Kyle Busch Snags Second Career Phoenix Pole

[media-credit name=”Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”223″][/media-credit]Kyle Busch captured the pole for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AdvoCare 500 at Phoenix International Raceway with a lap of 138.766 mph.  Busch is trying to gain some momentum carrying on to the 2013 season after missing the Chase for the third time in his career.

“We’ll take it and it will be a good starting spot for us. Obviously, getting first pit selection and all that’s good for us. The M&M’s Camry was awesome all day today. Can’t wait for tomorrow. Hopefully, we can get this thing dolled up for race trim and have a good race car come Sunday.” Busch said.

Martin Truex Jr. qualified second and is in the Chase, but is too far back in the lineup to make a charge for the championship as the duo of Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski continue their dominance.

The weather played a huge factor in the qualifying today. A cold front has hit Arizona this past weekend and it ha been raining off and on all day. Areas like Prescott and Flagstaff even saw snow. The cloud coverage disrupted the handling on Jimmie Johnson’s car during his qualifying lap, and he wound up in 24th, his worst qualifying effort since Bristol. Brad Keselowski qualified his #2 Miller Lite Dodge in the 14th position. He also had some trouble on his qualifying lap, but Mother Nature was a little more lenient to Keselowski.

If Keselowski wants to gain any momentum, he needs to do it on Sunday. Johnson is already ten spots behind Brad when the race begins, and he can’t hesitate when Johnson is a 4-time winner at this track.

Spring winner Denny Hamlin will start from the third position. Kasey Kahne (2011 winner of this event), Aric Almirola, Kurt Busch, Paul Menard, Regan Smith, Mark Martin, and Tony Stewart will round out the Top 10 for Sunday’s race.

Notables: Jeff Gordon (11th), Ryan Newman (12th), Carl Edwards (13th), Joey Logano (15th), Clint Bowyer (16th), Kevin Harvick (19th), Greg Biffle (20th), Matt Kenseth (22nd), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (23rd), Danica Patrick (37th).

For you Kyle Busch fans, I asked him in the media center the following question: How important is it for you and your team to get a win before the season is out to carry momentum for 2013?

“I think getting a win would be nice. We don’t necessarily need a win, but we need to finish well these final few races. I think we actually have performed well enough these past couple weeks. We were up there battling Brad and Jimmie at Texas all night long, but we just didn’t have the car in the end and of course we’ve been bitten by fuel in the past, but to win would definitely be a big boost to this team.”

Starting Lineup
AdvoCare 500, Phoenix Int’l Raceway
http://www.speedwaymedia.com/Cup/qual.php?race=35
===========================================
Pos. No. Driver Make Speed Time
===========================================
1 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 138.766 25.943
2 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 138.217 26.046
3 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 137.578 26.167
4 5 Kasey Kahne Chevrolet 137.478 26.186
5 43 Aric Almirola Ford 137.211 26.237
6 78 Kurt Busch Chevrolet 137.007 26.276
7 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet 136.992 26.279
8 51 Regan Smith Chevrolet 136.872 26.302
9 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 136.867 26.303
10 55 Mark Martin Toyota 136.867 26.303
11 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 136.83 26.31
12 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 136.721 26.331
13 99 Carl Edwards Ford 136.679 26.339
14 2 Brad Keselowski Dodge 136.622 26.35
15 20 Joey Logano Toyota 136.488 26.376
16 15 Clint Bowyer Toyota 136.436 26.386
17 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 136.359 26.401
18 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 136.353 26.402
19 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 136.271 26.418
20 16 Greg Biffle Ford 136.219 26.428
21 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 136.003 26.47
22 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 135.906 26.489
23 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 135.547 26.559
24 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 135.44 26.58
25 13 Casey Mears Ford 135.211 26.625
26 22 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge 135.171 26.633
27 83 Landon Cassill Toyota 134.948 26.677
28 98 Michael McDowell Ford 134.948 26.677
29 34 David Ragan Ford 134.932 26.68
30 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 134.449 26.776
31 38 David Gilliland Ford 134.374 26.791
32 30 David Stremme Toyota 134.343 26.797
33 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 134.198 26.826
34 144 David Reutimann Ford 134.008 26.864
35 33 Stephen Leicht* Chevrolet 133.62 26.942
36 119 Mike Bliss Toyota 133.576 26.951
37 10 Danica Patrick Chevrolet 132.954 27.077
38 26 Josh Wise* Ford 132.817 27.105
39 93 Travis Kvapil Toyota 132.387 27.193
40 191 Jason Leffler Toyota 131.329 27.412
41 32 Timmy Hill Ford 129.945 27.704
42 36 Dave Blaney+ Chevrolet 128.691 27.974
43 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 130.067 27.678

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SpeedwayMedia.com

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

RacingJunk.com and Leaf Racewear Safety Equipment Giveaway

Latest articles

NHRA AND ZMAX DRAGWAY ANNOUNCE FIRST-EVER FOUR-WIDE RACE IN THE COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP

For the first time in NHRA history, there will be four-wide racing in the Countdown to the Championship.

NHRA AND FOX SPORTS RELEASE TV SCHEDULE FOR UPCOMING 2025 NHRA MISSION FOODS DRAG...

NHRA officials and FOX Sports announced today the television schedule for the upcoming 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season, which includes eight broadcasts on the FOX broadcast network.

Rajah Caruth re-signed by Spire Motorsports for 2025 Truck season

The 2024 Craftsman Truck Series Most Popular Driver recipient from Washington D.C. returns to Spire Motorsports for a third full-time stint in the series after notching his first career victory and making the Playoffs in 2024.

Rajah Caruth Returns to Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 Chevrolet Silverado for 2025

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Most Popular Driver Rajah Caruth will return to Spire Motorsports in 2025 to pilot the No. 71 Chevrolet Silverado in pursuit of the division’s championship honors.

Best New Zealand Online Casinos