The track known as the “Tricky Triangle” played a trick on the field Friday as the final NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying round was shortened leaving several drivers wondering what could have been. Kurt Busch was leading the field in the final five minutes when Denny Hamlin spun in the final minute. NASCAR threw the red flag with only 39 seconds left; not enough time for the remainder of the field to get a lap in. NASCAR called the session awarding Busch the pole and leaving five of 12 drivers without even a chance to make even one lap.
As a result of the stoppage, Busch’s speed of 177.599 mph, 50.676 seconds, around the 2.5 mile trioval awarded him his third pole of 2015. It is his second pole at Pocono Raceway the first coming in June of 2011.
“I think we were 30th in practice,” Busch said. MORE>>>
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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