NASCAR Pocono 2015 qualifying results: In unusual manner, Kurt Busch wins pole

With an assist from Denny Hamlin, Kurt Busch captured the pole in Sprint Cup Series qualifying Friday at Pocono Raceway

Clocking a speed of 177.599 mph, Busch posted the quickest lap of the 12 drivers who advanced to the third and final round. However, of the 12, not everyone laid down a lap, with five drivers waiting until the final minute to go out and record a time.

But when Hamlin spun off Turn 2 with 39 seconds remaining and couldn’t re-fire his car, NASCAR was forced to pause the session. And with lap times around the 2.5-mile triangular-shaped track greater than the time left on the clock, it effectively ended qualifying and handed Busch the pole for Sunday’s Axalta 400.

“I’d like to see everybody finish their lap,” Busch said. “I always thought they should freeze the time when somebody spins. That way everybody still gets to get back out there and make their lap.”

Busch had just the 21st-fastest slow in Friday’s lone practice. Between the practice and qualifying, his Stewart-Haas Racing team reverted to a setup used last year.

“Wow, what a day,” Busch said. “I feel like there are six corners out there as hard as I was working; corner entry, corner exit. The car was just off-balance, especially with the new bumps in Turn 2. Then, we got way loose ... and we had to drop back and punt.”

The pole is Busch’s third of the season and 19th of his career. He will share the front row with Carl Edwards. Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick, who was fastest in the first two rounds, completed the top-five qualifiers. Austin Dillon and Brad Keselowski will start sixth and seventh, respectively.

Hamlin, whose car wasn’t damaged, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and Kasey Kahne were the five drivers who did not post an official time. They will line up based off their Round 2 speeds.

“It is a really bizarre set of circumstances,” Johnson said. “I guess it is part of the way things work with this qualifying. It’s just unfortunate to the guys that were on the track. But as long as NASCAR is consistent through all three series then we will take our medicine and just deal with it.”

NASCAR instituted multi-round knockout qualifying last season, eliminating traditional single-car runs. The new system has proven mostly popular with fans and drivers, though the variables involved have caught some teams off guard.

“That is unfortunate; you want to see everybody get a chance at it,” Gordon said. “But that is what I love so much about this format. It creates drama in so many different ways. You are playing the cloud, the track conditions, the time, and you don’t know if somebody is going to have an issue and end the session.”

All 43 entrants will start Sunday’s race.

Axalta 400 starting lineup