In an extraordinary display of dominance, Team Penske and their alliance partner, Wood Brothers Racing, commanded the final round of the Cup Series qualifying at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Ford-led spectacle saw the manufacturer clinch nine of the top ten starting positions for the imminent Sunday race.
The pole position was triumphantly secured by Ryan Blaney, who clocked an impressive lap of 179.371 mph (30.908s). This achievement not only marks Blaney’s inaugural pole victory at Atlanta but also adds to his growing tally, making it the 11th pole of his Cup Series career.
During a conversation with Prime, Blaney expressed his excitement, attributing his success to his team, the No. 12 boys, and the high-performance BodyArmor Zero Sugar Ford Mustang. He noted the close competition, edging past the No. 2 by a minuscule margin of 0.02s. This victory, Blaney pointed out, is reflective of the speed and power in all their cars, extending his appreciation to everyone involved, including the Roush Yates Engines.
With a sense of cautious optimism, Blaney voiced his hopes for the momentum to carry into the actual race. Despite their apparent upper hand, Blaney acknowledged the unpredictability of the race, expressing his anticipation to maintain their current advantage.
Sharing the front row alongside Blaney will be his teammate, Austin Cindric, who qualified in second place with a speed of 179.359 mph. The third and fourth spots were clinched by Josh Berry of Wood Brothers Racing and Joey Logano respectively, with speeds of 179.139 mph and 178.827 mph.
The top five was rounded off by Todd Gilliland, who clocked in at 178.735 mph. The only non-Ford driver breaking into the top ten was Kyle Busch, qualifying in the sixth position with a speed of 178.626 mph. The remaining spots in the top ten were claimed by Zane Smith, Chris Buescher, Brad Keselowski, and Noah Gragson.
Ford’s dominance extended to the 11th position as well, occupied by Ryan Preece with a speed of 178.086 mph. Daytona 500 victor, William Byron, managed to secure the 16th spot.
Daniel Suarez, the defending race winner, found himself in the 29th spot, while Denny Hamlin ended up in the 37th position out of 39 drivers, marking him as the slowest among the full-time chartered teams.
The single-car qualifying round was the only on-track action before the Cup Series teams gear up for Sunday’s race. The anticipation now builds for the Ambetter Health 400, scheduled to kick off at 3 pm ET on Sunday.