Kurt Busch won the Nextel Cup Series Bud Pole for the Subway 500, lapping Martinsville Speedway in 19.408 seconds at 97.568 mph. Tony Stewart holds the track-qualifying record of 19.306 seconds/98.083 mph, set Oct. 21, 2005.
This is Buschs ninth career Bud Pole in 216 Nextel Cup Series races.
This is his sixth Bud Pole and 22nd top-10 start in 2006 both Series highs.
This is Buschs first Bud Pole and fifth top-10 start in 13 Nextel Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway. He is the 53rd different Bud Pole winner at Martinsville.
Busch became the sixth different Bud Pole winner in the last six races at Martinsville Speedway.
Jeff Gordon posted the second-quickest qualifying lap of 19.446 seconds/97.377 mph and will join Busch on the front row for the Subway 500. Gordon has 19 top-10 starts in 28 races at Martinsville.
This is the 15th Bud Pole for Dodge in 2006. Chevrolet has 11 Bud Poles and Ford has five. Qualifying was canceled at Bristol.
Denny Hamlin (third) started fifth at Martinsville for this race in 2005 and 41st this past April, his only races here. Ryan Newman (fourth) has started in the top-10 in all 10 of his races at Martinsville.
Tony Stewart (fifth) has nine top-10 starts in 16 Martinsville races.(NASCAR Statisical Services)(10-20-2006)
