Busch overcomes fire to start third

Team's primary truck damaged

Kyle Busch qualified third Thursday for the NASCAR race at Texas in a truck that was salvaged two nights earlier from a hauler fire that destroyed the team's primary truck and a lot of equipment.

"With the black soot, you couldn't read the number on the side of it this morning," Busch said after his lap of 178.183 mph.

The hauler for Billy Ballew Motorsports was destroyed by fire late Tuesday night near Shreveport, La., when it was en route to Texas for tonight's Chevy Silverado 350K. Busch said the backup truck and a scarred pit box were the only things that were salvaged.

"Everything else is gone. It's unfortunate for Billy," Busch said. "I'm sure the $1 million in insurance won't cover all that was lost."

Rick Crawford, making his 22nd start at Texas, earned his first pole at the 1 1/2-mile track with a qualifying lap of 178.826 mph. It is only his fifth pole in 295 career races.

Cale Gale qualified second at 178.778 mph. Series points leader Johnny Benson qualified 20th, 13 spots behind Ron Hornaday Jr., who trails him by only 31 points.

Busch, the runner-up to Hornaday at Texas in June, said the salvaged truck was full of water after firefighters put out the fire. The crew worked overnight Wednesday pumping the engine and making sure everything ran OK.

"It seems like everything is just normal with it," Busch said. "I'll put a car freshener in it, hang it from the mirror."

NEXT CAREER: Kyle Petty is getting more seat time in a sports car these days than in the No. 45 Petty Enterprises Dodge.

And that may just be a sign of the future for the longtime NASCAR driver.

Petty, who has raced in only 14 of the first 33 Cup races this season -- and none since last month at Kansas -- spent part of this week testing a BMW Riley Daytona prototype at Daytona International Speedway, preparing for a possible run in the Rolex 24 Grand-Am event in January -- and possibly a lot more.

"We're trying to put something together to run not only the 24 Hours, but all year long," Petty said. "Obviously, I'm in a place with the Cup stuff where I don't really have a ride right now.

He has been replaced in the No. 45 by 23-year-old rookie Chad McCumbee, who took over the seat early in October at Charlotte.

CROSSING THE POND: NASCAR's Carl Edwards and motocross star Travis Pastrana will team up in December to represent Team USA in the 2008 Race of Champions held at Wembley Stadium in England.

Edwards will be racing in Europe for the first time, while Pastrana, who won gold at the X Games in 2006 when he became the first person to land a double backflip during the moto X best trick finals, will represent the U.S. for the fourth straight year.

"I've never been to Europe and expect it will be spectacular," Edwards said. "To race with the top drivers in the world is the opportunity of a lifetime. ... The goal is to bring back a trophy. I can't wait. It should be a lot of fun."

Pastrana teamed with NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson last year, but is looking forward to partnering with Edwards.