Ryan Blaney has claimed the top spot on the starting grid for the NASCAR Cup at Iowa with a time of 23.474 seconds, thus securing the pole position with his Ford from the Team Penske team. He outpaced Chevrolet driver Kyle Larson, from Hendrick Motorsports, by just 0.018 seconds. His teammate, Joey Logano, will start the race from the third position.
This mark represents Blaney’s 15th pole of his career, and his first at Iowa. Furthermore, he won the first Cup race at Iowa in 2024.
Blaney commented on his performance: “It’s been a really spectacular day. I appreciate the fast car we’ve had. Our Ford Mustang showed good pace during practice, and I was able to put in a good lap. My first lap wasn’t what I wanted, but fortunately, we had enough grip. I adjusted my line a bit on the second lap to improve the time and secure the pole.”
Additionally, the driver referenced a special helmet he will wear during this event, in honor of Kyle Busch. “It’s nice—we hope this helmet takes us to Victory Lane.”
Brad Keselowski, who secured the fourth-best position, had an accident during his second lap and will have to start from the back of the pack. Other drivers like Tyler Reddick, Ty Gibbs, Austin Dillon, Connor Zilisch, Ross Chastain, and Erik Jones finished among the top ten qualifiers.
Notably, Connor Zilisch makes it into the top ten for the first time in a NASCAR oval race.
Elsewhere on the grid, Austin Cindric, who is looking to qualify, will start 12th, while last year’s Iowa winner, William Byron, will start from 19th. Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin struggled with brake issues during practice and fought to find rhythm during qualifying, starting 20th and 29th, respectively.
Ryan Preece is the first driver below the cut line and will start the race from the 35th position after a tough day with his Ford No. 60.
Qualifying Summary
During the qualifying session, several moments of tension were experienced on the track, with Larson setting the benchmark time among the top ten cars. Blaney, being the 18th driver on the track, improved on his second lap and surpassed Larson to claim the pole.
Some drivers who went out earlier had an advantage, with surprising names staying up for considerable periods. Josh Berry, who nearly hit the wall on his first lap, managed to recover in the second lap to rise up the grid. However, some drivers had to abandon their second lap due to issues with their cars.
Keselowski fought for the pole but lost that opportunity at the end of his lap and crashed immediately after into the wall. This caused significant damage to his vehicle, forcing him to fall back in the grid.
Logano was the only driver close to the top two, matching Larson’s time but losing the tie-breaking based on his overall qualifying position.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
