Fontana NASCAR: Kurt Busch takes pole for second race back

The Stewart-Haas driver had topped the earlier practice session and set the fastest times in the second and final segments of qualifying to head team-mate - and winner of the last two Cup races - Kevin Harvick.

Busch had sat out the first three races of 2015 during a legal case over assault allegations.

Last year's Fontana polesitter Matt Kenseth managed third after setting the fastest time of the entire session in the first qualifying instalment, followed by David Ragan - subbing for an injured Kyle Busch in the #18 Joe Gibbs Toyota - and 2014 Fontana race runner-up Kyle Larson.

The most notable absentee from the final qualifying showdown was Joey Logano, who was only able to muster 13th and missed out on the final qualifying segment for the first time since Talladega last year.

Behind Logano and also missing out was Jimmie Johnson. The Hendrick Motorsports driver has five wins and a pole in 20 races at the track but struggled in Turn 1 and 2 during his second qualifying lap, leaving him 14th.

Last week's Phoenix runner-up Jamie McMurray had a difficult session and failed to progress past the first segment of qualifying. The Ganassi driver could only manage 26th.

Roush Fenway Racing particularly struggled on the aero-dependant Fontana track, with Ricky Stenhouse Jr its highest-placed car in 27th. Greg Biffle managed 29th and Trevor Bayne 36th.

Brett Moffitt qualified the #55 Michael Waltrip Racing car in 30th, after Brian Vickers was ruled out of the weekend following a recurrence of blood clots that interrupted his racing in 2010 and '13.

Front Row Motorsport is now onto its third driver change of the year after losing Ragan to Gibbs and Moffitt to Waltrip.

Chris Buescher took over the #34 Front Row entry and made his Cup qualifying debut in the process, taking 33rd.

Reed Sorenson and Travis Kvapil failed to qualify.