Kyle Busch Takes Pole at NASCAR All-Star Race

Kyle Bush is sitting on the pole for the NASCAR All-Star Race. Busch and his teamed performed the qualifying flawlessly, posting a time of 1 minute, 59.19 seconds. Now he is in position to possibly take home the huge cash prize waiting at the checkered flag for the winner.

According to ESPN, the way that the divers qualified for their starting positions is actually complicated. All of the drivers must take three laps on the course, and included in each run is a four-tire pit stop. This is a designed qualifier to make sure the best all-around racing teams are getting the best slots in the race. It also means Busch needs to take his pit crew out for a nice steak dinner next week.

The 100-lap event tonight is the culmination of the All-Star weekend for the best that NASCAR has to offer. It's not a race that matters in the points standings, but rather an ultra-competitive race that will net the winner $1 million. That makes the stakes pretty high for this race, especially with such a heavy difference between what the winner and second place finisher make.

This race has become a big part of the yearly All-Star weekend, but Busch has never had that much success in the big race. Maybe he will be able to overcome his past performances with a great showing under the lights. He has proven to be pretty good on other tracks this year, winning two of the NASCAR races this year and sitting third in the points standings. He trails just Card Edwards and Jimmie Johnson for the lead in the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

The 100-lap All-Star Race takes place at 9 p.m. EDT today and will almost immediately follow the NASCAR Showdown that begins two hours earlier. Many drivers are expected to take big risks on the track during this race, especially because of what is at stake for the winner. There are no points associated with simply finishing the race, so it gives the opportunity for drivers to take chances at trying to acquire the lead. For viewers watching the race take place on Speed, this could turn into one of the most exciting finishes of the year.