Ryan Blaney stole the pole at Iowa with a 23.474‑second lap, edging Kyle Larson by 0.018 seconds.
Blaney’s teammate Joey Logano will start third, making the top three a Team Penske effort. It marks Blaney’s 15th career pole and his first at Iowa, and the driver already won the season‑opener there in 2024.
Fast‑line tribute and practice gains
Blaney praised the “really fast car” and the grip from practice, noting a line tweak on his second lap that produced the win‑qualified time. “A special helmet we got this weekend (a tribute to Kyle Busch). It’s nice — hopefully that helmet makes the trip to Victory Lane,” he added.
Brad Keselowski arrived in fourth, but a loss of control on his second lap pushed him to the rear of the field after serious damage.
Qualifying group and senior poles
Tyler Reddick, Ty Gibbs, Austin Dillon, Connor Zilisch, Ross Chastain and Erik Jones filled the fifth to tenth spots. Zilisch became the first driver to qualify inside the top ten on an oval in his Cup career.
Chase “bubble” driver Austin Cindric set the 12th spot, while defending champion William Byron began the race from 19th. JGR teammates Christopher Bell, Briscoe and Ben Hamlin occupied a spread from 21st to 29th, with brake issues limiting Briscoe and Hamlin’s pace.
The rest of the field and race‑day notes
Jimmie Johnson’s No. 60 RFK car entered the front of the cut‑line, making Preece 35th. The session saw several drivers abandon a second lap, including an early spin from Elliott that cost the driver a near‑back finish in 32nd.
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