BRISTOL, Tenn. — Ryan Blaney won his first Cup pole at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday and his first series pole since April 2022.
“I can’t remember the last time I qualified first,” Blaney said.
He earned the top spot with a lap of 124.954 mph. This is Blaney’s 10th career Cup pole.
MORE: Bristol starting lineup
He also showed his strength in practice, posting the fastest average speed for five, 10, 15, 20 and 25 consecutive laps in his group.
Despite the speed, Blaney called Saturday a “pretty challenging day,” noting the changing track conditions with the resin that was applied to the bottom groove in the corners.
“That’s kind of neat when we’re guessing,” Blaney said.
Blaney will be joined on the front row by rookie Josh Berry (124.792 mph).
Denny Hamlin (124.178), Joey Logano (123.746) and Chase Elliott (122.882 mph) complete the top five.
Fords took five of the top seven spots. Along with Blaney, Berry and Logano, Chase Briscoe qualified sixth and Michael McDowell will start seventh in Sunday’s race (3:30 p.m. ET on Fox).
