Ryan Blaney claimed pole position at Watkins Glen International ahead of Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen race, marking a historic moment for Team Penske by securing their 150th pole in the <a href="https://www.big14news.com/nascar/cup-series/”>NASCAR Cup Series. This milestone elevates Team Penske into an elite group alongside legendary teams such as Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Petty Enterprises.
With an impressive lap time of 71.960 seconds, Blaney outpaced top contenders like Shane van Gisbergen, who has been dominant in recent road course races this season. Meanwhile, other Team Penske drivers Joey Logano and Austin Cindric will start the race further back, in 11th and 13th positions respectively, but much of the focus will remain on Blaney as he aims to leverage this strong starting spot.
Details of Blaney’s Performance and Team Penske’s Legacy
This pole position on the 2.45-mile road course at Watkins Glen marks the second for Blaney this season, adding to his earlier pole at Atlanta Motor Speedway. It also represents the 15th pole position of his career and his second on a road course, underscoring his growth as a competitive driver. This year, the #12 Ford driver from Team Penske has compiled a notable record, including a victory at Nashville Superspeedway, eight top-five finishes, and eleven top-10s.
Despite these successes, Blaney shares the unfortunate lead in DNFs this season with seven, tied with Cody Ware after 23 races. Nonetheless, this achievement emphasizes both Blaney’s skill and the strength of Team Penske as they continue to compete at the highest level in NASCAR.
NASCAR celebrated this landmark by stating,
150 (Busch Light Pole) Awards for (Team Penske). The organization joins (Hendrick Motorsports), (Joe Gibbs Racing), and Petty Enterprises as just the fourth team in Cup Series history to reach that milestone.
The recognition highlights the significance of the milestone for Team Penske and further boosts Blaney’s reputation in the motorsports arena.
Blaney Prepares for a Competitive Race Against Formidable Rivals
The Go Bowling at The Glen event will start at 2:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, with Blaney entering eager yet reflective about his chances. He has not yet secured a win at this New York race track, with his best result being a fifth-place finish in 2019. Recognizing the challenge posed by Shane van Gisbergen—a leading competitor in recent road course events—Blaney acknowledged the difficulty ahead, stating,
Ninety laps is going to be a little harder to beat him tomorrow, but gotta start somewhere.
Reflecting on last year’s disappointing run, Blaney admitted,
We had an absolutely abysmal weekend here last year.
After starting in 30th position, he was forced to retire early due to a first-lap collision that ended his race prematurely.
Team Penske’s Focus on Improvement Within a Collaborative Effort
This year, Blaney and Team Penske have concentrated on addressing past weaknesses to improve their performance at Watkins Glen. Blaney commented on this concerted effort, saying,
We’ve worked really hard on where we need to get better here, where I need to do a better job, how can we improve our race cars,
emphasizing the team-wide collaboration to enhance competitiveness.
The significant progress illustrated by this pole position reflects these improvements and sets a hopeful tone as Blaney looks to change his narrative at Watkins Glen. After last year’s early exit in the #12 Ford, the pole spot gives Blaney a prime opportunity to lead Team Penske toward yet another historic accomplishment this season.
Anticipation Builds for Sunday’s Race at Watkins Glen
With the race imminent, attention is on whether Blaney can translate this pole position into a strong finish and possibly a victory at the track where he has yet to win. His ongoing rivalry with Shane van Gisbergen and other top drivers adds an element of intense competition. As the race unfolds, fans and the racing community alike will watch closely to see if Blaney and Team Penske can extend their legacy with an impressive performance at the Go Bowling event.
