Kurt Busch wins record fourth pole at Fontana

FONTANA, CA - MARCH 20: Kurt Busch, driver of the #41 Haas Automation Chevrolet, poses for a photo with Miss Coors Light Rachel Rupert after winning the pole during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on March 20, 2015 in Fontana, California. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
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FONTANA, CA - MARCH 20:  Kurt Busch, driver of the #41 Haas Automation Chevrolet, poses for a photo with Miss Coors Light Rachel Rupert after winning the pole during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on March 20, 2015 in Fontana, California.  (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
FONTANA, CA – MARCH 20: Kurt Busch, driver of the #41 Haas Automation Chevrolet, poses for a photo with Miss Coors Light Rachel Rupert after winning the pole during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on March 20, 2015 in Fontana, California. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

He didn’t have the fastest lap, but it was the fasted when it counted as Kurt Busch secured the pole Friday night for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup AAA 400 at Auto Club Speedway.  Busch put down a lap of 38.889, 185.142 mph on the 2.0-mile oval at just under the three-minute mark of the 5-minute final session to win his record fourth pole at the Fontana California track and the 17th of his career.

“That is what I wanted to start the interview with is thank you Gene (team owner Gene Haas) for believing in me,” Busch said. “This is my job.  Come to the track, drive the car and put it up on the pole and go for wins.  That is what Gene has told me to do from the get go and I’m glad I have this chance to go back out there and live up to why he hired me.  It feels good.  The guys were just spot on all day with all the adjustments.  The car started off so fast and it is all due to the work back at the shop.  Thank you Stewart-Haas Racing appreciate it, No. 41 car up front feels good.”

The pole comes in his second race back after being suspended. Busch raced to a fifth place finish last week at Phoenix. MORE>>>

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. 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.