Things went from lost to found for Team Penske during Friday’s qualifying for Sunday’s TicketGuardian 500 at ISM Raceway in suburban Phoenix.
After three races where Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney and Paul Menard have all struggled for good starting positions, the Penske camp placed three drivers in the 12-driver final round.
And when all was said and done, Blaney had grabbed his sixth career pole and Team Penske’s first pole of the year with a speed of 141.287 mph. Keselowski I139.849 mph) will start fifth. Las Vegas winner Logano rounded out the 12 final qualifiers with a speed of 138.664 mph.
Click here for the starting field for Sunday’s race.
Among those who struggled in qualifying were Clint Bowyer (26th) and Kyle Larson (31st), as well as Michael McDowell (27th) and Daniel Suarez (28th). The latter two tangled after their qualifying efforts.
MORE: Daniel Suarez, Michael McDowell scuffle on pit road during qualifying
There are only 36 cars qualified for Sunday’s race, the smallest race field this season.
The Cup Series will have two practices Saturday at 11:35 a.m. - 12:25 p.m. ET, and again from 2:05 – 2:55 p.m. ET.