At Watkins Glen, New York, Ryan Blaney secured the NASCAR Cup pole for Sunday’s race, a significant turnaround from last year when he failed to complete a lap due to a first-lap crash. Blaney’s achievement in earning the pole highlights a strong recovery for the driver on the challenging 2.45-mile road course.
Blaney posted a lap speed of 122.568 mph, marking his second pole of the Cup season and positioning him to lead the field to the green flag. The race broadcast will begin at 1:30 p.m. ET on the USA Network. This performance came after a difficult weekend last year, underscoring Blaney’s resilience and focus.
Top Qualifiers and Their Positions for Sunday’s Race
Shane van Gisbergen, who has been dominant in recent Cup road course events with three consecutive wins, earned the second starting position. Van Gisbergen, who also secured the last three road course poles, recorded a lap at 122.512 mph. Chase Briscoe followed closely in third place with 122.505 mph, while Ross Chastain and Kyle Busch rounded out the top five with laps of 122.362 mph and 122.255 mph, respectively.
Reflecting on Last Year’s Difficult Weekend and Preparation Challenges
Blaney recalled the struggles he faced during last year’s Watkins Glen event, describing the two days of practice and qualifying as “brutal,” and noting how the experience affected the team’s confidence going into the race.
“We worked really hard at this place because it was a rough weekend last year,”
Blaney explained.
“The two days were brutal. Everyone’s confidence was pretty down leaving it.”
—Ryan Blaney, NASCAR Driver
Preparing for this year’s race remained challenging due to the lack of data from the previous season.
“We didn’t have any race notes to talk about,”
Blaney added.
“… that was a little bit difficult. So we just really looked at practice and where we struggled at in practice.”
—Ryan Blaney, NASCAR Driver
Additional Notable Starters in the Field
Among other competitors, points leader William Byron will begin the race in 10th place after a lap speed of 122.135 mph. Chris Buescher, the defending winner at Watkins Glen who currently holds the final playoff spot, qualified 12th with a lap of 122.051 mph. The competitive qualifying speeds indicate a highly contested road course event ahead.