BUSCH

• Busch takes top spot for Nationwide race

  
  

  Phoenix, AZ (Sports Network) - Kyle Busch won the pole for Friday night's Bashas' Supermarkets 200 Nationwide Series race at the Phoenix International Raceway. The No.18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota circled the one-mile oval in 27.15 seconds (132.582 m.p.h.).

  The pole was Busch's second of the season and 13th of his Nationwide career.

  Starting alongside Busch will be youngster Brad Keselowski who posted a second-best time of 27.32 seconds.

  Carl Edwards (27.36) and Jeff Burton (27.36) will start in row two.

  Bowyer, starting 10th, and Edwards appear to be in a season-long battle for supremacy. Last year, Edwards built a huge lead (over 700 points) and coasted to the title. It doesn't look as if that strategy will work this time around. Bowyer has become a force both in this series and the Sprint Cup Series.

  Bowyer, in the No.2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, enters this week's Nationwide Series race in Phoenix with everything going right. He is the series points leader - by 57 points over Edwards. Bowyer is also the defending champion for this week's race at PIR. And his team has overtaken the No.33 Kevin Harvick Inc. team to lead the owner's points championship.

  In the 2007 race, Bowyer was in the lead with seven laps to go. On the final restart he pulled away from Matt Kenseth. Burton, in third place, began to challenge Kenseth for second and while the two fought it out for the runner-up spot, Bowyer cruised to the victory.

  In the last three years (six races at PIR) 13 RCR cars have been entered and they have come away with 11 top-fives. Besides Bowyer and Burton (No.29), youngster Stephen Leicht will drive the No.21 RCR Chevrolet.

  The race is schedule to drop the green flag tonight at 9:45 p.m. (et).

  04/11 18:25:15 ET