Kyle Busch wins pole for NASCAR Nationwide race in Fontana; Danica Patrick starts 14th
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Reigning NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Kyle Busch, already an 11-time winner in NASCAR’s second-tier series this season, won the pole position for Saturday’s Nationwide race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana.
Busch captured the first spot for the CampingWorld.com 300 with a lap of 182.039 mph on the two-mile oval track, followed by Kevin Harvick at 181.187 mph. Brad Keselowski, who’s leading this year’s Nationwide point standings by a wide margin, qualified third in a Penske Racing Dodge.
Danica Patrick, the popular IndyCar series star who’s making her eighth start in NASCAR, qualified 14th in her JR Motorsports Chevrolet, her top starting spot so far this season.
But Patrick’s average finish in her first seven Nationwide races was 31st, and she acknowledged earlier this week that she could use a driving coach to help her get a better handle on stock-car racing.
Busch, Harvick and Keselowski also are among the drivers who will be racing Sunday in NASCAR’s premier Sprint Cup Series in the Pepsi Max 400 at Auto Club Speedway.
--Jim Peltz