Racecar driver Ryan Blaney topples Shane van Gisbergen to take the pole position at Watkins Glen Event
Ryan Blaney Takes Pole Position at Watkins Glen International
Ryan Blaney has secured the pole position for the upcoming race at Watkins Glen International, narrowly beating Shane van Gisbergen by 0.033 seconds. The qualifying session saw Blaney set a lap time of 1 minute, 11.960 seconds in the No. 12 Ford.
Blaney's road course qualifying record has been improving, and this pole position at Watkins Glen marks a significant achievement for the NASCAR driver. Although he is generally considered an average road racer, this was his 12th career Cup Series pole and only his second pole on a road course, the first being at COTA in 2022.
However, Blaney's overall road course race results remain modest. He has only one Cup Series road course win and has struggled on Watkins Glen in particular, with just three top-10 finishes in eight starts, including only one top-five finish. His recent road course season has also shown challenges, with a 22-race road course streak without a top-five finish since 2021.
Despite these challenges, Blaney acknowledged that he has developed one-lap speed for qualifying, but translating that into strong race pace and results on road courses remains a challenge.
Meanwhile, Shane van Gisbergen remains optimistic about his start for tomorrow's race, expressing that his laps for the qualifying session were "OK" and there were potential improvements. Van Gisbergen, who finished qualifying in second place, has won from the pole at Mexico City, Chicago, and Sonoma, and is bidding for his fourth consecutive Cup victory on a road or street course.
The top five qualifiers for the race at Watkins Glen International are Blaney, van Gisbergen, Chase Briscoe, Ross Chastain, and Kyle Busch. Briscoe, who has secured three consecutive pole positions in the past two weeks, will start the race in third position, while Chastain and Busch will start in fourth and fifth positions, respectively.
The upcoming 110-lap race at Watkins Glen International promises to be an exciting one, with Blaney and van Gisbergen leading the charge from the front row.
Toronto news outlets report that Ryan Blaney, the NASCAR driver who took the pole position at Watkins Glen International, has recently experienced a road course qualifying record improvement. Despite this achievement, Blaney's sports records on road courses remain modest, with only one Cup Series road course win and a struggle at Watkins Glen specifically.
