On track - Friday Feb. 27th

Kyle Busch won the Coors Light Pole Award for the Shelby 427 with a lap of 29.033 seconds, a new Las Vegas Motor Speedway track qualifying record. It's Kyle's 5th pole in 153 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. His first pole and 3rd top 10 start in as many races this season. And his 2nd pole @ Vegas. He won the pole for last year's race. Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR

12 drivers broke the track qualifying record (previously set by Kasey Kahne on March 9, 2007*) during Sprint Cup Series qualifying earlier tonight.

Kyle's brother Kurt qualified 2nd. It's Kurt's 2nd top 10 start this season and his 9th in 9 races @ Vegas.

It marks the 1st time in their cup history together that the Busch brothers... could have started 1-2. It's their hometown track. We can understand their desire to win a Cup race @ Vegas in front of all of their family and friends. Unfortunately for Kyle, he blew an engine during practice right before qualifying. Per NASCAR rules, Kyle will have to go to the back of the field for the start of the race. Kurt will take over leading the field to the green.

The last time (in NASCAR's top series) brothers started on the front row - dates back to April 9, 2000 when Rusty & Kenny Wallace were 1-2 for the Martinsville race and before that Bobby & Terry Labonte started the '98 Daytona 500 1-2.

Kyle had this to say: "Unfortunately for myself, I won't be in the cool photo next to my brother at the drop of the green flag". He did crash a race fan's wedding ceremony in Victory Lane and stood in as best man. Hey, that's "totally Vegas" and totally cool. Harry How/Getty Images


Jimmie Johnson qualified 3rd followed by David Reutimann, Marcos Ambrose**, Ryan Newman and Kasey Kahne*. Matt Kenseth qualified 40th. I don't really want to add that I've heard... Matt wasn't liking the set-up to his ride. I texted back: make 'um go back to the garage and work it out!

* Kasey Kahne's previous track qualifying record - 184.856 mph, 29.212 seconds

**5 Toyota drivers changed engines prior to qualifying: Kyle Busch, David Reutimann, Brian Vickers, Scott Speed and Marcos Ambrose. They will have to go to the back to start Sunday's race.

Those that failed to qualify: Travis Kvapil, Dave Blaney, Mike Garvey, Jeremy Mayfield, Sterling Marlin, Scott Riggs and Tony Raines.

Mark Martin posted the fastest speed on the practice chart before qualifying with David Reutimann, David Stremme, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick right behind him in the top 5.

To turn our attention to the Nationwide Series, Brendan Gaughan was fastest during the 1st NNS practice session followed by Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and Mike Bliss.

For the final NNS practice, Mike Bliss posted the top speed followed by Scott Speed, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Justin Allgaier and Kevin Harvick.

Qualifying for the Nationwide Series race is early Saturday morning at 9, although that's Noon our time.