Ryan Blaney takes Phoenix pole as playoff leader Kyle Larson qualifies 22nd

Ryan Blaney won pole at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona, on Saturday, October 17, putting him at the front of Sunday's NASCAR Cup race while playoff leader Kyle Larson qualified 22nd. The positions give Blaney an early chance to gain ground in the standings, although the race itself remains to be run.

Blaney drove his No. 12 Team Penske Ford around the one-mile track in 26.250 seconds, a lap Speedway Media clocked at 137.143 mph. He beat teammate Joey Logano to pole by 0.032 seconds, according to the Associated Press. Logano will start second, followed by Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell.

What the Phoenix starting positions mean for the Chase

Blaney is fifth in the Chase standings, 85 points behind Larson, Speedway Media reported. His pole is his fifth of the 2026 Cup season, 17th of his career and fourth at Phoenix. He had won the previous two Cup races at the track, giving him a chance on Sunday to extend that run.

Briscoe qualified third after winning the previous races at Las Vegas and Charlotte, results that moved him to fourth in the standings, according to the AP. Together with Hamlin and Bell, he will start among the drivers ahead of Larson on the grid. Those qualifying positions set up the contest; they do not change the points already earned.

Blaney looks to turn pole into stage points

Blaney said the starting spot could help him collect stage points and secure a favorable pit stall. ‘It's big to start the race up towards the front and try to get some stage points and stuff like that,’ he said, according to the AP. He called qualifying ‘Job No. 1’ and described Sunday's race as ‘a whole new challenge.’