Kurt Busch, winner of the March race at Bristol Motor Speedway, made the first step toward a 2006 double by winning the pole for Saturday’s Sharpie 500 Nextel Cup race.

Busch, the 22nd driver to make a qualifying attempt, turned a lap in 15.362 seconds (124.906 mph), knocking defending race winner Tony Stewart, who had gone out 16th, off the provisional pole.

It was the first pole at Bristol for the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup champion, who is seeking his sixth victory at the .533-mile short track.

“The Miller Lite car was very loose,” Busch said, “but loose is on the edge of very fast and out of control here. I definitely love Bristol. Every time we come here, I feel like I need to learn more to stay on top.”

Jeff Burton (124.808 mph) and Bobby Labonte (124.484 mph), both of whom qualified late in the session, were second and third, respectively. Matt Kenseth (124.404 mph) and Stewart (124.299 mph) completed the top five.

After roaring through the first two corners, Burton lost time in Turns 3 and 4 when his No. 31 Chevrolet tightened up.

“That was my fault,” Burton said. “We thought the track would loosen up as the day went along, but it didn’t. It actually tightened up, and we lost a lot of speed in 3 and 4. But (it was) a really good qualifying lap, and hopefully we can take advantage of it.”

After hearing repeatedly that the track was hot and slick, Labonte’s No. 43 team compensated for the conditions.

“We made a little air pressure adjustment,” Labonte said. “The run was a little free, but the car really dug up off the corner, and that’s what got us the extra half of a tenth (of a second) we needed (to make the top five).”

Points leader Jimmie Johnson will start 18th Saturday night.

One of the major casualties during qualifying was Greg Biffle, whose slim chances of making for the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup were further dimmed by a 35th-place starting spot. Biffle backed his primary car into the wall during first practice and made his qualifying attempt in a backup car.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will have to come from the back of the pack if he’s to hold onto 10th place in the points standings. Earnhardt couldn’t find the handle on his No. 8 Chevy during qualifying and will start 40th.

Kasey Kahne, who’s 11th in points and 49 behind Earnhardt for the last Chase-eligible position, goes off 31st.

Sporting news

Pos # Driver Sponsor Car

1 2 Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge

2 31 Jeff Burton Cingular Wireless Chevrolet

3 43 Bobby Labonte Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge

4 17 Matt Kenseth DeWalt Ford

5 20 Tony Stewart The Home Depot Chevrolet

6 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Chevrolet

7 29 Kevin Harvick Reese’s Chevrolet

8 45 Kyle Petty Marathon Motor Oil Dodge

9 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge

10 41 Reed Sorenson Target Dodge

11 42 Casey Mears Texaco/Havoline Dodge

12 49 Kevin Lepage LoansDepot.com Dodge

13 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet

14 14 Sterling Marlin Ginn Clubs & Resorts Chevrolet

15 6 Mark Martin AAA Ford

16 66 Jeff Green CertainTeed Chevrolet

17 21 Ken Schrader U.S. Air Force Ford

18 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Chevrolet

19 5 Kyle Busch Kellogg’s Chevrolet

20 25 Brian Vickers ditech.com/GMAC Chevrolet

21 12 Ryan Newman Alltel Dodge

22 22 Dave Blaney Caterpillar Dodge

23 10 Scott Riggs Valvoline Dodge

24 1 Martin Truex Jr. Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet

25 18 J.J. Yeley Interstate Batteries Chevrolet

26 78 Kenny Wallace Furniture Row Chevrolet

27 07 Clint Bowyer Jack Daniels Chevrolet

28 32 Travis Kvapil Tide/Downy Chevrolet

29 55 Michael Waltrip NAPA Dodge

30 34 Carl Long Unsponsored Chevrolet

31 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge

32 88 Dale Jarrett UPS Ford

33 74 Derrike Cope Sundance Vacations Dodge

34 96 Tony Raines DLP HDTV Chevrolet

35 16 Greg Biffle National Guard Ford

36 40 David Stremme Coors Light Dodge

37 26 Jamie McMurray Sharpie Ford

38 38 David Gilliland M&M’s Ford

39 99 Carl Edwards Office Depot Ford

40 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Budweiser Chevrolet

41 01 Joe Nemechek U.S. Army Chevrolet

42 7 Robby Gordon Jim Beam Chevrolet

43 4 Scott Wimmer Bully Hill Vineyards Chevrolet