By Reid Spencer 

NASCAR Wire Service

SPEEDWAY, Ind. – Tyler Reddick took another step toward solidifying his credentials as a road course ace during qualifying for Sunday’s Verizon 200 at the Brickyard (2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, IMS Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Tyler Reddick, driver of the #8 3CHI Chevrolet, drives during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Verizon 200 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 30, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

In the final round of time trials on Saturday, Reddick toured the 2.439, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course in a blistering 88.354 seconds (99.378 mph) to earn the pole position for the season’s fourth road course event.

The Busch Light Pole Award was the second of Reddick’s career, and it follows his first NASCAR Cup Series victory in early July at Road America. Reddick secured his only other Cup pole last year in the rain at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Tex.

Reddick’s No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet was .252 seconds faster than the No. 2 Ford of Austin Cindric, who posted a lap at 99.095 mph in the final round.

Initially, Reddick didn’t think his lap was fast enough for the pole, and he elected to make a second run, which was slower.

Tyler Reddick, driver of the #8 3CHI Chevrolet, poses for photos after winning the pole award during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Verizon 200 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 30, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

“It actually didn’t (feel that good),” Reddick said. “That’s what prompted me to want to re-run there. It ended up being a good enough lap. I could have done a better job, but it was nice to know that… we really did such a good job—everyone at RCR and the ECR power under this hood.

“Just this whole group on the No. 8 3CHI Chevrolet team did a really good job of preparing the last couple of weeks for this race. It looks like we’re picking right back up where we left off at Road America.”

Chase Briscoe (98.962 mph) qualified third, followed by Christopher Bell (98.721 mph) and Joey Logano (98.476 mph). 

Ryan Blaney, Michael McDowell, Chase Elliott, Todd Gilliland and Kyle Busch rounded out the top 10 qualifiers, a group that included six Fords, two Chevrolets and two Toyotas.

Ryan Blaney has to weigh strategic options in next five races

With five races left in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season, Ryan Blaney finds himself in an uncomfortable position, one that may require risk/reward calculations in every event.

Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 Menards/Jack Links Ford, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series DuraMAX Drydene 400 presented by RelaDyne at Dover Motor Speedway on May 02, 2022 in Dover, Delaware. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Fourteen different drivers already have won races this season, and that’s the surest path to a berth in the series’ 10-event Playoff. Blaney is the highest-ranking driver among those who haven’t won races, 22 points ahead of Martin Truex Jr., who currently holds the last Playoff-eligible position.

If there are no more unique winners in the next five races, both Blaney and Truex are likely to qualify for the Playoff on points. But as Blaney knows, there are no guarantees.

“The easiest but hardest thing to do is win, and I could stop talking about it, but we’ve been trying all year,” Blaney said Saturday morning before practice and qualifying at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. “Hopefully, we can get it done and not have to worry about it, but you just have to be in the back of your head of realizing that you’re still points racing Martin – we are – for the final (spot). 

“You don’t want to be on the bubble if there’s no new winners, and obviously you want to try and win the race, so it’s a balancing act, especially the two road courses that we have (Indianapolis and Watkins Glen). Do you pit? Do you take the stage points to try to keep a good gap to the 19 (Truex), or if you think your car can win do you try to cycle to the lead?

“So, it’s kind of situational, I feel like. We talk about all these scenarios throughout the week and in our pre-race meetings, but at the end of the day, the main focus is trying to win the race and just doing all you can to try and make that one happen.”

Blaney qualified sixth for Sunday’s race.

Erik Jones to remain with Petty GMS Racing in multiyear deal

Driver Erik Jones has signed a multiyear extension to drive the No. 43 Chevrolet for Petty GMS Racing, the team announced Saturday.

Specific terms of the new deal were not released.

“I’m really excited to have this deal done and finally be able to talk about it,” said Jones, whose best finish this season is a third at Auto Club Speedway. “I really like the group I have at Petty GMS and working with (crew chief) Dave (Elenz). Each week I feel like we get better and better and put ourselves in contention to win.”

“Knowing where I’ll be driving allows us to really focus on building the team and making our cars better. I’m looking forward to finishing this season strong, hopefully with a win, and continuing to build on what we started this year with Petty GMS.”

Jones originally signed with Richard Petty Motorsports in 2021 and continued in the prestigious No. 43 ride when Petty and GMS Racing merged before the start of the 2022 season.

NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying – 29th Annual Verizon 200 at the Brickyard

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course

Indianapolis, Indiana

Saturday, July 30, 2022

                  1. (8) Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet, 99.378 mph.

                  2. (2) Austin Cindric #, Ford, 99.095 mph.

                  3. (14) Chase Briscoe, Ford, 98.962 mph.

                  4. (20) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 98.721 mph.

                  5. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 98.476 mph.

                  6. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 98.444 mph.

                  7. (34) Michael McDowell, Ford, 98.330 mph.

                  8. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 98.226 mph.

                  9. (38) Todd Gilliland #, Ford, 98.004 mph.

                  10. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 97.429 mph.

                  11. (99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.

                  12. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 0.000 mph.

                  13. (21) Harrison Burton #, Ford, 0.000 mph.

                  14. (10) Aric Almirola, Ford, 0.000 mph.

                 15. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 0.000 mph.

                  16. (17) Chris Buescher, Ford, 0.000 mph.

                  17. (31) Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.

                  18. (4) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 0.000 mph.

                  19. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 0.000 mph.

                  20. (16) AJ Allmendinger(i), Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.

                  21. (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.

                  22. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.

                  23. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.

                  24. (41) Cole Custer, Ford, 0.000 mph.

                  25. (19) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 0.000 mph.

                  26. (45) Ty Gibbs(i), Toyota, 0.000 mph.

                  27. (15) Joey Hand, Ford, 0.000 mph.

                  28. (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.

                  29. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.

                  30. (42) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.

                  31. (7) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.

                  32. (77) Josh Bilicki(i), Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.

                  33. (51) Cody Ware, Ford, 0.000 mph.

                  34. (27) Loris Hezemans(i), Ford, 0.000 mph.

                  35. (43) Erik Jones, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.

                  36. (26) Daniil Kvyat, Toyota, 0.000 mph.

                  37. (78) Josh Williams(i), Ford, 0.000 mph.

                  38. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.