For the fourth time in the last five NASCAR Cup Series events, Ryan Blaney will lead the field to green.
The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion, piloting the No. 12 Body Armor Flash I.V. Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Team Penske, continued an incredible run of qualifying results on Friday, posting a 22.225-second lap time (121.485mph) to earn the pole position for Saturday’s Cook Out 400.
It’s the 16th career pole position for Blaney at NASCAR’s top-level and his second at Richmond Raceway, the first of which came in 2022. The 0.75-mile racetrack has statistically been one of Blaney’s worst racetracks, with just a single top five and four top 10s in 18 career starts.
Chase Briscoe will start from the outside of the front row on Saturday, with Wood Brothers Racing driver, Josh Berry, starting in the third position. Defending NASCAR Cup Series race-winner, Ty Gibbs, will roll from fourth, with William Byron rounding out the top-five.
Ryan Preece, last Summer’s polesitter at Richmond Raceway, put down another solid qualifying result on Friday and will start from sixth, with Bubba Wallace seventh, Christopher Bell eighth, Brad Keselowski ninth, and Joey Logano rounding out the top-10.
Sunoco Rookie of The Year driver Connor Zilisch will start 11th. This marks back-to-back weeks where the No. 88 has qualified inside the top-12 on an oval. Zilisch matched his best-ever oval finish last weekend at Iowa, too, with a P11.
Other notable qualifiers outside the top-10 include Chase Elliott in 13th, Denny Hamlin in 14th, Austin Dillon, the winner of the last two NASCAR Cup Series events at Richmond, in 16th, Daniel Suarez, the fastest driver in practice, in 20th, Carson Hocevar in 22nd, Alex Bowman in 25th, Kyle Larson in 30th, Shane Van Gisbergen 31st, Tyler Reddick 32nd.
Cody Ware, after losing his transmission in practice and spinning in Turn 3, didn’t post a qualifying lap and will start at the rear of the field.
The Cook Out 400 will take place Saturday, August 14 at 7:00 PM on USA Sports.
Photo: David Jensen, Getty Images
