NASCAR at Pocono 2017 Qualifying Results: Kyle Busch Wins Pole Position – Bleacher Report

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Kyle Busch won the pole for the Overton’s 400 at Pocono Raceway on Sunday, holding off strong performances from Martin Truex Jr. and Jamie McMurray. 

Busch finished with a top time of 50.317 seconds and a top speed of 179.372 MPH, according to NASCAR.com.

It was Busch’s second straight pole and his fifth of the season, according to NASCAR writer Jeff Gluck.

“I felt like I hit it pretty good—overall it was a very good lap,” Busch said on NBCSN after qualifying (h/t Arthur Weinstein of the Sporting News).

Jamie McMurray will start third followed by Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney rounding out the top five and Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Daniel Suarez, Erik Jones and Joey Logano completing the top 10.

You can see the full starting lineup below:

• 1. Kyle Busch
• 2. Martin Truex Jr.
• 3. Jamie McMurray
• 4. Denny Hamlin
• 5. Ryan Blaney
• 6. Kevin Harvick
• 7. Clint Bowyer
• 8. Daniel Suarez
• 9. Erik Jones
• 10. Joey Logano
• 11. Brad Keselowski
• 12. Kasey Kahne
• 13. Chase Elliott
• 14. Jimmie Johnson
• 15. Matt Kenseth
• 16. Kyle Larson
• 17. Michael McDowell
• 18. Kurt Busch
• 19. Trevor Bayne
• 20. Ryan Newman
• 21. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
• 22. Danica Patrick
• 23. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
• 24. Chris Buescher
• 25. Aric Almirola
• 26. Austin Dillon
• 27. Paul Menard
• 28. AJ Allmendinger
• 29. Matt DiBenedetto
• 30. Ty Dillon
• 31. Landon Cassill
• 32. Cole Whitt
• 33. David Ragan
• 34. Corey LaJoie
• 35. Gray Gaulding
• 36. Stephen Leicht
• 37. Derrike Cope
• 38. Jeffrey Earnhardt

For all of the qualifying results, be sure to check out NASCAR.com.

Busch and Truex sharing the front line is particularly intriguing given their recent dustup, as NASCAR on NBC noted:

That left Truex without two of his tire-changers for Sunday after they were suspended for three races.

More than a few drivers likely need a win at Pocono or at one of the final regular-season races this year with 12 of the 16 playoff berths already secured. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is certainly one. Busch, McMurray, Chase Elliott, Clint Bowyer and Matt Kenseth, amongst others, are all jockeying for position as well. 

Earnhardt Jr. finished 23rd and noted that he and his team have been having issues with his car throughout the weekend:

The Overton’s 400 featured a fairly unusual format Sunday: Qualifying and the race itself on the same day. The drivers will compete in the race—which features major ramifications for the playoffs—later this afternoon at 3 p.m. ET.

As for those changes, there were mixed reactions.

“This weekend has had a very different feel to it,” Kasey Kahne told Keith Groller of the Morning Call. “NASCAR and the teams are trying to understand how this will work for everyone.”

“NASCAR is always changing stuff,” Ryan Flores, a front tire-changer for Ryan Blaney, added. “NASCAR is always trying to evolve and adapt. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. You just have to play with the hand you’re dealt. You just try to figure out how to compete and do the best you can.”