Kyle Busch gets pole as Harvick struggles
CONCORD, N.C. —
will start at the front of the field Sunday in the Coca-Cola 600 and NASCAR Cup Series points leader will begin in the rear.
Busch took the pole for NASCAR’s longest race by turning a lap of 191.836 mph Thursday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
will start alongside Busch on the front row.
But the big story was Harvick, who never got on the track after failing prerace inspection three times.
Car chief was ejected, and Harvick will have to sit out the first 30 minutes of practice Saturday.
Harvick has been dominant this season, winning five Cup races — including the last two — and the $1 million exhibition All-Star race Saturday.
Racing had all four cars qualify in the top 10. Pagenaud delivered the knockout blow last week when he devised a plan to have a police officer pull Newgarden over for an illegal U-turn and give him a ticket for an alleged expired tag.
When the officer handed Newgarden the ticket, it had Pagenaud’s signature on it.
Pagenaud popped up on the passenger side of the vehicle and said: “Your move, bro.”
“That was impressive,” a stunned Newgarden said. “That’s super impressive.”
Newgarden conceded defeat a few days later.
The whole thing started in late March when Pagenaud signed Newgarden’s helmet, which he forgot to retrieve following a photo shoot, and tweeted the video.
Newgarden fired back by signing Pagenaud merchandise and his car on display at the Indianapolis International Airport.
It escalated from there, with Pagenaud signing Newgarden’s front door, his shoes and the inside of his racing suit.
Newgarden countered with autographs on Pagenaud’s newly painted house, under the seat of his race car and on the windows of his motorhome.
“I’m looking at my Twitter, and I get this video. He’s outside signing my house, which is freshly painted white,” Pagenaud said. “And I couldn’t be mad because it was such a good move.”
Newgarden was so stealthy that even Pagenaud’s dog, a Jack Russell terrier named Norman, didn’t hear him sneaking around outside. The autograph is still on Pagenaud’s house.
“It’s going to rise in value, especially if he wins Indy,” Pagenaud said.
The teammates have long taken part in the ultracompetitive Penske Games that include numerous drivers spanning several series. But this was a oneon-one battle that got so out of control that Pagenaud even signed Newgarden’s mother’s left arm.
“We just like poking each other,” Pagenaud said. “I know Josef. If I poke him a little more, he’s so competitive he’s going to poke back.” No longer, though. Pagenaud won the battle with the police prank.