Busch’s fast lap of 27.357 seconds at 197.300 mph edged Jeff Gordon for the
Charlotte pole by just 24/1000ths of a second. It was his third pole of the 2014
season and the 16th of his career. Denny Hamlin will start third Saturday
night, followed by Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman.
Busch did not record the fastest lap of the night, however. That honor
belonged to elder brother Kurt Busch who shattered Hamlin’s track record with a
lap at 198.771 mph in the second of two qualifying rounds. Kurt was only 11th-fastest
in the final go-round, however, on a night when 21 drivers bested Hamlin’s
previous track record of 195.624 mph, set in May of last season.
“It seemed like the guy that was the most consistent was able to win the
pole tonight,” said Kyle Busch afterward. “I think we had a 27.38, then a .33
and then a .36 -- so (those were) pretty good laps there. We'll see how this
weekend goes, and hopefully we can come out of here with a solid weekend and
put ourselves in the right spot for continuing on in our Chase.”
Busch comes to Charlotte second in the championship standings, just six
points behind leader Joey Logano. Thursday night qualifying was not kind to a
pair of Chase contenders badly in need of a strong performance. Brad Keselowski
was only 17th-fastest Thursday, but expressed confidence in his race
set-up.
“We’ve been off a little bit in qualifying trim since we’ve been here,” he
admitted, “but I thought our race trim was really good in practice. That’s the
most important thing, so we’ll keep working.”
Six-time series champion Jimmie Johnson struggled to find speed for the
second consecutive week, and will start 21st Saturday night.
“(We) just didn’t have the speed on that final run,” said Johnson, who stands
11th in points and – like Keselowski -- is in danger of being eliminated from
title contention next weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. “I thought we had
some hope after the first round… but (we) just didn’t have any more through
Turns 3 and 4. I had to let off a little bit so I didn’t get into the outside
wall. It’s disappointing.”
Kasey Kahne qualified 19th, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. ninth.
Hmmmmm what do the cards hold for Mr. Busch this year? Peaking now would be perfect for the team.
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