NSCS: Kurt Busch wins Auto Club 400 Pole at Auto Club Speedway

Making his second apperance since being reinstated by NASCAR, Kurt Busch would score the pole for the Auto Club 400 with a lap of 38.889 seconds. Busch missed the season after being suspended due to an off-track criminal matter.

“This is huge for Gene Haas.  That is what I wanted to start the interview with is thank you Gene for believing in me,” he commented. “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.”

Kevin Harvick would qualify second after winning the last two events as he looks to sweep the western swing.

“I’m just really proud of everybody on our Jimmy John’s/Budweiser team,” he commented. “I want to congratulate Kurt (Busch) and everybody on the No. 41 and everybody at SHR (Stewart-Haas Racing), Hendrick engines and chassis for everything that they do for all these cars.  I got down into Turn 3 and I was committed to the bottom and there were three cars on the apron that were cooling off.  I wanted to run the apron because I ran it in the second round and thought that I knew what I needed to do in the third round.  I got through (Turns) 1 and 2 fairly good, got to the green really good and then I had to abort down here, all-in-all still a good effort.”

Matt Kenseth would qualify third, followed by David Ragan and Kyle Larson. Denny Hamlin qualified sixth, followed by Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski, Ryan Newman and Clint Bowyer.

015 NSCS Auto Club 400 Starting Lineup