NASCAR: Kyle Busch Beats Kahne and Hamlin for Pole at New Hampshire

The last car to go out in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying is always supposed to be the fastest one in the field.

Kyle Busch proved that assumption correct in Friday's qualifying session for the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but only by the slimmest of margins.

Busch's qualifying speed of 133.417 miles per hour was good for a lap time of 28.548 seconds—best of the 44 drivers to attempt to qualify for Sunday's event. But right behind him were two worthy challengers: Kasey Kahne, who turned a lap of 28.551 seconds, and Busch's Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin, whose lap of 28.552 seconds was good for third.

From there, longtime NHMS fan favorite Martin Truex Jr. qualified fourth, followed by three of the track's past four winners: Clint Bowyer, Ryan Newman and Jimmie Johnson. Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. put all four Hendrick Motorsports cars in the first nine spots, while Tony Stewart, who won the last NHMS event in September, rounded out the top 10.

Other drivers of note include Connecticut native Joey Logano, who won his first Cup race at NHMS in 2009; he will start 16th. Sam Hornish Jr., filling in for the suspended A.J. Allmendinger at Penske Racing for the second week in a row, will line up 24th. And Matt Kenseth, driving a car sponsored by local sports network NESN, will roll off the grid 27th.

Nine go-or-go-homers attempted to make the race, with Josh Wise's 32nd-place qualifying effort best among them. This week's casualty was Mike Bliss, whose Randy Humphrey Racing Toyota was barely beaten out by Stephen Leicht in the CircleSport Chevrolet. Loudon marks Bliss' fourth DNQ of the season, but his first since Charlotte in May.

Sunday's Lenox Industrial Tools 301 will be aired on TNT at 1:00 ET. It will be TNT's final race of the season and the final race before an off week and grueling 17-week conclusion to the Sprint Cup season.