Ryan Blaney has secured the pole position for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa, thanks to a time of 23.474s with his Ford from Team Penske. The driver surpassed Kyle Larson’s No. 5 Chevrolet by just 0.018s, with his teammate, Joey Logano, occupying the third spot on the grid.
This is Blaney’s 15th pole of his career and the first he has achieved in Iowa. Additionally, this driver won the first race of the Championship in Iowa in 2024, a fact that will surely give him confidence for the upcoming event.
Blaney expressed his satisfaction with the car’s performance, highlighting that it was fast during the preliminary tests. ‘My first attempt wasn’t that good, but then I adjusted my line a bit and was able to make a faster lap,’ Blaney said. He also showcased a special helmet as a tribute to Kyle Busch, hoping it would accompany him to victory.
Brad Keselowski, who qualified fourth, crashed during his second lap and will have to start from the back of the grid. Tyler Reddick, Ty Gibbs, Austin Dillon, Connor Zilisch, Ross Chastain, and Erik Jones completed the top ten positions. This is the first time Zilisch has qualified in the top 10 in an oval during his Cup career.
Among the drivers who were less fortunate, Austin Cindric will start from the twelfth position and Iowa’s defending winner, William Byron, will occupy the 19th spot. Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin, had brake issues during practice, finishing in 20th and 29th places respectively.
Ryan Preece, who is the first driver below the cut line, will start from the 35th position, after a difficult day with his Ford No. 60.
Qualifying Summary
During the qualifying session, there were moments of high tension, with Larson setting the fastest time among the top ten drivers. However, Blaney demonstrated his strength on his second lap, overtaking him in the final moments.
The drivers who went out later had an advantage, resulting in some surprises within the grid. Josh Berry had a tough moment when he hit the wall, but he managed to recover on his second lap. Keselowski almost nabbed the pole, but lost control during his second lap in an unfortunate incident.
Final Grid
In total, the grid was completed with the following times:
| Position | Driver | No. | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | R. Blaney | 12 | Ford | 23.474 | 134.191 |
| 2 | K. Larson | 5 | Chevrolet | 23.492 | 134.088 |
| 3 | J. Logano | 22 | Ford | 23.492 | 134.088 |
| 4 | B. Keselowski | 6 | Ford | 23.503 | 134.025 |
| 5 | T. Reddick | 45 | Toyota | 23.523 | 133.911 |
| 6 | A. Dillon | 3 | Chevrolet | 23.545 | 133.786 |
| 7 | T. Gibbs | 54 | Toyota | 23.545 | 133.786 |
| 8 | C. Zilisch | 88 | Chevrolet | 23.550 | 133.758 |
| 9 | R. Chastain | 1 | Chevrolet | 23.566 | 133.667 |
| 10 | E. Jones | 43 | Toyota | 23.595 | 133.503 |
The race promises to be exciting over the weekend, with a spectacular grid and intense competition among the drivers. The show is set for Iowa!
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
SourceID: SRC_f38c549c4d6a2779f219ccd3cae6cf01d2c49887