Ryan Blaney notches fifth Cup pole of 2026 at Phoenix

Ryan Blaney won his fifth Busch Light Pole Award of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season for this weekend’s Freeway Insurance 500 at Phoenix Raceway on Saturday, October 17. The event’s starting lineup was determined through an on-track qualifying session that consisted of a single-car, single-lap qualifying format. During the session, each of the 37 competitors vying for 37 starting spots cycled around Phoenix once to post the fastest lap amongst one another. The competitor who posted the single fastest lap was awarded the pole position. During the session, Blaney, who was the fastest in practice earlier on Saturday, utilized…