Kurt Busch Wins Pole For Sunday’s Michigan Battle
June 12, 2010
BROOKLYN, Mich. (June 11, 2010) – Miller Lite Dodge driver Kurt Busch will start Sunday’s Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 here at Michigan International Speedway from the pole after turning in a lap of 37.898 seconds (188.482 mph) in this afternoon’s qualifying session.
Today’s performance earned the 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion his 12th career Coors Light Pole Position and his first-ever here at MIS. Sunday’s race will mark the first time Busch has started on the front row for a race on this high-banked 2.0-mile track, with his best start before being fourth in the June 2003 race.
“It was a Heluva Good Lap!” Busch said, throwing in a plug for Sunday’s race sponsor. “I was excited after practice with the first lap we made in qualifying trim on the car’s grip level. And with the rain, the way it came in and the way the time slot worked out for us to get qualifying underway, you wanted to be in the first few cars to go out because the cloud cover was still there. Once I saw (Jamie) McMurray, he was the first car out and he ran in the 37-second bracket, I knew the pace was going to be quick. We just made a small adjustment to loosen up our car. It still must be a good vibe off the Vortex bottle.
“The Miller Lite Dodge has been good the last few weeks and we left this Vortex paint scheme on there and it has been great to have everybody in Milwaukee talking about it,” said Busch who was third fastest in the rain-shortened practice session that preceded qualifying with his lap of 38.200 seconds (188.482 mph). “Their support to keep this paint scheme, something that we didn’t initially plan on having through the summer months, is great, it’s going good. I give all the credit to the crew and Steve Addington for making the sharp decision that it takes to set a car on the pole and stay on top of changing track conditions.”
Jamie McMurray will start on the outside of the front row after turning in a lap of 37.937 seconds (189.788 mph). Jimmie Johnson (37.961 seconds/189.668 mph) starts third, with Kasey Kahne (37.970/189.623) fourth and Jeff Burton (38.000/189.474) fifth. Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, David Reutimann and Juan Pablo Montoya round out Sunday’s top-10 starters.
As for Busch’s Penske Racing teammates, Sam Hornish Jr. (out 19th with lap of 38.325 seconds/187.867 mph) will start 18th, while Brad Keselowski (out 31st with lap of 38.649 seconds/186.292 mph) will start from the 33rd spot.
Saturday’s schedule here at MIS calls for practice from 11:00 a.m. till 11:45 a.m. (live on Speed-TV) and from 12:20 p.m. till 1:20 p.m. (live on Speed-TV). Sunday’s Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 (200 laps, 400 miles) on the 2.0-mile track is scheduled to get the green flag just after 1:00 p.m. EDT. Race No. 15 of 36 points-paying events on the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule will feature live coverage by TNT-TV and MRN Radio.
