Blaney wins pole at Phoenix
AVONDALE, Ariz. — Ryan Blaney probably needs to win Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway to earn a shot at NASCAR’s Cup Series championship.
He’ll at least start up front in his bid to put Wood Brothers Racing among the final four contenders next weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the season finale. Blaney won the pole position for Sunday’s race during qualifying, turning a lap at 137.942 mph Friday in his No. 21 Ford.
There is one slot available in the field of four who will race for the title, and Blaney is one of five drivers chasing that spot.
“Our mindset coming into this weekend was really trying to win the race and sitting on the pole,” Blaney said. “My mindset doesn’t change.”
Denny Hamlin is also trying to grab the final spot, and he waited until the third and final round of qualifying to cut a corner on the track in an attempt to better his time. Hamlin’s lap at 137.936 briefly put his Toyota on top of the leaderboard, but Blaney bumped him moments later.
Kyle Larson, who has been eliminated from the playoffs, qualified third. He was followed by playoff drivers Chase Elliott, Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick.
Kyle Busch, Harvick and Truex have already locked up spots in the finale. Busch and Truex are in Toyotas, while Harvick drives a Ford. Seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Elliott are the only two Chevrolet drivers with a shot to make the finale.
Busch was eighth and Johnson qualified 12th, but he believed his Chevy was far faster.
“We made it to the third round, and I just got really aggressive in that round trying to run a flat,” he said. “Just got in the corner too hard on both ends and I kind of pushed up.
So could have been better, but I don’t know if we could have had the pole. I think we would have only been about fifth or sixth if I had got it right.”
Brad Keselowski was the lowest-qualifying playoff driver at 16th. He will start Sunday’s race with an advantage in the point standings over the other four drivers trying to make it into the championship, but he has very little breathing room and a victory is his only sure bet to make the finale.
“It’s not where we want to start, but when the track gets hot and slick, we seem to run better here,” Keselowski said. “My teammate Blaney is real fast, so I know we’re all real similar and we’ll have a little confidence in that.”