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The 2022 NASCAR season’s first road course race is set to take place and Ryan Blaney will be the one starting at the pole.
The EchoPark Texas Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas is scheduled to kick off on Sunday, March 27th at 3:30 p.m. EST. The race will mark the second road course event at COTA after its inaugural race in 2021.
On Saturday 26th, the Team Penske driver made history after collecting his first road course career pole. Ryan Blaney began the day by spinning out during the Saturday morning session.
Despite the setback, Ryan Blaney made an imposing comeback, qualifying for the second round of the qualifying race from group A. In the second round, he edged Daniel Suarez to secure the pole, posting a single lap time of 132.343 (92.759 MPH).
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On Twitter, Team Penske highlighted Ryan Blaney's performance after the pole win at COTA.
In a media interaction, the Team Penske driver was asked how he felt about winning the pole. He responded, stating:
“I wouldn’t really say I am a great road course racer by any means. I enjoy road courses a lot and if you take the Roval one away, which was its own deal, I have never been in great contention to win one. I have run top-10 a lot and top-5 a little bit but never the outright speed to go and lead laps and win. I would say I am an average road course racer.”
He continued:
“Honestly, what made me happy about the pole was that we were fifth in our group, barely made the round of 10, and then picked up half a second I think from my first round to the last round. I was proud that we picked up that speed but it was still a ways off from what those guys ran in their initial runs. So I didn’t know how it was going to stack up.”
Ryan Blaney's second pole and eighth of his NASCAR Cup Series career in the 2022 season
Ryan Blaney is one of the drivers to watch. He has been one of the most notable competitors since the start of the 2022 season. Though he has not yet collected any wins this season, he has improved with each race.
The pole win at COTA was Ryan’s second pole after he collected his first at the Phoenix Raceway. Blaney updated his account on Twitter, stating that he is proud of the team.
He has recorded eight career poles. For the 2022 season, the No. 12 driver has posted two top-five finishes and will be looking for his first win of the season.
