LONG POND, Pa. — Kyle Busch will start his drive for his fourth straight NASCAR Sprint Cup victory from a familiar spot, out front and in first.
Busch turned a lap of 178.416 mph Friday at Pocono Raceway to win the pole for the first time during his sensational streak.
He also made it three straight Cup poles for Joe Gibbs Racing following back-to-back wins from Carl Edwards.
Busch missed the first 11 races of the season with a broken right leg and left foot. He returned in late May and has won three consecutive Sprint Cup Series races and four of the last five.
“Hopefully, it’s got 16 weeks left in it,” he said. “It’s just amazing what we’re on.”
He’s trying to become the first Cup driver since Jimmie Johnson in 2007 to win four straight races. Busch won on the road course at Sonoma, then took the last three races at Kentucky, New Hampshire and Indianapolis.
Kevin Harvick was second, followed by Joey Logano, Austin Dillon and Tony Stewart.
Logano, who wasn’t won since the Daytona 500, refused to say Busch is the driver to beat down the stretch.
“It doesn’t get in our head. He is just fast right now,” Logano said. “We are not slow by any means. We are close. I think we know some areas we can improve on and like any good competitor you study what others are doing to beat you.”
Busch is 23 points away from cracking the top 30 in the standings. NASCAR granted him a waiver that will make him eligible for the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship should he be ranked inside the top 30.
INDYCAR: Kenny Wallace has made more starts in NASCAR’s second-tier circuit than anyone. Yet he’s arguably known more for his TV work than his driving.
Wallace is set for one last weekend in the spotlight before retiring from NASCAR as a driver. Wallace will make his 547th and final NASCAR Xfinity start Saturday night at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa.
Iowa has become known as a showcase for NASCAR’s youngest drivers. But the attention will be focused on the 51-year-old Wallace, the brother of track designer and Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace.
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