Kurt Busch takes pole
Kurt Busch isn’t taking anything for granted.
The hottest driver in NASCAR’s Nextel Cup series over the past two months is holding down the final spot in the 12-man Chase for the championship with two races remaining until the start of the stock car playoff.
“We’re just thinking big picture now,” Busch said Friday after winning the pole for the Sharp Aquos 500 at California Speedway in Fontana, Calif. – his first pole since October 2006 at Martinsville and the 10th of his career.
“We’re not locked in the Chase yet and we can’t afford to ease up on anything or leave anything on the table.”
Busch, the first driver to win a title under the Chase format in 2004, goes into Sunday’s race with a solid 157-point lead over 13th-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. and a 175-point edge over 14th-place Ryan Newman.
Busch also is just eight points behind Martin Truex Jr. in 11th and nine behind 10th-place Kevin Harvick.
Busch turned a fast lap of 182.399 mph to barely beat reigning Cup champion Jimmie Johnson’s 182.394.
Kasey Kahne was third at 182.020, followed by Newman at 181.415, Kyle Busch at 181.342, Elliott Sadler at 181.333, Earnhardt Jr. at 181.132 and Truex at 180.818.
Harvick qualified 12th at 180.542.
Busch confirms Gibbs’ plans
While Joe Gibbs Racing officials remained mum on the anticipated switch from Chevrolet to Toyota, Kyle Busch was more than happy to talk about it.
Busch, who will leave Hendrick Motorsports to drive for JGR in 2008, said he got a call from the team earlier this week confirming the change.
“We were just always kept in the loop on what exactly was going to happen with that and, when they finally made their decision, they went ahead and called us,” Busch said at California Speedway, where he will race in Sunday’s Sharp Aquos 500 NASCAR Nextel Cup race.
Asked what the call was about, he reiterated, “That they were going with Toyota.”
Hamlin wins 12th Busch pole
Denny Hamlin, the last of 42 drivers to make a qualifying attempt, knocked Kasey Kahne off the pole for tonight’s Camping World 300 NASCAR Busch Series race at California Speedway.
The lap was good enough to give Hamlin his 12th Busch pole and relegate Kahne’s 180.162 to the outside of the front row.
Kyle Busch was third at 179.964, followed by Ryan Newman at 179.659, Jeff Burton at 179.614 and Greg Biffle at 178.971.
Runaway series points leader Carl Edwards qualified 14th at 176.917.
Wilson leads Champ Cars
Justin Wilson was fastest on a wet track in the first qualifying session for the inaugural Champ Car Dutch Grand Prix at Assen, Netherlands.
Wilson, fourth in the series standings, had the fastest lap of 1 minute, 30.656 seconds around the 2.83-mile track at Assen, at an average speed of 112.381 mph.
Simon Pagenaud of France was second, 0.89 seconds behind, and another French driver, Tristan Gommendy, was third.