NASCAR: Ryan Blaney captures pole for Freeway Insurance 500
AVONDALE, Ariz. — Ryan Blaney will lead the NASCAR Cup Series field to the green flag Sunday for the Freeway Insurance 500.
Blaney posted a lap time of 26.250 in qualifying Saturday at Phoenix Raceway to earn his fifth pole of 2026 and the 17th of his career. His Team Penske teammate, Joey Logano, will start second along the front row.
Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin, and Christopher Bell will round out the Top-5 starters.
The other Chase drivers will start in the following positions: Tyler Reddick (6th), Ty Gibbs (7th), William Byron (10th), Daniel Suarez (14th), Austin Cindric (15th), Chase Elliott (16th), Chris Buescher (17th), Kyle Larson (22nd), Bubba Wallace (23rd), Ryan Preece (26th), Carson Hocevar (28th).
The Freeway Insurance 500 is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 18, at 3 p.m. ET.
Discover more from The Racing Experts
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Dominic Aragon View All
Dominic Aragon is currently the editor-in-chief for The Racing Experts.
From Grants, New Mexico, USA, Aragon started watching NASCAR in 2004 and has been covering the sport since 2009. Aragon is a 2012 graduate of Grants High School and a May 2016 graduate of the University of New Mexico with a B.A. in Mass Communications & Journalism. Aragon has worked in local and national media, as a musician, and an educator. He is co-author of the 2024 book "All of It: Daytona 500 Champion Tells the Rest of the Story" with racer Geoff Bodine.
Aragon, his wife Feliz, and son Christopher currently reside in Grants, New Mexico, USA.
You can reach Dominic at daragon@theracingexperts.net.