Busch narrowly misses Indianapolis 500 pole contention after 2 solid runs

Kurt Busch walk with his girlfriend, Patricia Driscoll, after arriving for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., Saturday, May 17, 2014. Busch qualified earlier Saturday for the Indianapolis 500. (AP Photo/Terry Renna) (The Associated Press)

Driver Kurt Busch heads on to the track to begin his qualification attempt on the first day of qualifications for Indianapolis 500 IndyCar auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Saturday, May 17, 2014. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings) (The Associated Press)

CONCORD, N.C. – Kurt Busch's run at driving 1,100 miles over two races in one day won't start from the Indy 500 pole.

Busch narrowly missed a chance to compete for the pole when he posted the 10th-fastest qualifying time Saturday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The top nine spots are eligible for the pole on Sunday.

Ed Carpenter's four-lap average of 230.661 mph was just ahead of Carolos Munoz for the top spot.

Busch made two attempts at Indianapolis to crack the top nine. He briefly posted one of the fastest speeds on his second run and had a grip on contention for a front row spot in the No. 26 Suretone Honda for Andretti Autosport. Not for long. He lost his spot and was on his way to North Carolina to race in NASCAR's All-Star race.