In a surprise performance, Ryan Blaney has won the NASCAR Cup Series pole over Shane van Gisbergen. Was that a mistake? If you ask Blaney’s friend Bubba Wallace, it could be Blaney’s downfall in the race on Sunday.
Ryan Blaney and Bubba Wallace are really good friends. So, they give each other crap from time to time. With Blaney securing the pole award, a true upset over SVG, Wallace couldn’t help but troll his buddy a little bit.
“I mean, take little wins when you can get them. Bubba came up to me and said, ‘Well, that was a bad idea because now he’s going to really wax you tomorrow.’ I said, ‘Hey, beat him once this weekend.’ So, we gotta start somewhere. It’s just nice to start towards the front.
“Last year, at this race, we had a rough weekend and qualified in the back. Got into the wreck on Lap 1, and um, to turn around and have a much better start to the weekend at least, just hope to keep it up.”
Ryan Blaney was able to take down Shane van Gisbergen’s time from Group 1 by a narrow margin. 0.03 seconds was the difference between the 12 and 88. Blaney, being in Group 2, was safe from SVG making another lap on the track and taking the lead back.
It is clear that van Gisbergen is better than everyone in the bus stop. However, there are other points on the track where the Americans know how to get speed. Likely from years of racing at the track.
Then again, everyone thought the same thing about Sonoma, and we saw how that played out. Will anyone be able to hold off SVG this weekend?
Coming into this weekend, Ryan Blaney had no pole awards. He secures his first of the season and has a fast car for Sunday. With only one win on the year, Blaney would love to add another. Could he get the job done at The Glen or will he have to wait for Richmond and Daytona if he wants a regular season victory?
Good news for Blaney, he is coming off of three straight top-10 finishes. He was P4 at Iowa a week ago. Things are going well for Blaney at the moment. Then again, he has seven DNFs on the year and finds a way to get caught up in wrecks he has no business being involved in.
Three races are all that separates these drivers from the playoffs. Everyone is going to be giving it their all on Sunday. Drivers like Kyle Busch need a win to make the playoffs. What will these drivers be willing to do in order to win at Watkins Glen tomorrow?
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