NASCAR at Atlanta 2018 Qualifying Results: Kyle Busch Takes Pole Position

Kyle Busch hasn't won at Atlanta Motorspeedway since 2013, but he's in a good spot for Sunday's Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500. 

The No. 18 car got around the 1.5-mile oval in 30.024 seconds to capture his first pole of the 2018 NASCAR season. He narrowly bested Ryan Newman and Kevin Harvick, who will start second and third, respectively. Daniel Suarez and Brad Keselowski will round out the top five.

Perhaps the most notable result aside from Busch sitting on the pole is defending series champion Martin Truex Jr. failing to make a qualifying attempt. His car failed the Optical Scanning Station during pre-qualifying inspection. Car chief Blake Harris will have to sit out the remainder of the weekend, and Truex will start in the back of the field.

After struggling his way to an 18th-place finish at the Daytona 500, Truex said he was hoping Atlanta would bring him better luck. 

"After how we ran in Daytona, we are definitely looking forward to going to a downforce track," Truex said, per Tom Errington of Motorsport.com. "While Daytona is the biggest and most prestigious race to win, the season actually starts—at least in our case—at a downforce track. 

"Atlanta should give us a good indication how we fare against the competition."

Daytona 500 champion Austin Dillon did not make it out of the first round of qualifying. He will start in 25th place.

Chase Elliott also had a rough afternoon of qualifying and will start 27th.