Ryan Blaney has clocked the pole at Iowa with a time of 23.474 seconds aboard his Ford from Team Penske. He surpassed Kyle Larson‘s Chevrolet from Hendrick Motorsports by just 0.018 seconds, which positioned him second. His teammate Joey Logano will start the race from third place.
This pole represents the 15th in Blaney’s career, as well as the first in Iowa. Additionally, he also won the inaugural NASCAR Cup race in Iowa in 2024.
Blaney commented on his success: ‘It’s been a really great day. I’m thankful to have such a fast car. Our Ford Mustang has been competitive in practice, and I was able to make a good lap. The first lap wasn’t what I expected, but fortunately we found the necessary grip.’ He added that he wore a special helmet in tribute to Kyle Busch, hoping it would lead him to Victory.
In a qualification session full of emotions, Brad Keselowski secured the fourth spot on the grid but crashed during his second lap, forcing him to start from the back of the group. Other notable drivers include Tyler Reddick in fifth place, Ty Gibbs in sixth, and Austin Dillon in seventh.
For Connor Zilisch, this is the first time he qualifies within the top ten in an oval during his Cup career.
The defending champion in Iowa, William Byron, will start in 19th place. The Joe Gibbs Racing team, featuring Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin, faced brake issues during practice and failed to achieve a good pace, qualifying in 20th and 29th place respectively.
Ryan Preece, currently below the cut line in terms of competition, will start from the 35th position after a disastrous day with his Ford RFK.
Qualification Recap
During the session, the tactic of a few drivers who went out early seemed to pay off, with unexpected names holding high positions for some time. Josh Berry, for example, had a complicated lap but managed to recover on the second lap, improving his position.
Keselowski was close to claiming the pole, but lost control of his car right at the end of his second lap, slamming into the wall and causing significant damage.
Starting Grid
1. Ryan Blaney (Team Penske) – Ford – 23.474 s
2. Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports) – Chevrolet – +0.018 s
3. Joey Logano (Team Penske) – Ford – +0.018 s
4. Brad Keselowski (RFK Racing) – Ford – +0.029 s
5. Tyler Reddick (23XI Racing) – Toyota – +0.049 s
6. Austin Dillon (Richard Childress Racing) – Chevrolet – +0.071 s
7. Ty Gibbs (Joe Gibbs Racing) – Toyota – +0.071 s
8. Connor Zilisch (TrackHouse Racing) – Chevrolet – +0.076 s
9. Ross Chastain (TrackHouse Racing) – Chevrolet – +0.092 s
10. Erik Jones (Legacy Motor Club) – Toyota – +0.121 s
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
