“To be on the pole three weeks, what it does — there are so many benefits behind the scenes,’’ Busch said. “Picking your pit selection first, having track position right away in the race.

“You could have a slow pit crew, and you have that first pit box, that’s going to help you get out in front of guys throughout the day.’’

Busch won his third consecutive pole in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series, finishing first in qualifying yesterday at Michigan International Speedway with a lap of 188.699 miles per hour.

He’s the first driver to win three straight poles since Brian Vickers in 2009, and two qualifying sessions were canceled during that streak. The last person to win three poles in three races was Ryan Newman in 2007.

Busch is sixth in the points standings and has finished in the top 10 for three straight races, including a second-place showing last weekend at Pocono Raceway. He has not won in 2011, but he has enjoyed better results after taking his Penske Racing team to task earlier this season.

“I’m thankful that everybody was able to pull together and understand that we should just try something different,’’ he said. “It’s great to be able to see the results pop up so soon. I had no idea that we were right around the corner.’’

Busch was forced to a backup car last weekend after damaging his No. 22 Dodge in practice. There has been less drama this time around as he prepares for today’s 400-mile race.

“This was a conventional weekend, so to speak,’’ he said.

David Reutimann (188.684 m.p.h.) was second in qualifying, and Matt Kenseth (188.620) was third.

Vickers, who was fourth, was the leader at one point but Kenseth, Busch, and Reutimann all posted faster laps toward the end.

“Right there at the end, a big cloud came over and it cooled down quite a bit,’’ Vickers said. “I’m sure it helped those guys and they ran pretty good, too.’’

Busch’s impressive run of poles brought one obvious question: Would he like drivers to receive points for finishing first in qualifying?

“I’m in no position to speak of that,’’ he said. “I think I’ve been lucky these last three weeks.

“It would be nice to see 1 point for a pole. If I’m the guy sitting on the pole the last three weeks, I’d have 3 more points. Would that change me in points? No, it wouldn’t.

“But it would be nice if you had those banked up toward the end of the season.’’