Kyle Busch earns his first pole of 2019
ISM Raceway's one-mile oval in Phoenix plays host to the penultimate Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race of the 2019 season. This recently renovated track will play host to a semifinal elimination that sets up next week's Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Six drivers are fighting for the remaining two spots in that field after Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. have already earned their invitations.
A flip of the racetrack, putting the finish line on what was once the backstretch, has added an extra challenge for drivers here in recent years. Add in the PJ1 compound and multi-groove racing is expected at a place that acts more like a short track than an intermediate.
Harvick, coming off a win at Texas, is the best positioned of all the playoff drivers at this track. His nine career victories here are a NASCAR record and he's got 12 straight top-10 finishes. But Kyle Busch has the early edge after winning the pole for Sunday’s race. Busch, who has won two straight Phoenix races himself, will look to end a 20-race winless streak Sunday while locking himself in the championship finale.
Thirty-nine cars showed up to compete for 40 spots on the grid this weekend. That meant no one failed to qualify for the race as NASCAR’s struggles to fill the field continue.
1. Kyle Busch (P)
2. Joey Logano (P)
3. Denny Hamlin (P)
4. Martin Truex Jr. (P)
5. Kyle Larson (P)
6. Chase Elliott (P)
7. Kevin Harvick (P)
8. Kurt Busch
9. Erik Jones
10. Ryan Blaney (P)
11. Aric Almirola
12. Brad Keselowski
13. Clint Bowyer
14. Alex Bowman
15. Daniel Suarez
16. Matt DiBenedetto
17. Chris Buescher
18. William Byron
19. Paul Menard
20. Ryan Newman
21. Michael McDowell
22. Jimmie Johnson
23. Bubba Wallace
24. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
25. Ryan Preece
26. John Hunter Nemechek (i)
27. Daniel Hemric
28. Austin Dillon
29. Ty Dillon
30. David Ragan
31. Corey Lajoie
32. Ross Chastain (i)
33. Landon Cassill (i)
34. Bayley Currey (i)
35. Garrett Smithley (i)
36. Joe Nemechek (i)
37. Reed Sorenson
38. Joey Gase (i)
39. JJ Yeley (i)
(i) - Ineligible to collect Cup Series points
(P) - Playoff Driver
Failed To Qualify - None
QUALIFYING NOTES
- Kyle Busch (1st) earned his first pole of the 2019 season. He’s earned at least one pole position every year since 2008. He’s got three career wins at Phoenix but none of them have come from the front row.
- Joey Logano (2nd) was the highest-qualifying Ford. The top two qualifiers this weekend are also the two drivers everyone else is chasing to make the Championship 4. (Logano is +20 points on the field while Busch is +22).
- Denny Hamlin (3rd) has his second straight top-3 qualifying effort at Phoenix. He’s seeking his first victory here since 2012.
- Kyle Larson (5th) was the fastest Chevrolet. He’s led 66 laps in the last four Phoenix Cup races but has yet to win.
- Kurt Busch (8th) was the best of the non-championship eligible drivers.
- Ryan Blaney (10th) qualified the worst of the eight title contenders.
- Ryan Preece (25th) was the fastest rookie.
- John Hunter Nemechek (26th) earns his second straight start for Front Row Motorsports subbing for a sidelined Matt Tifft. He was 21st last weekend in his Cup debut.
- Joey Gase (38th) is back in the MBM Motorsports Cup car this weekend in place of Timmy Hill.
NASCAR RACE BREAKDOWN
Race: Bluegreen Vacations 500
Track: ISM Raceway (Avondale, Ariz.)
Date: Sunday, Nov. 10
Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
TV: NBC
Radio: MRN, SIRIUS XM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 312 laps (500 kilometers)
Stage 1: 75 Laps
Stage 2: 75 Laps
Final Stage: 162 Laps
PRE-PHOENIX NEWS
