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Blaney takes Phoenix pole; Larson qualifies 22nd

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Blaney takes Phoenix pole; Larson qualifies 22nd

11 sourcesUpdated Oct 18, 20261 min read

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Blaney takes Phoenix pole; Larson qualifies 22nd — Photo: Arlington National Cemetery / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

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Ryan Blaney took the pole for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway, earning his 17th career pole with a lap of 137.143 mph. Team Penske teammate Joey Logano will start alongside him, giving the team the front row, while Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell qualified third through fifth. Playoff points leader Kyle Larson struggled in practice and qualifying and will start 22nd, a setback as he seeks to protect his 49-point lead with four races remaining. Blaney, fifth in the playoff standings and aiming for a third consecutive Phoenix win, said the strong starting position could help him collect stage points.

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NASCAR Cup Series Phoenix playoff weekendstory 3 of 3 · since Oct 17, 2026

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Three NASCAR Series Set for Phoenix Tripleheader Sunday

Phoenix Raceway hosts a NASCAR playoff tripleheader, with the Cup Series Freeway Insurance 500 on Sunday and O’Reilly and Truck Series races Friday and Saturday; Phoenix is no longer the championship finale, which has moved to Homestead. Kyle Larson leads the Cup standings heading into the weekend, while previews highlight strong Phoenix form from drivers including Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson and playoff pressure across the series.

11 sources

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Oct 17, 2026Oct 18, 2026

Oct 17, 2026NASCAR will allow front brake changes at Phoenix after recent failures at Gateway.
Oct 17, 2026Kyle Larson leads the Cup standings by 49 points heading into the Phoenix tripleheader.
Oct 17, 2026Ryan Blaney won the pole for the Cup race at Phoenix with Joey Logano alongside him.

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Broke motorcyclesports.net · Oct 16, 3:32 AM ETLeft +39h11 sources +40h on

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NASCAR allows front brake changes at Phoenix after failures

NASCAR will let Cup Series teams replace front brake pads and rotors after practice and qualifying at Phoenix, with rear-rotor inspections allowed before the race; the change follows brake failures at Gateway and is intended to address the demands of Phoenix’s higher-horsepower package. The procedure is also expected to apply at Martinsville.

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Honeycutt wins Phoenix race, leads by 39 points

Kaden Honeycutt won the Phoenix NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, earning his fourth victory of the season and expanding his championship lead over Layne Riggs to 39 points. Christian Eckes finished second and Riggs third, setting up a pivotal title contest at Talladega.

12 sources