NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — Ryan Blaney will start from the pole position for Sunday’s Window World 450, the first NASCAR Cup Series points-paying race at North Wilkesboro Speedway since 1996, after qualifying was washed out by rain Saturday.

Under NASCAR’s qualifying procedures, Blaney’s No. 12 Team Penske Ford Mustang Dark Horse was awarded the top starting spot for the 450-lap event. Ty Gibbs will start alongside Blaney on the front row, with Christopher Bell and Carson Hocevar lining up in the second row.

The pole comes one week after Blaney scored his second victory of the season at EchoPark Speedway and continues a recent surge for the 2023 Cup Series champion.

Blaney said he was especially excited to see North Wilkesboro elevated from an All-Star Race venue to a points-paying event.

“I’ve enjoyed coming here the last few years for the All-Star Race and I was excited when they announced there was gonna be a points race here because I feel like this place has done a really good job of not only revitalizing it, the facilities, but they do a really good job of fan experiences and it puts on a really good race, too,” Blaney said. “It’s a long race, for sure tomorrow night, 450 laps is a long way, but it’s gonna be a good show, so I’m excited and I think it’s very well deserving of a points race.”

The race marks another milestone in the rebirth of the historic short track, which sat dormant for years before its revival. Blaney remembers competing at the speedway during a PASS Series event in 2011 and said he never imagined the facility would once again host NASCAR’s premier series in a championship race.

“It’s amazing to see what this place is now and that it has Truck races on it, Cup races, the CARS Tour races,” Blaney said. “I think it’s just becoming a huge staple of this area again, as it should be, because it has so much history and so much meaning to people that came here in the nineties and before that.”

He added, “Fifteen years ago I never would have thought we’d be back to this place and it’s doing as well as it is. Props to everybody who made this racetrack possible, bringing it back.”

While Sunday’s race will be historic, it also could prove challenging. Blaney expects attrition to play a major role over the 450-lap distance, citing concerns about brakes, durability and NASCAR’s new bumper structure.

“I definitely think attrition is a good word for it,” Blaney said. “The length of the race and the pace that this place is, it’s not a slow racetrack. It’s really fast, kind of a physically-demanding racetrack.”

Track position could be critical, but Blaney hopes tire wear and long green-flag runs create opportunities for drivers to move through the field.

The pole also gives Blaney a strong starting point in his NASCAR In-Season Challenge semifinal matchup against Bell, who won last year’s All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro and will start third.

Among other notable starters, Erik Jones qualified sixth, Denny Hamlin seventh, Shane van Gisbergen eighth, Chris Buescher ninth and Chase Elliott 10th.