Busch Leads Penske Racing Cup Trio in Qualifying at Atlanta
March 5, 2010
HAMPTON, Ga. (March 5, 2010) – Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger, led the Penske Racing trio of Cup Series drivers with an 11th place qualifying effort for the Kobalt Tools 500 on Friday evening. Drivers Brad Keselowski and Sam Hornish, Jr., finished in 28th and 36th places, respectively.
Busch, the defending winner of this event, was the 16th qualifier to make an attempt at the 1.54-mile oval. He posted a fast-lap time of 29.018 seconds at a speed of 191.054 miles per hour.
“We were a little on the tight side most of the day, in race runs and in that qualifying run,” said Busch. “We left a little out on the table. Now we need to get the Miller Lite Dodge happy in race trim. You can’t abuse the right front more than the right rear at Atlanta; it will jump up and bite you if you don’t have the car balanced for Sunday.”
“We’re trying to stick with the same game plan as last year because we were pretty successful. It’s a matter of balancing this tire. This tire seems to be a little different than what we’ve seen, especially from the fall race to the spring race in ’09. We’re trying to balance out our four Goodyears.”
The Kobalt Tools 500 will air live on Sunday, March 7 on the FOX television network beginning at 1 p.m. ET. Race coverage will also be broadcast live on PRN Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio.