AUSTIN, Texas – Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney will start from pole position in Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) – becoming the first multi-time pole winner of the 2022 season. It’s his second pole this year and eighth in his career.
Blaney’s lap of 92.759 mph around the 3.41-mile road course in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford held up to a late session charge by Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez, who edged Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer for the outside of the front row but was still just .026-seconds off Blaney’s fastest lap.
“I wouldn’t really say I’m a great road course racer by any means, I enjoy road courses a lot but never been in great contention to win one,” Blaney said, adding, “So I would say I’m an average road course racer. And honestly what made me happy about the pole was that we were fifth in our [first round] group and barely made the Round of 10 and then picked up half a second from first round, so I was as proud we picked up that speed.”
Custer will start third, lining up alongside Richard Childress Racing’s Tyler Reddick. Hendrick Motorsports’ driver Alex Bowman, Penske’s Joey Logano, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, Kaulig Racing’s Justin Haley and Penske rookie Austin Cindric rounded out the Top-10 in final qualifying.
It was quite the day’s comeback for Blaney, 28, who went off course and hit the soft barriers during opening practice but was able to rebound to the top position when it mattered most.
“Talk about an up and down day for sure, from putting it in the barriers on my third lap and not knowing if the car was killed, if we would have to go to a back-up, what it was going to take to fix it,” Blaney said, noting the incident with the barriers knocked his left-side mirrors off, preventing him from being able to really see the damage on the left side.
“I got out of the car and looked at it and it was scuffed up but not too bad,” he said. “They went through everything thoroughly and nothing was bent so got really lucky, honestly from a mistake of mine. Really lucky we hit those plastic blocks.
“And then to have speed to put it on the pole, I didn’t even know if we were going to be able to qualify after we wrecked so to come back and have a fast enough car to make it to the second round and then the final round and barely beat Daniel there was fun.
“Up and down day, glad it ended on a high note.”
Notably absent from the final 10-car round were defending COTA race winner Chase Elliott, who was 12th fastest in qualifying. His reigning series champion Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson was 13th fastest.
Kyle Busch, a four-time road course winner, was only 15th fastest qualifying lap and his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. – another four-time road course winner – was only 17th fastest. Road course ace A.J. Allmendinger was 20th – fast in practice but having a hiccup in qualifying.
ROAD COURSE RINGERS AT COTA
Practice and qualifying proved to be a bit of trouble for some in the road course “ringers” group at COTA this week. Former NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year, sports car ace Andy Lally did not get to make a qualifying lap and will have to serve a penalty at the beginning of Sunday’s race because of an inspection violation for his No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Ford. He will start last in the 39-car field
Joey Hand, another IMSA standout road course racer, had a tire problem in practice and the crew was unable to repair the No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford in time for him to make a qualifying lap, so he will also start from the rear of the field in 28th place.
One of the sport’s most popular drivers, Boris Said, is returning to competition – making his first NASCAR Cup Series start since 2017 at his hometown track, Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. Said’s best showing was third at Watkins Glen in 2005. He won a NASCAR Xfinity race in Montreal in 2010.
Said, who has now been racing for four decades, He will start the No. 66 Motorsports Business Management Ford 37th of the 39 cars.
Source: Holly Cain / NASCAR Wire Series[table=3837]
Did Not Qualify: None
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
* Must Qualify on Time
# Denotes Rookie
Timing and Scoring provided by NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications
