HAMPTON, Ga. — Kurt Busch fell just short of beating brother Kyle Busch on the track during Friday’s time trials at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Kyle Busch covered the 1.54-mile distance in 28.925 seconds (191.668 mph) in the money round of knockout qualifying for Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 (1 p.m. ET, FOX), beating his older brother by .013 seconds.
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But the reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion’s No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota failed post-qualifying inspection and his time was disallowed. That gave Kurt Busch his first pole at Atlanta in the first event contested this year with the lower-downforce competition package that will be in place at all open-motor tracks.