NASCAR at Charlotte 2014 Results: Race Order, Final Times and Twitter Reaction

Kyle Busch grabbed some momentum ahead of Saturday's Sprint Cup: Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway with an impressive performance at Thursday's qualifying. He grabbed the pole position with a top speed of 197.390 and an incredible best time of 27.357.

Busch was the fastest racer on a particularly quick Charlotte track. In fact, the track record was shattered in the first round of qualifying alone Thursday.

Here is a look at the top 12 finishers.

Place	Racer	Best Time	Time Behind Leader	Top Speed
1	Kyle Busch	27.357	--	197.390
2	Jeff Gordon	27.381	.024	197.217
3	Denny Hamlin	27.399	.042	197.087
4	Tony Stewart	27.475	.118	196.542
5	Ryan Newman	27.489	.132	196.442
6	Paul Menard	27.537	.180	196.100
7	Kevin Harvick	27.574	.217	195.837
8	Brian Vickers	27.587	.230	195.744
9	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	27.699	.342	194.953
10	Carl Edwards	27.712	.355	194.861
11	Kurt Busch	27.788	.431	194.328
12	Greg Biffle	28.184	.827	191.598

Thursday’s qualifying took on some extra importance with four of the 10 races that make up the Chase for the Sprint Cup officially in the books. With that in mind, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski all struggled in Kansas and looked to get some momentum back on their side in qualifying. 

Johnson commented as much, via his team’s pre-race media release: “We’ve got to be on our game at Charlotte and Talladega. There is still a lot of racing left. Stuff can happen. We’ll see how the other Chasers fare. If I can get taken out (at Kansas), somebody else can later.”

Terry Renna/Associated Press

Fox Sports NASCAR gave fans a glimpse at the format Johnson and everyone else were up against Thursday:

Kasey Kahne didn't waste much time in setting a track record, as NASCAR on ESPN noted (talk about setting the tone early).

"

These cats are flat-flyin' as Kasey Kahne sets a track record with a lap of 197.976 mph. Yes, 197.976 mph on a 1.5-mile track.

— NASCAR on ESPN (@ESPNNASCAR) October 9, 2014"

Kahne's performance was an indicator of what was yet to come. In fact, NASCAR Stats pointed out just how quick the initial pace was in the first round:

One notable development in the early going was the struggles of Johnson. Team Lowe's Racing and Tom Jensen of FoxSports.com described what was nearly a wreck:

Johnson eventually took another lap in the first round and made his way into the top 24, which is what he needed to do to make it through. Fox Sports NASCAR gave fans a glimpse at the cars that made it to the second round, while NASCAR Stats noted that the big names advanced:

Charlotte Motor Speedway let fans know the track was particularly fast:

The second round was only 10 minutes, but we saw more of the same in the speed department. Fox Sports NASCAR described the developments:

There was plenty of action in the final minutes of the second round. Fox Sports NASCAR noted that Tony Stewart made an important move, while NASCAR on ESPN highlighted the second-round results:

"

Advancing to final round: 41 4 24 18 14 27 16 99 88 11 55 31 (Starting 13th-24th): 22 10 43 51 2 1 5 3 48 20 78 42. #NASCAR

— NASCAR on ESPN (@ESPNNASCAR) October 10, 2014"

NASCAR Stats pointed out the five particularly notable racers who did not make it through to the final round:

NASCAR on ESPN passed along a quote from Johnson after he was eliminated in the second round:

"

"Disappointing, no way around it," says @JimmieJohnson, who starts 21st after failing to find speed in a car that was too tight. #NASCAR

— NASCAR on ESPN (@ESPNNASCAR) October 10, 2014"

The final round was a quick five minutes and set the stage for the race to come Saturday. 

Busch got right to it and won the pole position in the opening minutes of the third round. NASCAR Stats described the back-and-forth action:

NASCAR on ESPN provided the numbers for each of the top performers:

"

Kyle Busch wins the pole at Charlotte. Starting 1-12: 18 24 11 14 31 27 4 55 88 99 41 16 #NASCAR

— NASCAR on ESPN (@ESPNNASCAR) October 10, 2014"

NASCAR on ESPN also passed along a couple of post-qualifying quotes from the top two finishers:

"

"It seemed like the guy who was most consistent was able to win the pole tonight," says @KyleBusch. #NASCAR

— NASCAR on ESPN (@ESPNNASCAR) October 10, 2014"

"

Jeff Gordon: "Oh my gosh, it's so fast. So much grip, so much commitment (needed)." #NASCAR

— NASCAR on ESPN (@ESPNNASCAR) October 10, 2014"

It remains to be seen how important Busch's qualifying victory will be during the actual Bank of America 500 on Saturday, but he now has some momentum on his side.

What's more, he understands what is necessary to turn in fast times at the Charlotte Motor Speedway after Thursday's performance. Busch can't ask for more than the confidence and opening starting position he earned Thursday.

Now all he has to do is turn that momentum into an impressive showing Saturday.