NASCAR Cup Series

Kurt Busch wins Pocono pole as Hamlin spin ends qualifying early

Published Jun. 5, 2015 5:45 p.m. ET

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Tom Jensen

Kurt Busch won the pole for Sunday's Axalta "We Paint Winners" 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway, stealing the thunder from his Stewart-Haas Racing teammate, Kevin Harvick.

Harvick, the defending series champion, was fastest in the first two rounds of qualifying and the lone round of practice Friday at Pocono. But in the third and final qualifying round, Harvick wound up fifth behind Busch, the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Carl Edwards, Martin Truex Jr.'s Furniture Row Chevrolet and Jeff Gordon's Hendrick Motorsports Chevy.

Busch's lap was 177.599 mph, good enough for the 19th pole of his career and the third of the season.

"Wow, what a day today," said Busch. "I mean, it felt like there were six corners out there, as hard as I was working. Corner entry, corner exit, the car was just off balance, especially with the new bumps in Turn 2, and then we got way loose."

Busch said crew chief Tony Gibson made wholesale changes after the team's poor showing in practice.

"I think we were 30th in practice. We had to drop back and punt," said Busch, noting that the team wound up using a 2014 chassis setup from former crew chief Daniel Knost. "That's what it's all about: Team communication, working hard together as a group," said Busch.

Denny Hamlin spun to bring the caution out with 39 seconds left in the final round, which ended qualifying with only seven drivers posting times. "I was just going for it," said Hamlin. "… I was going to put a lap down."

Second-place qualifier Edwards said he was pleased to qualify on the outside of Row 1.

"This is what we needed," said Edwards. "It was good."

The big subject of the day was a series of prominent bumps in the second or Tunnel Turn. Several drivers visited the NASCAR hauler to discuss the problem during the afternoon, and officials from the sanctioning body and the track joined drivers in taking a look at it up close before qualifying started.

"It's kind of like hitting a set of railroad tracks," said Ryan Newman. "Make sure it's pointed the right way before you go across it."

"It's going to be a little hairy all weekend long," said Brad Keselowski, the 2012 series champion.

With only 43 cars entered, all the drivers who attempted to qualify made the race. One driver who struggled mightily was three-time series champion Tony Stewart, who crashed his primary car in practice earlier in the day and qualified 28th in his backup car.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., winner of the last two Pocono races, qualified 20th, two positions ahead of Danica Patrick.

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