Ryan Blaney Shocks in Watkins Glen Qualifying
Ryan Blaney took the pole position in the NASCAR Cup Series qualifying at Watkins Glen International, edging out Shane van Gisbergen by just three hundredths of a second. Blaney, driving the No. 12 Ford, posted a time of 1 minute and 11.960 seconds. Van Gisbergen, who drove the No. 88 Chevrolet, finished second with a time of 1 minute and 11.993 seconds. This pole position represents a surprise for Blaney, as he has only achieved three top-ten results at this 2.45-mile circuit. The 2023 Cup champion is on a streak of 22 races without finishing in the top five on road courses.Van Gisbergen, seeking his fourth consecutive victory on road or street circuits, will start from second position after having won from pole in Mexico City, Chicago and Sonoma.What a great pole! I’m a pretty average road racer, and I work really hard to improve and try to find ways to be better. We have to find some race pace, but it’s good to have speed on a lap. It’s fun when you can be on the pole in a place where I’m not very good.
Ryan Blaney
Chase Briscoe, who had achieved the pole in the last two weeks at Iowa Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, qualified third in the No. 19 Toyota. He was followed by Ross Chastain with the No. 1 Chevrolet and Kyle Busch with the No. 8 Chevrolet.It’s incredible how close everything is on a road course. My laps were good, and there were probably a few things I could have fixed. Good start for tomorrow.
Shane van Gisbergen
