By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
Though Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch were once again the top two to beat Saturday at Pocono Raceway — posting a front-row lockout for Sunday’s Gander Outdoors 400 — that’s not how the day ended.
After both the No. 4 of Harvick and No. 18 of Busch failed post-qualifying inspection, their times were disallowed from the session, bumping Daniel Suarez to pole position.
The pole, his first in 57 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts, may have come in odd circumstances, however, the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing driver is excited to hit the start-finish line first.
“Our speed hasn’t been there and the results have been pretty bad,” Suarez said of his 2018 season. “We have been working hard to put things straight. Hopefully, we can keep that going for tomorrow’s race.”
Suarez will have his mother at the track and is proud to become the first Mexico-born driver to win a Cup pole.
“That is cool,” he said. “Obviously, I’m usually by myself, my family is in Mexico, sisters, father. It will be cool to have my mom with me while starting on pole.”
Busch’s JGR Toyota failed chassis station while Harvick’s Stewart-Haas Racing Ford failed in body scan.
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