berry said. “I feel like we’ve got a good car, and I feel like long runs have been where we’ve been focusing.”

While Berry’s team appeared confident in race trim, Reddick acknowledged his group still faces significant work before the green flag. Despite the pole and favorable pit selection, he plans to lean heavily on teammates, including Bubba Wallace, who showed strong long-run speed during practice.

“The guy who’s starting first is going to be really leaning on these teammates to figure out what to do,” Reddick said.

The front row sets up an intriguing battle between two drivers entering Sunday with very different motivations. Reddick is chasing wins and playoff momentum for 23XI Racing, while Berry is looking to capitalize on one of his strongest tracks as he continues to strengthen his case amid ongoing career uncertainty.

If practice speeds are any indication, however, Sunday’s race could be determined less by outright qualifying speed and more by which teams best adapt to tire wear and changing track conditions over a long run.

For now, the fastest lap belongs to Reddick, who transformed a troublesome practice into one of the most satisfying poles of his career.

“This one is really, really fun and cool because practice was not like that for us,” Reddick said. “The fashion that we did it today was really, really awesome.”