Ryan Blaney will lead the field to the green flag at Phoenix Raceway after delivering the fastest lap in Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series qualifying session.
The Team Penske driver secured the pole for Sunday’s Freeway Insurance 500 with a lap of 26.250 seconds at 137.143 mph, edging teammate Joey Logano by just 0.032 seconds.
It was a strong afternoon for Penske, which swept the front row at the one-mile Arizona oval. Logano clocked a 26.282-second lap, giving the Ford teammates the two best starting positions heading into Sunday’s race.
With the NASCAR Chase entering its closing stretch, track position could prove especially valuable at Phoenix, where a clean qualifying lap can make a significant difference in how a driver’s afternoon unfolds.
Ryan Blaney Leads Penske Front-Row Sweep at Phoenix
Chase Briscoe was the fastest Toyota driver in qualifying, securing third with a lap of 26.311 seconds. Denny Hamlin followed in fourth at 26.314 seconds, putting two Joe Gibbs Racing teammates directly behind the Penske duo.
Christopher Bell rounded out the top five, giving Joe Gibbs Racing three cars among the first five starters.
Tyler Reddick qualified sixth in the No. 45 Toyota for 23XI Racing, followed by Ty Gibbs in seventh.
Michael McDowell secured eighth, while Josh Berry and William Byron completed the top 10.
There were some notable results further down the grid. Ross Chastain qualified 11th, with Connor Zilisch immediately behind him in 12th. Chase Elliott will start 16th, while Bubba Wallace faces a longer climb through the field after qualifying 23rd.
But perhaps the biggest concern belongs to Kyle Larson. The Hendrick Motorsports driver enters Phoenix atop the Cup Series Chase standings, yet a disappointing qualifying effort has left him with considerable ground to make up on Sunday. With the championship battle tightening, Larson will have to work his way through traffic while several of his closest competitors start near the front.
Carson Hocevar qualified 28th, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will start 31st and Alex Bowman will roll off 34th.
NASCAR Cup Series Starting Lineup for Phoenix
Here are the qualifying results and starting positions confirmed in Saturday’s session:
- Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Ford
- Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford
- Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Toyota
- Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota
- Christopher Bell, No. 20 Toyota
- Tyler Reddick, No. 45 Toyota
- Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Toyota
- Michael McDowell, No. 71 Chevrolet
- Josh Berry, No. 21 Ford
- William Byron, No. 24 Chevrolet
- Ross Chastain, No. 1 Chevrolet
- Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Chevrolet
- Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Ford
- Daniel Suárez, No. 7 Chevrolet
- Austin Cindric, No. 2 Ford
- Chase Elliott, No. 9 Chevrolet
- Chris Buescher, No. 17 Ford
- Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Ford
- Riley Herbst, No. 35 Toyota
- Zane Smith, No. 38 Ford
- AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Chevrolet
- Kyle Larson, No. 5 Chevrolet
- Bubba Wallace, No. 23 Toyota
- Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet
- Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Chevrolet
- Ryan Preece, No. 60 Ford
- Cole Custer, No. 41 Chevrolet
- Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Chevrolet
- Erik Jones, No. 43 Toyota
- Noah Gragson, No. 4 Ford
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Chevrolet
- John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Toyota
- Ty Dillon, No. 10 Chevrolet
- Alex Bowman, No. 48 Chevrolet
- Austin Hill, No. 33 Chevrolet
- Corey Heim, No. 67 Toyota
- Cody Ware, No. 51 Chevrolet
The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Phoenix Raceway on Sunday, Oct. 18, for the Freeway Insurance 500. The race is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. ET, with television coverage on USA Network.
NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying Results at Phoenix: Full Starting Lineup for Sunday’s Race