WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (AP) — Ryan Blaney bested Shane van Gisbergen in Cup Series road course qualifying by three hundredths of a second on Saturday, capturing the pole position at Watkins Glen International.
Blaney turned a lap of 1 minute, 11.960 seconds in the No. 12 Ford, edging van Gisbergen’s No. 88 Chevrolet (1 minute, 11.993 seconds).
Starting first in Sunday’s 110-lap race at Watkins Glen was a surprise for Blaney, who has only three top 10 finishes on the 2.45-mile track. The 2023 Cup champion is mired in a 22-race slump without a top-five finish on a road course.
“What a cool pole,” said Blaney, who earned the 150th Cup pole position for Team Penske. “I’m a pretty average road racer, and I work really hard to get better at it and try to figure out ways to be better. We’ve got to find a little bit of race pace, but it’s nice to have one-lap speed. It’s fun when you can sit on the pole at a place where I’m not very good.”
Bidding for his fourth consecutive Cup victory on a road or street course, van Gisbergen will start second after having won from the pole at Mexico City, Chicago and Sonoma.
“Man, it’s amazing how close it all is for a road course,” van Gisbergen said. "My laps were OK, and there probably were some things I could have fixed. Decent start for tomorrow."
Chase Briscoe, who had started on the pole position the past two weeks at Iowa Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, qualified third in the No. 19 Toyota, followed by Ross Chastain’s No. 1 Chevrolet and Kyle Busch’s No. 8 Chevrolet.
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Driver Ryan Blaney, left, gives autographs before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025, at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. (AP Photo/Bryon Houlgrave)
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Coach Steve Kerr spoke with Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga during the morning shootaround Thursday about the player's situation being out of the rotation for more than a month now with expectations he will be traded before the deadline next month.
“We talked this morning and that’s all private,” Kerr said. “I will keep coaching him, he’ll be part of the team, he’ll be here. It is what it is.”
Kerr discounted any issues between them as being reason Kuminga has reportedly requested a trade from the team after not being used in the last 14 games since Dec. 18 and 17 of 18 — though he has been listed as injured for nine games this season.
“Our relationship is fine,” Kerr said before Golden State's 126-113 win over the New York Knicks. “There's not a whole lot I can say about the other stuff. It is what it is, difficult situation for everybody and part of this league, part of the job. We just keep moving forward.”
Kuminga has been training much of the time on his own, shooting on the Warriors’ practice floor out of the eyes of fans at Chase Center. He wears a black hood over his head on the end of the bench during games. Perhaps Kuminga and the Warriors weren't a great fit from Day 1 — not that it's his fault — and he might be eager to leave and start fresh elsewhere. If so, the Golden State brass might want to make sure he doesn't get hurt before trying to trade him.
Yet nobody has taken issue with his work ethic, at least not publicly. Kuminga, selected seventh overall in the 2021 draft, has been known to stay long after games shooting on the arena's main floor.
“It’s not a distraction at all. It’s a very unique situation but our job is just to keep playing, keep winning, it’ll resolve itself one way or the other,” Stephen Curry said.
The 23-year-old from the Democratic Republic of the Congo has appeared in just 18 games total with 13 starts, averaging 11.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists.
On Sept. 30, he agreed to a two-year contract that could be worth up to $46.5 million if the team were to exercise its option for 2026-27. Kuminga had had a $7.9 million qualifying offer in hand since June 29 but was also weighing other options and he missed media day.
He has long had the support and confidence of teammates — like Jimmy Butler saying he has been having Kuminga over and continuing to encourage him.
“We love JK in this locker room, that's not going to change,” Butler said postgame. “If he happens to not be in here, we'll still rock with JK. I speak for everybody. We love the guy. I wish him the best here, I wish him the best wherever. It doesn't change. We don't listen to the noise, I hope he don't listen to the noise he keep coming here with a smile doing what he's supposed to do and being the ultimate pro.”
Kuminga missed much of last season with a right ankle injury. He averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 24.3 minutes over 47 games with 10 starts. He also scored 15.3 points per game over eight playoff games while shooting 48.4% from the floor and making 40% of his 3-point attempts. That included a career-best 30-point performance in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Kerr said the uncertainty around Kuminga's future “won't be a distraction.”
“Jonathan's a great young guy, his teammates like him,” Kerr said. "He's handling himself well.”
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, middle, sits near the team bench during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks in San Francisco, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (1) and Utah Jazz center Oscar Tshiebwe (34) swap jerseys after the Warriors defeat the Jazz during an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Justine Willard)
