LONG POND, Pa. — Report by Race Chaser Online Managing Editor Jacob Seelman — Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR photo —
Kyle Busch returning to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series had benefits for his entire team on Saturday morning at Pocono Raceway.
While Busch wasn’t quite able to claim the Keystone Light Pole Award for this afternoon’s Pocono Mountains 150 (1 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1), his KBM teammate Erik Jones did so in brilliant fashion.
Jones’ fast lap of 54.151 seconds (166.202 mph) in single-truck qualifying was enough to top his team owner and mentor for the prime position on the grid with his No. 4 Toyota.
The pole is Jones’ fourth of the season and his first at Pocono, as well as his sixth career Truck pole.
Busch was only three one-hundredths of a second off of his 19-year-old protege, with a lap of 54.181 seconds (166.110 mph) putting him on the front row in his Truck Series return aboard the No. 51 Dollar General Toyota.
Matt Crafton (54.183/166.104) made it a Tundra sweep of the top three spots in qualifying, looking to extend his championship points lead with his fifth win of the year. Toyota has never won at Pocono in five Truck races at the 2.5-mile triangle.
Brad Keselowski (54.237/165.938) was the fastest Ford in fourth, with defending race winner Austin Dillon’s Chevrolet (54.246/165.911) rounding out the fast five.
Tyler Reddick qualified sixth, followed by former Pocono winner Kevin Harvick, Ben Kennedy, John Hunter Nemechek and John Wes Townley.
Notables outside the top 10 included Timothy Peters (12th), rookie contender Daniel Hemric (15th) and Johnny Sauter (17th).
Timothy Viens’ No. 03 truck was the only vehicle that failed to qualify for the 32-truck field.
The Pocono Mountains 150 goes green at 1 p.m. Eastern time, and is race No. 12 of the Camping World Truck Series season.
RESULTS: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series; Keystone Light Pole Qualifying; Pocono Raceway; August 1, 2015
- Erik Jones
- Kyle Busch
- Matt Crafton
- Brad Keselowski
- Austin Dillon
- Tyler Reddick
- Kevin Harvick
- Ben Kennedy
- John Hunter Nemechek
- John Wes Townley
- Mason Mingus
- Timothy Peters
- Spencer Gallagher
- Matt Tifft
- Daniel Hemric
- Cameron Hayley
- Johnny Sauter
- Garrett Smithley
- Travis Kvapil
- Tyler Young
- Jordan Anderson
- B.J. McLeod
- Todd Peck
- Jennifer Jo Cobb
- Ryan Ellis
- Wendell Chavous
- Caleb Roark
- Justin Jennings
- Korbin Forrister
- Norm Benning
- Ray Black Jr.
- Kyle Martel
DNQ: Timothy Viens
About the Writer
Jacob Seelman is the Managing Editor of Race Chaser Online and creator of the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network. Seelman grew up in the sport, watching his grandparents co-own the RaDiUs Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team in the 1990s. He is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is also serving as the full-time tour announcer for both the United Sprint Car Series and the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series.
Email Jacob at: speed77radio@gmail.com
Follow on Twitter: @Speed77Radio or @JacobSeelman77
