Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kurt Busch set the pace in qualifying on Friday at Michigan International Speedway to earn the No. 1 starting spot for Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 Monster Energy Series race.
He toured the two-mile oval at 203.361 miles per hour in securing his second pole of the season.
“This one is fun because I could trust the car and I knew I needed to go after it hard,” Busch said. “Watching all the Fords in practice, I knew we had a good shot at it. The guys tweaked on the tires the right amount. It’s a new compound, left and right side, and we didn’t want to get caught up too much in chasing the tires.
“We went with status quo. Now, we need to translate that to race speed. I enjoy qualifying here. It’s a pleasure to have one of these Fords and have Yates power under the hood.”
Busch will share the front row with Brad Keselowski. Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano complete the top five.
Kyle Larson, who will be seeking his fourth straight MIS win on Sunday, was off the pace in qualifying and will start 26th in the 39-car field.
Motor Racing Network – “The Voice of NASCAR” – will have live coverage of Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400, beginning at 1 p.m. (ET) – with live streaming at MRN.com.
