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Kyle Busch has won his first pole as a member of Richard Childress Racing by posting a lap of 32.802s at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois.
Busch, the two-time Cup Series champion, delivered a perfect lap during the final round of qualifying. The #8 Chevrolet Camaro was superior into corners with greater grip, allowing Busch faster entry and exits speeds.
This ability to push the #8 Chevrolet translated to pure speed on the charts as Busch won the 33rd pole of his career and his first since the Phoenix playoff race in 2019.
Charlotte winner Ryan Blaney was second-fastest in the #12 Team Penske Ford Mustang. He barely lost out on pole position with a time of 32.810s, but he secured a spot on the front row next to Busch.
Denny Hamlin (32.870s), Kevin Harvick (32.903s), Martin Truex Jr. (33.001s), Joey Logano (33.006s), William Byron(33.030s), Ross Chastain (33.090s), Tyler Reddick (33.140s), and Austin Cindric (33.203s) rounded out the top 10.
Qualifying played out over two rounds. The first featured the field split into two groups with the five fastest from each moving on to the final round. The remaining 10 drivers then went back out for another qualifying lap.
Hamlin led the way in Group A while Reddick, Byron, Busch, and defending WWT Raceway winner Logano rounded out the Fast Five.
Blaney kept his momentum with the fastest lap in Group B. He led the way over Chastain, Harvick, Cindric, and Truex.
Once the final round began, multiple drivers had minor issues that led to them missing out on pole. Logano had a big wiggle on his lap while Reddick slid up the track. Both lost crucial time to Busch, who turned in a mistake-free lap.
As the pole winner, Busch will get the first choice of pit stall selection. He will be able to put his crew in the best possible position to maximize every pit stop.
Blaney, for comparison, will not get the opportunity to choose the second-best stall. His #12 Ford Mustang failed pre-race inspection twice on Friday, which resulted in the loss of pit stall selection. NASCAR also ejected his car chief for the weekend.
