AVONDALE, Ariz. — Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney certainly made a championship statement Friday afternoon, besting the field in opening practice at the Phoenix Raceway one-miler in both single-lap speed, 10-lap and 15-lap average.
Qualifying for Sunday’s Cup Series Championship Race (3 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) is set for Saturday afternoon, and the four championship-eligible drivers no doubt took advantage of Friday’s 50-minute session.
RELATED: Practice results | At-track photos: Phoenix
Team Penske’s Blaney paced the field with a lap of 132.480 mph in the No. 12 Ford Mustang. Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron was next fastest in the No. 24 Chevrolet (fourth), with Blaney’s Penske teammate Joey Logano ninth and Regular Season Champion Tyler Reddick 21st on the speed chart in the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota. Logano’s 60 laps was the most run among the title four.
Blaney’s crew chief Jonathan Hassler wasn’t too surprised the car showed speed immediately and said certainly, the practice session was a confidence-builder.
“I felt pretty strongly coming to this week that we’d be able to have some speed, but you never know for sure in this sport, or the times you do are few and far between,” Hassler said of his defending champion team. “So, a little bit of relief. That’s where we expected to be, but you never really know until the number goes on the board.
“It certainly invigorates the whole team to see our number there at the top of the board,” he added. “And I think everyone on this team is confident that we could go and contend for another championship, but it certainly gives some extra pep in everybody’s step.”
On the other side of Friday’s speed chart, Billy Scott, Reddick’s crew chief, did not seem overly concerned with his team’s outing. He said they intended to review the outing but were going to be careful not to “overthink.” His team won the regular-season title and won its way into the Championship 4 with a thrilling Homestead-Miami Speedway victory in the Round of 8.
And, it has a unique asset in the pits: NBA legend Michael Jordan, a co-owner of the 23XI Racing team.
“His presence in itself is very inspiring — obviously, he’s one of the most competitive people you’d ever meet in anything he does, so just having them there, we certainly want to make him proud,” Scott said. “But he’s also an avid fan and learning everything he can about the sport. He’s very intuitive of what’s going on. He understands everything from the strategy to the set-ups to motivating people. Every now and then, he’ll speak up at the right time, and it certainly goes a long way in having a little bit of extra motivation.
“Certainly, he wants to win this, absolutely. I cannot even imagine what it’s like when he’s been so successful at the highest level of his sport for so long – the greatest, arguably, of all time. So to see that enthusiasm back in him when he’s been there for the couple wins he’s witnessed in person. It’s very rewarding and cool to see the genuine joy he gets.”
The Cup Series gets back on track Saturday for the final Busch Light Pole Qualifying session of the 2024 NASCAR season (5:05 p.m. ET, USA, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).
Byron is the defending race polesitter, and Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain is the defending race winner. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell won at Phoenix this spring.
Contributing: Staff reports