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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