Busch wins Texas pole with SHR teammate Harvick alongside

FORT WORTH, Texas –The only driver capable of knocking Kevin Harvick off the provisional pole at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday was his Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Kurt Busch.

Busch posted a lap of 193.847 mph for his 18^th career Sprint Cup pole and his first on the 1.5-mile track.

“Good job boys,” Busch said on the radio. “I’ll tell you about the changes afterward. Good job, guys. Thank you.”

For the second time this season, the SHR drivers will start from the front row. The teammates pulled off the same feat when Busch won the pole at Auto Club Speedway last month.

“I didn’t get that one,” Harvick said. “Through one and two I was a little loose and lowered the track bar and didn’t get it through three and four.”

The best of the rest

Brad Keselowski, Kasey Kahne, Jimmie Johnson and Joey Logano rounded out the top six. But the final round dominated by Hendrick Motorsports engines which powered eight of the top 12 cars.

The guys here at the track, the guys back at the shop, the tire guy, the engine guy, everybody chipped in. That’s what this is all about, getting that something extra and we did that with our Haas Automation Chevy.

Kurt Busch

“It was so tight in qualifying,” Busch said. “I wanted to try and run the same time each time out but with the track continuing to change with the sun and the shade and then the rubber build up, air pressures were changing, tires were dropping off,” Busch said.

“Everybody chipped in. The guys here at the track, the guys back at the shop, the tire guy, the engine guy, everybody chipped in. That’s what this is all about, getting that something extra and we did that with our Haas Automation Chevy.

“So thanks to Gene (Haas). Second pole of the year. It feels good. Now we just need to dial her in and get that long-run speed out of the car.”

Ryan Newman, Paul Menard, Kyle Larson, Jamie McMurray, Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon rounded out the top 12.

Carl Edwards was the top qualifying Toyota. He posted the 16^th fastest time – 191.973 mph.

Danica Patrick was the only Stewart-Haas Racing teammate not to transfer into the final round. She will start 21^st.

“I drove it in further, and it didn’t turn,” Patrick said after aborting her lap. “It was a little looser coming to the green.”

Dale Earnhardt failed to qualify to the second round.

“We just weren’t good enough,” said Earnhardt, who will start 25^th. “That’s just how it is.”

Jeb Burton and Brendan Gaughan failed to qualify for the Duck Commander 500.