Driver Ryan Blaney has secured the pole position at Iowa with a time of 23.474 seconds in his Ford from the Team Penske team. He outpaced Kyle Larson‘s Chevrolet from Hendrick Motorsports by just 0.018 seconds. His teammate, Joey Logano, will start from the third position.
This is the fifteenth time Blaney has achieved pole in his career, and it’s also the first time he has done so at Iowa. Additionally, he won the inaugural NASCAR Cup race in Iowa in 2024.
Blaney commented: “It’s been a really great day. I appreciate the speed of the car. Our Ford Mustang has been competitive during practice, and I managed to put in a good lap. My first lap wasn’t what I expected, but in the end, we had enough grip and I changed lines on the second to get a better time and hold on to the pole.”
Brad Keselowski, who qualified fourth, crashed on the second lap and will have to start from the back of the grid. Tyler Reddick will occupy fifth place, followed by Ty Gibbs, Austin Dillon, Connor Zilisch, Ross Chastain, and Erik Jones, completing the top 10.
For Zilisch, this is the first time he has qualified in the top ten at an oval during his NASCAR Cup career.
Elsewhere on the grid, Austin Cindric, who is fighting for qualification, will start twelfth, while the current Iowa winner, William Byron, will do so from the nineteenth position.
Teammates from Joe Gibbs Racing, Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin, had issues with brakes during practice and faced difficulties in qualifying. Briscoe will start twentieth and Hamlin, twenty-ninth. Christopher Bell will join them at the bottom of the grid, qualifying twenty-first.
Ryan Preece will take the 35th spot, being the first driver below the cut-line after a disappointing day with his Ford from the RFK team.
Qualification Summary
The qualifying session had tense moments, with Larson setting the benchmark time among the top ten drivers. Blaney was the eighteenth driver to take to the track, and with an improved second lap, he managed to surpass Larson.
Chase Elliott, who suffered damage on a lap during practice, could only qualify in 32nd place.
It appeared that some drivers who went out earlier in the session had a slight advantage, with surprising names staying close to the top for a considerable period.
Keseowski, who was seeking pole, lost control at the end of his lap, hitting the wall and sustaining significant damage to the car. This situation will force the co-owner of RFK Racing to start at the back.
Logano was the only one who managed to get close to the top two, tying with Larson but losing the tiebreaker due to his position in the standings.
Final Grid
The starting grid can be consulted for the times and speeds of each driver.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
