NASCAR: Kyle Busch speeds to the pole at New Hampshire
By Alex Herbst
Kyle Busch recovered from a rough second round in NASCAR Cup Series qualifying at New Hampshire to grab the pole for Sunday’s second playoff race.
New Hampshire Motor Speedway hosts their final fall race with the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series this weekend, looking to end their run with two races with a bang.
There were already some bangs in practice, with Chase Elliott and Jimmie Johnson smacking the wall. Then there was a better one in qualifying, as Kyle Busch blasted off to the pole for Sunday’s ISM Connect 300 at NHMS.
Busch, who struggled in the second round of qualifying by getting out of the groove, rebounded with a scorcher of a lap, outpacing second-place Kyle Larson by 0.03 seconds. Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, and Martin Truex Jr. rounded out the top five qualifiers in the Friday evening session.
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The track had laid down a sticky PJ1 substance that would help improve grip on the track for both the Cup Series and Truck Series races. That has shifted the groove up slightly at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, catching a few drivers by surprise. A number of drivers, including Busch, got loose briefly in qualifying. Fortunately, no incidents like earlier on Friday in practice where Chase Elliott and Jimmie Johnson were both forced into backup cars.
Here are the full qualifying results for the ISM Connect 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (playoff drivers in italics):
- Kyle Busch, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing
- Denny Hamlin, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Ryan Blaney, Ford, Wood Brothers Racing
- Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, Furniture Row Racing
- Kevin Harvick, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Kurt Busch, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Erik Jones, Toyota, Furniture Row Racing
- Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- Matt Kenseth, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing
- Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- Brad Keselowski, Ford, Team Penske
- Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- Clint Bowyer, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Paul Menard, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- A.J. Allmendinger, Chevrolet, JTG-Daugherty Racing
- David Ragan, Ford, Front Row Motorsports
- Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, JTG-Daugherty Racing
- Trevor Bayne, Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing
- Daniel Suarez, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, Go Fas Racing
- Danica Patrick, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Landon Cassill, Ford, Front Row Motorsports
- Aric Almirola, Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports
- Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, Germain Racing
- Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, Leavine Family Racing
- Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, TriStar Motorsports
- Corey LaJoie, Toyota, BK Racing
- Gray Gaulding, Toyota, Premium Motorsports
- Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, Premium Motorsports
- Brett Moffitt, Toyota, BK Racing
- Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, TMG-Circle Sport Racing
- Cody Ware, Chevrolet, Rick Ware Racing
- Joey Logano, Ford, Team Penske
Next: New Hampshire Announces New Fall Race Weekend
Be sure to tune in on Sunday, September 24 for the final fall race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the second race of the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. Coverage of the ISM Connect 300 can be seen live on NBCSN on Sunday afternoon.