NASCAR Pocono 2017 qualifying results: Kyle Busch wins 2nd consecutive pole

Kyle Busch topped Cup Series qualifying for the second straight week, winning the pole for Sunday’s race at Pocono.

Even without his crew chief, there was no slowing Kyle Busch in Monster Energy Cup Series qualifying Friday at Pocono Raceway. The Joe Gibbs Racing posted a best lap of 179.151 mph to beat Martin Truex Jr. for the top starting position in Sunday’s Pocono 400.

Busch was also the fastest qualifier last week at Dover International Speedway, giving him consecutive pole positions for the first time in his career. But he did so Friday without crew chief Adam Stevens, who began serving a four-race suspension this weekend for a wheel coming off Busch’s car at Dover.

“I think it just shows the way Adam Stevens is able to prepare his team and his cars and the work that goes on back at the shop with the guys,” Busch said. “This whole team is lined up with good personnel and Adam chooses all that and Joe gives us all the right tools in order to be successful.”

Truex, who leads the series points standings, also started second at Dover. After Busch nipped him in qualifying for the second time in a row on Friday, Truex shook his and joked, “Damn him. What else can you say?”

Matt Kenseth, Ryan Blaney, and defending race winner Kurt Busch completed the top five. Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Jamie McMurray, Joey Logano, and Ryan Newman will start six through 10, respectively.

Darrell Wallace Jr. will make his Cup debut from the 16th position. He is driving the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports car for Aric Almirola, who broke his back in a fiery accident last month and is out indefinitely. Wallace will continue to substitute until Almirola returns, RPM announced Monday.

The 23-year-old Wallace, who’s raced fulltime in the Xfinity Series since 2015, is the first black driver to compete in Cup since Bill Lester started two events in 2006.

“I honestly shocked myself with the speed that I was able to deliver to the plate,” Wallace said. “I may have shocked the team, I don’t know if they’ll tell me that. I may have shocked a couple people watching too. That’s fine. As long as I shocked myself that’s a good thing.”

Defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, who won last week at Dover, qualified 19th. Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. posted the 28th-fastest time, but because of an unapproved engine in his car earlier in the day, he will have to drop to the rear of the 39-car field.

“If there is a race track you’ve got to start in the back and not have a very good pit selection, this is the one to do that at,” Earnhardt said.

All 39 drivers entered will start the 14th race of the year, which begins the second half of the regular season.