LONG POND, Pa. — Polesitter Kyle Busch continued his impressive show of speed during Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice on Saturday afternoon at Pocono Raceway, topping the field as he seeks both his and Joe Gibbs Racing’s first win of the season.
Busch posted a lap of 51.305 seconds (175.421 mph) in his No. 18 M&Ms Red, White and Blue Toyota, leading the way in a 55-minute round that saw all three manufacturers represented in the top three positions in Happy Hour.
Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski landed second overall, posting a time of 51.345 seconds (175.285 mph) in his No. 2 Miller Lite Ford.
Keselowski has the third-best average finish (11.3) among active Cup drivers at Pocono, winning the second race at the 2.5-mile ‘Tricky Triangle’ in 2011.
Kyle Larson timed in third-fastest in final practice, lapping the superspeedway in 51.367 seconds (175.210 mph) in his No. 42 Target/Coca-Cola Chevrolet. Larson currently sits second in the points standings, and is looking for his first Pocono win.
Kevin Harvick and Chase Elliott completed the ‘Fast Five’.
Kurt Busch was sixth-quick, followed by Ryan Newman, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne and Joey Logano.
Points leader Martin Truex Jr. was 15th on the final speed charts, while four-time Pocono winner Denny Hamlin ended the session 17th.
The Axalta presents the Pocono 400 takes the green flag Sunday at 3 p.m. ET, live on FOX Sports 1, the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.
Full practice results can be viewed on the next page…