Busch Gets Dover Pole As Rain Washes Out Qualifying

Kyle Busch, seen here from an earlier race weekend, will start Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway from the pole after qualifying was washed out on Saturday. Photo: Meg Oliphant/Getty Images

Poor weather in the area forced the cancellation of NASCAR Cup Series qualifying Saturday morning at Dover Motor Speedway. The series implemented a competitive metric to set the grid for Sunday’s race, with the pole position going to Kyle Busch.

Busch – a three-time Dover race winner – will start on the front row alongside the series’ current championship leader, Christopher Bell.

“I’ll take it – starting up front, track position race, number one pit box – that’s super good to have here at Dover,’’ said Busch, whose Chevy was only 29th fastest in Saturday’s practice.

Ryan Blaney and Brad Keselowski – who was the fastest in practice – will start on the second row, followed by Chris Buescher and Chase Briscoe.

Tyler Reddick and William Byron will start from the fourth row, with Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., and defending race winner Chase Elliott rounding out the top 10 starters.

The starting lineup was set using a combination of metrics including the championship standings, a driver’s finish in the last race and the fastest lap recorded in the last race.

That meant the cancellation of qualifying was especially tough news for Kyle Larson, who had been second fastest in opening practice but will now start 20th after a tough finish and last lap accident at Talladega.

“My car obviously has speed so I’m happy about that,’’ said Larson. “I’d have loved to have the mist go away and us qualify to start a little better and have better pit selection, but either way I think our car is good enough to come from wherever in the field. Our pit crew has been doing a great job this year so wherever we start, we’ll be fine.”

NASCAR Cup Series
Dover Motor Speedway – Dover, DE
Wurth 400 – April 29, 2023

Sunday’s Starting Line Up

Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed
1. 8 Kyle Busch Lenovo Chevrolet 0.000 0.000
2. 20 Christopher Bell Rheem Toyota 0.000 0.000
3. 12 Ryan Blaney Wabash Ford 0.000 0.000
4. 6 Brad Keselowski Wyndham Rewards Ford 0.000 0.000
5. 17 Chris Buescher Fastenal Ford 0.000 0.000
6. 14 Chase Briscoe Mahindra Tractors Ford 0.000 0.000
7. 45 Tyler Reddick Ronald McDonald House Toyota 0.000 0.000
8. 24 William Byron RaptorTough.com Chevrolet 0.000 0.000
9. 47 Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Kroger/Icy Hot Pro Chevrolet 0.000 0.000
10. 9 Chase Elliott NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet 0.000 0.000
11. 43 Erik Jones Allegiant Chevrolet 0.000 0.000
12. 4 Kevin Harvick Hunt Brothers Pizza/Realtree Ford 0.000 0.000
13. 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Office Toyota 0.000 0.000
14. 1 Ross Chastain Jockey Chevrolet 0.000 0.000
15. 99 Daniel Suarez Pitbull/Freeway Insurance Chevrolet 0.000 0.000
16. 77 Ty Dillon NationsGuard Chevrolet 0.000 0.000
17. 19 Martin Truex, Jr. Bass Pro Shops Toyota 0.000 0.000
18. 5 Kyle Larson HendrickCars.com Chevrolet 0.000 0.000
19. 10 Aric Almirola Smithfield Ford 0.000 0.000
20. 2 Austin Cindric Menards/Great Stuff Ford 0.000 0.000
21. 51 J.J. Yeley(i) Biohaven/Jacob Co. Ford 0.000 0.000
22. 78 B.J. McLeod Camden Medical Center Chevrolet 0.000 0.000
23. 48 Josh Berry(i) Ally Chevrolet 0.000 0.000
24. 54 Ty Gibbs # He Gets us Toyota 0.000 0.000
25. 31 Justin Haley LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet 0.000 0.000
26. 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 0.000 0.000
27. 7 Corey LaJoie FOE Chevrolet 0.000 0.000
28. 23 Bubba Wallace McDonald’s Toyota 0.000 0.000
29. 16 A.J. Allmendinger Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet 0.000 0.000
30. 41 Ryan Preece Mohawk Northeast Ford 0.000 0.000
31. 21 Harrison Burton DEX Imaging Ford 0.000 0.000
32. 34 Michael McDowell A&W Root Beer Float Ford 0.000 0.000
33. 42 Noah Gragson # Sunseeker Resort Chevrolet 0.000 0.000
34. 15 Brennan Poole(i) Millennium Jet Card Ford 0.000 0.000
35. 38 Todd Gilliland Speedy Cash Ford 0.000 0.000
36. 3 Austin Dillon Get Bioethanol Chevrolet 0.000 0.000