Würth 400: Kyle Busch nabs second Dover pole

Three-time Monster Mile champion Kyle Busch won the pole for the Würth 400 NASCAR Cup Series race on Saturday.

Driving the No. 8 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, Busch turned a lap of 162.191 mph (22.196 seconds).

It is Busch's second career Dover pole and the 34th of his career.

"The last month we've definitely been struggling for speed," Busch said. "Hopefully this can give us momentum."

The Monster Mile lived up to its billing as Christopher Bell spun in the final qualifying round, while Kaz Grala and Zane Smith suffered hard hits in the opening practice session.

"It feels like you're going 300 miles per hour through the corners here," said Ryan Blaney, the defending NASCAR Cup Series champion, who will start second. "We were close. I thought we had enough of a car for the pole and it was hard to tell how much the track was going to slow down the second run. I think I could have hit it a little better, but we have a good car and we'll see what we have [Sunday]."

"This is always one I've had circled," said past Dover champion Alex Bowman, who is making his 300th career Cup Series start this weekend and will start ninth on Sunday. "This is my favorite racetrack that we go to. I'm really excited to get back here."