Ryan Blaney Secures Pole for Saturday Night NASCAR Cup at Richmond

The starting grid for Saturday night’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway was finalized after qualifying. Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney claimed pole position in the No. 12 Ford with a lap of 22.225 seconds. He will be joined on the front row by Chase Briscoe, who drove the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and recorded a time 0.050 seconds slower.

Blaney said after practice, “I appreciate the cloud,” noting that several drivers benefited from the conditions. “We had a strong day, and our car performed well in practice. Qualifying here is always challenging. After completing 50 to 60 laps in practice, I hoped to improve by about three seconds on my final run. You just have to execute. The No. 12 car was excellent, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s race under the lights. I hope we deliver a strong performance.”

Josh Berry secured third place, Ty Gibbs fourth, William Byron fifth, with Ryan Preece, Bubba Wallace, Christopher Bell, Brad Keselowski, and Joey Logano completing the top ten.

Qualifying recap

The opening lap served as the decisive “money” lap, as tire degradation made subsequent laps less viable. Brad Keselowski initially set a benchmark of 22.491 seconds and held the lead until his RFK Racing teammate Ryan Preece posted a quicker 22.435‑second lap. Berry then took provisional pole with a 22.281‑second run, followed closely by Briscoe, who improved on Berry by 0.006 seconds, and finally Blaney, whose fast lap came near the session’s conclusion.

No incidents occurred and 35 of the 36 competitors completed a lap; Cody Ware, who spun during practice, did not.

Austin Cindric, entering the event as the 16th and last driver in the playoff picture, will start from 23rd position.

NASCAR Cup Richmond Lineup

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