Kurt Busch Scores Fontana Pole
Kurt Busch Scores Fontana Pole
Friday the ‘other’ Penske South driver scored a pole
Normally Ryan Newman, Penske South driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge, is the fastest in qualifying, in fact he wins so many poles that he has earned the nickname ‘Mr. Friday’.
Friday though it was the ‘other’ Penske South’s driver who reveled in the spotlight of winning a pole.
First year driver, Kurt Busch put his Dodge Intrepid on the front Friday night with a fast lap at 187.086 miles per hour around the two-mile California Speedway. He will lead the field to the green flag of Sunday's Auto Club 500, the second NASCAR Nextel Cup race of the season.
"Man, what a great way to get started in this Dodge for Penske Racing," said Busch. "They are used to being fast on Friday, but that's always Ryan Newman. I'm happy it was me today."
This was the fourth pole of Busch's career, but his first since the season finale at Homestead in 2004.
"Today's Friday and I'm fast," Busch said. "I don't know what to say. Usually, I'm 15th or so.
"We're a team that's new and we're learning," he added. "We've got humble expectations. We know the cars usually qualify well. That's the Penske [formula]. We'll see what happens Sunday."
Defending race champion Greg Biffle will start his Ford Fusion beside Busch's Dodge on the outside of the front row. Biffle ran second at 186.186 mph.
"It was a great lap," Biffle said. "We haven't been that good. We didn't have much time to switch to qualifying trim. I wasn't happy with it in practice, but we went back to ground zero and found a few things. I didn't really know what to expect out there and I didn't want to overdrive it, so I chose to be a little more cautious."
Biffle, who finished second in the Nextel Cup standings last season, registered the first of his six victories last year at this track. The Roush Racing driver was in a jovial mood after his impressive qualifying performance.
"The late draw really helped us," Biffle said. "I really wanted to eat Mexican food and come back and watch the truck race, so this really messes up my dinner plans. But I'd rather start second."
Daytona 500 winner Jimmie Johnson will start third after clocking 185.735 mph in a Chevrolet Monte Carlo. He is still trying to catch his breath after fulfilling a long list of personal appearances for winning the biggest race of the season.
"It was a great lap and after the week we've had," Johnson said. "We've stuck together and made some adjustments as a team, and everybody and had a great qualifying lap. This is a great start for us."
For the second straight race, Johnson is without crew chief Chad Knaus, who was suspended by NASCAR after being caught cheating in Daytona 500 qualifications.
"I'm now trying to help keep my crew chief's spirits up after he's done it for me in my career," Johnson said.
"This is where the real season starts because of the type of track that we're racing on without restrictor plates. I'm really excited about the upcoming season."
Two rookies from Joe Gibbs Racing rounded out the top five, with J.J. Yeley's lap at 185.180 mph and Denny Hamlin at 184.919 mph. Both drove Chevrolets.
Tony Stewart, two-time and defending Cup champion and the third Gibbs driver, was 12th.
Newman was far off the pace, at least by his standards in 11th.
Those who did not qualify were Travis Kvapil, Hermie Sadler, Derrike Cope, Randy LaJoie and Morgan Shepherd.
Mike Skinner and Chad Chaffin both withdrew their entries prior to qualifying.
Friday the ‘other’ Penske South driver scored a pole
Normally Ryan Newman, Penske South driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge, is the fastest in qualifying, in fact he wins so many poles that he has earned the nickname ‘Mr. Friday’.
Friday though it was the ‘other’ Penske South’s driver who reveled in the spotlight of winning a pole.
First year driver, Kurt Busch put his Dodge Intrepid on the front Friday night with a fast lap at 187.086 miles per hour around the two-mile California Speedway. He will lead the field to the green flag of Sunday's Auto Club 500, the second NASCAR Nextel Cup race of the season.
"Man, what a great way to get started in this Dodge for Penske Racing," said Busch. "They are used to being fast on Friday, but that's always Ryan Newman. I'm happy it was me today."
This was the fourth pole of Busch's career, but his first since the season finale at Homestead in 2004.
"Today's Friday and I'm fast," Busch said. "I don't know what to say. Usually, I'm 15th or so.
"We're a team that's new and we're learning," he added. "We've got humble expectations. We know the cars usually qualify well. That's the Penske [formula]. We'll see what happens Sunday."
Defending race champion Greg Biffle will start his Ford Fusion beside Busch's Dodge on the outside of the front row. Biffle ran second at 186.186 mph.
"It was a great lap," Biffle said. "We haven't been that good. We didn't have much time to switch to qualifying trim. I wasn't happy with it in practice, but we went back to ground zero and found a few things. I didn't really know what to expect out there and I didn't want to overdrive it, so I chose to be a little more cautious."
Biffle, who finished second in the Nextel Cup standings last season, registered the first of his six victories last year at this track. The Roush Racing driver was in a jovial mood after his impressive qualifying performance.
"The late draw really helped us," Biffle said. "I really wanted to eat Mexican food and come back and watch the truck race, so this really messes up my dinner plans. But I'd rather start second."
Daytona 500 winner Jimmie Johnson will start third after clocking 185.735 mph in a Chevrolet Monte Carlo. He is still trying to catch his breath after fulfilling a long list of personal appearances for winning the biggest race of the season.
"It was a great lap and after the week we've had," Johnson said. "We've stuck together and made some adjustments as a team, and everybody and had a great qualifying lap. This is a great start for us."
For the second straight race, Johnson is without crew chief Chad Knaus, who was suspended by NASCAR after being caught cheating in Daytona 500 qualifications.
"I'm now trying to help keep my crew chief's spirits up after he's done it for me in my career," Johnson said.
"This is where the real season starts because of the type of track that we're racing on without restrictor plates. I'm really excited about the upcoming season."
Two rookies from Joe Gibbs Racing rounded out the top five, with J.J. Yeley's lap at 185.180 mph and Denny Hamlin at 184.919 mph. Both drove Chevrolets.
Tony Stewart, two-time and defending Cup champion and the third Gibbs driver, was 12th.
Newman was far off the pace, at least by his standards in 11th.
Those who did not qualify were Travis Kvapil, Hermie Sadler, Derrike Cope, Randy LaJoie and Morgan Shepherd.
Mike Skinner and Chad Chaffin both withdrew their entries prior to qualifying.
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