The Go Bowling at the Glen NASCAR Cup Series event at Watkins Glen International is among the most electrifying races on the calendar. Nestled in the rolling hills of upstate New York, the 2.45-mile road course is beloved by fans for its blend of high-speed straights, technical esses, and breathtaking scenery. Truly, no other driver has captured the road course master label quite like reigning favorite Shane van Gisbergen, whose slick driving and uncanny precision at the Glen have made him the crowd’s favorite road course standout.

But on Saturday, the usual narrative was upended. One of Roger Penske’s stalwart drivers pulled a startling upset in qualifying, snatching the Busch Light Pole Award from SVG and marking a monumental turning point not only for himself but for team Penske as they passed a landmark achievement.

“I work really hard,” says Ryan Blaney after securing the pole at Watkins Glen

Watkins Glen has not historically been a happy hunting ground for Ryan Blaney. In the 2024 race weekend, he faced an arduous time, struggling in both practice and qualifying, and to cap it off, was caught in a first-lap crash that ended his race before it truly began. Expectations were low heading into this weekend; confidence from both the driver and the team was decidedly on the low side, leaving very little to build on.

But on Saturday, everything changed. Blaney stunned the field and the fans by seizing pole position, outpacing SVG in a razor-thin battle determined by just 0.033 seconds. He turned on an electrifying lap at 122.568 mph, edging out the road course master’s 122.512 mph by a slip of time. This dramatic feat set up a charged atmosphere for Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen.

Beyond the personal triumph of winning his 15th pole position of his career and a second of the season, Ryan Blaney has also delivered Penske’s 150th Cup Series pole, making the organization only the fourth team ever to reach that milestone. Speaking to NASCAR, he said, “Yeah, I’m happy I’m talking to you. I guess I got to say that more often. But man, what a cool, cool pole. I wouldn’t say, I’m pretty average road racer, honestly. And I work really hard to try to get better at it and try to figure out ways to be better. And so really proud of the whole 12 group. Like you said, the Dirty Dozen. Fun day just getting better. And hopefully we got, we got to find a little bit of race pace tomorrow, I thought. But it’s nice to have one lap speed.”

The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion went on to add, “So I appreciate Menards and Richmond, and Ford and Ford Performance for what they do. And it’s pretty cool, man. It’s fun when you can sit on the pole at a place where like, not very good. And I try to like work really hard to get better. So huge congrats. Like I said to these guys, they stuck with me and looking forward to tomorrow.”

Still, Sunday is the main event, and it hasn’t been won yet. While the one-lap speed was undeniable, the real test awaits over the 90-lap battle on Sunday. SVG remains the man to beat, and the Penske driver knows well that starting from pole is just the first shot, not the finish, toward making a statement at the Glen.

The battle between the two is something that can make or break Ryan Blaney’s race. This is definitely a win for Team Penske, considering Dale Jr.’s comments on their IndyCar driver, who admitted his mistake. However, his Penske teammates managed to fight for a midpack result, securing their starting positions within the top 15.

Team Penske secures the top 15 spots ahead of Sunday’s race at the Glen

Joey Logano delivered a solid, mid-pack performance in today’s qualifying at Watkins Glen, clocking in with a lap time of 1:12.235, which placed him 11th on the starting grid for Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen race, giving him possession to start the race from inside the top 15, a respectable spot considering the tight competition on this technical road course.

Moreover, Austin Cindric followed closely behind Logano, recording a lap of 1:12.300 to claim the 13th starting position. Those slightly off the pace of his teammate, Cindric’s result still puts him in a competitive spot heading into Sunday’s 90-lap contest around the 2.45-mile, eight-turn layout.

Both Penske drivers delivered steady, if unexceptional, qualifying efforts, landing within a few tenths of the leaders but outside podium contention. Their starting slots offer a decent platform to execute strategic moves and capitalize on race variability, especially with Glen’s notorious unpredictability and passing opportunities mixed in with its technical complexity.