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Texas NASCAR: Kurt Busch leads all-Stewart-Haas front row

Kurt Busch led an all-Stewart-Haas front row as he claimed pole for the first Texas Motor Speedway round of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup season

The 2004 champion jumped to the top of the timing charts mid-way through the shootout segment of qualifying with a time of 27.857s, unseating team-mate Kevin Harvick and wrapping up a second pole in three races.

Penske charger Brad Keselowski managed third, after a worrying moment in the first part of qualifying where it looked like he may miss out out the next segment after leaving his lap late.

Hendrick Motorsports team-mates Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson followed in fourth and fifth, ahead of Keselowski's Penske team-mate Joey Logano, last year's spring Texas winner.

Kyle Larson reached the pole shootout after sitting out the last round at Martinsville through illness, and he managed ninth in the #42 Ganassi Chevrolet.

Rookie Ryan Blaney impressed in the #21 Wood Brothers Ford, narrowly missing out on the pole shootout in 13th.

Also missing out was practice pacesetter Martin Truex Jr in 15th. The Furniture Row Racing driver hasn't finished outside of the top 10 in six races in 2015.

Behind Truex, three-time Texas winner Carl Edwards lines up 16th, ahead of Joe Gibbs Racing team-mates Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin, who both have two Texas wins each.

The highest profile driver outside the top 24 for the second segment of qualifying was Hendrick Motorsports' Dale Earnhardt Jr, who came up short with a last-gasp attempt to scrape through, losing out by one spot in 25th.

STARTING GRID:

Pos Driver Team Car Time Gap
1 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 27.857s -
2 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 27.875s 0.018s
3 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 27.951s 0.094s
4 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 27.989s 0.132s
5 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.063s 0.206s
6 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 28.071s 0.214s
7 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 28.088s 0.231s
8 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 28.109s 0.252s
9 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 28.118s 0.261s
10 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 28.166s 0.309s
11 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 28.200s 0.343s
12 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.489s 0.632s
13 Ryan Blaney Wood Brothers Racing Ford 28.085s -
14 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 28.086s -
15 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 28.091s -
16 Carl Edwards Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 28.129s -
17 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 28.137s -
18 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 28.142s -
19 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 28.159s -
20 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 28.210s -
21 Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 28.258s -
22 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 28.290s -
23 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Racing Ford 28.343s -
24 Justin Allgaier HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 28.349s -
25 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.115s -
26 A.J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 28.130s -
27 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 28.178s -
28 Michael Annett HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 28.194s -
29 Sam Hornish Jr. Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 28.201s -
30 David Ragan Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 28.205s -
31 Cole Whitt Front Row Motorsports Ford 28.218s -
32 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 28.222s -
33 Landon Cassill Hillman Smith Motorsports Chevrolet 28.222s -
34 Alex Bowman Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 28.236s -
35 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Ford 28.274s -
36 Brett Moffitt Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 28.288s -
37 Mike Bliss Go FAS Racing Ford 28.367s -
38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 28.378s -
39 Michael McDowell Leavine Family Racing Ford 28.383s -
40 Chris Buescher Front Row Motorsports Ford 28.517s -
41 J.J. Yeley BK Racing Toyota 28.621s -
42 Matt DiBenedetto BK Racing Toyota 28.758s -
43 Alex Kennedy Circle Sport Chevrolet 29.072s -
44 Brendan Gaughan Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 28.417s -
45 Jeb Burton BK Racing Toyota 28.495s -


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