Ryan Blaney put down the fastest lap in Saturday’s Busch Light Pole qualifying session, earning the top starting position for Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas (3:30 p.m. ET, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Blaney put the hammer down on a 132.343-second qualifying lap, edging out Daniel Suárez by .026 seconds. Both drivers will start on the front row. This Busch Light Pole Award is Blaney’s second of the season, after earning his first at Phoenix Raceway.
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Cole Custer was the biggest surprise of the morning, solidifying himself as a strong contender on Sunday with a 132.471-second lap, good for third on the leaderboard. Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman rounded out the top five.
Kyle Busch topped the lone practice session of the morning, capitalizing on a seven-lap run and a 132.455-second lap time at a top speed of 92.68 mph. The No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing machine was the only Toyota in the top 12 on the leaderboard. JGR teammate Christopher Bell was next in line in 13th, more than a second behind.
Harrison Burton (fourth) and Blaney (seventh) led the Ford group at 92.436 mph and 92.376, respectively. Almost as quick as he was on the track, Blaney’s practice session was cut short due to a spin into the off-course barriers.
PRACTICE: Results from Saturday’s session
Chevrolet finished with the most drivers inside the top 10, led by Trackhouse Racing: Suárez (second), Bowman (third), Reddick (fifth), Ross Chastain (sixth) and AJ Allmendinger (eighth). Chevrolet has won 10 of the last 11 road-course races.