NASCAR All-Star Race Weekend Notebook – Motorsports Tribune

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service

FORT WORTH – Kyle Busch beat Ryan Blaney in a new “drag race” style competition for the pole position in Sunday’s much-anticipated NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway.

For their work, Busch and Blaney will start from the front row of Sunday’s $1 million-to-win NASCAR All-Star Race (8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

A traditional qualifying session decided which eight drivers advanced to the final round and then the cars were paired in an elimination bracket format. Each “race” included a four-tire pit stop and then a sprint off pit road for a single lap at speed – the idea to showcase the pit crews as well as the drivers.

Busch defeated defending All-Star winner Kyle Larson in his semi-final and Blaney beat William Byron – who posted the fastest qualifying time – in his semifinal to decide the final meeting.

“Any time you’re able to showcase the pit crew’s ability and their athleticism in this competition and qualifying format, I enjoy that,” said Busch, driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry.

“I think my most favorite part of the year is coming to the All-Star race, whether it’s been Charlotte and coming down pit road and sliding into the box. Having those guys go over the wall certainly means a lot, especially the No. 18 bunch I’ve had a lot of success with over the years.

“We’ve always been a threat to be reckoned with when it comes to getting on the pole for the All-Star race.”

This is Busch’s fourth pole position in a NASCAR All-Star race. He won the race in 2017. And with four NASCAR Cup Series wins – plus 10 Xfinity Series race wins and four Camping World Truck Series wins – at the Texas 1.5-miler, this is a place he feels confident.

Defending All-Star race winner Kyle Larson stalled in his semi-final duel against Busch – essentially guaranteeing Busch’s advance to the final round. Larson managed a smile and…