Button is making his second NASCAR Cup Series start this weekend on the streets of Chicago.
Once again driving the No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford - with support from Stewart-Haas Racing - he quickly asserted himself as one of the faster drivers on track.
It's a bit more of a level playing field this weekend with everyone experiencing this circuit for the first time. His previous start came in a frantic race at COTA, where an admittedly exhausted Button finished a respectable 18th.
Ahead of the weekend, Button revealed his hope for a "calmer" race at Chicago, and starting closer to the front may help with that.
Button was third-quickest in practice, behind Denny Hamlin and Shane van Gisbergen, who is making his Cup debut on Sunday.
Button was fourth among the five drivers who advanced from Group A into the final round of qualifying. Although he didn't end up challenging for pole, his fast lap was enough for eighth on the grid. That's 16 places higher than where he started at COTA (24th).
Button was 1.136s off the pole-winning time set by Hamlin, but was the second-highest qualifying Ford driver in the field.
Source: Autosport