Larson, Hamlin lead Friday Sprint Unlimited practice
The 2016 NASCAR season officially kicked off today with two practice sessions for tomorrow's Sprint Unlimited exhibition race.
Photo by: Action Sports Photography
Kyle Larson led first practice with a speed of 199.344mph — the top single-lap run for both of the Sprint Unlimited practice sessions at Daytona International Speedway on Friday.
The best 10 consecutive lap average run in the first session went to Kasey Kahne (196.737 mph) followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. (196.647 mph), Carl Edwards (196.524 mph), Matt Kenseth (196.481 mph) and Brian Vickers (196.481), who returned to racing after an 11-month absence. Vickers is subbing for the injured Tony Stewart.
“It’s definitely nice to be back in the Target Chevy and see the number on top of the speed chart,” Larson said. “It felt pretty stable which is nice, but I’d like to see a little more speed in it…if we could gain a little bit each time, that would be great.”
Kahne (199.159mph), Denny Hamlin (199.067 mph), Paul Menard (199.979 mph) and Edwards (198.715 mph) posted top five speeds in the initial single-car runs. Kyle Busch, Vickers, Earnhardt, AJ Allmendinger and Danica Patrick rounded out the top 10.
Joey Logano completed 30 laps in the first session — the most among the 25 competitors.
Second practice
Denny Hamlin, winner of the 2014 Sprint Unlimited, posted a fast lap of 198.930 mph in the second session. Hamlin ran a total of just six laps. Clint Bowyer, who made his debut in the No. 15 HScott Motorsport Chevy on Friday, was second fast with a lap of 195.253 mph. Aric Almirola (194.885 mph), Vickers (194.805 mph) and Kevin Harvick (194.763 mph) were the fast-five in the night session.
Kurt Busch, Patrick, Menard, Austin Dillon and Brad Keselowski ran sixth through 10th in the second practice session.
Only 21 drivers participated in the second session — with six qualifying for the Best 10 Consecutive Lap Averages. Harvick, whose 23 laps were the most posted in the night practice, averaged 193.828 mph, followed by Vickers (193.742 mph), Patrick (193.715 mph), Bowyer (193.592 mph) and Menard (193.474 mph).
Be part of Motorsport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Harvick reflects on career after Atlanta win, honors Dale Earnhardt
Chase Elliott: "We have a lot of work to do" after Atlanta showing
Harvick leads veteran charge at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Truex claims Hamlin "used me up," and questions final restart
Hamlin wins wild Bristol Cup race dominated by tire wear
Denny Hamlin beats Ty Gibbs to Phoenix Cup pole in all-JGR front row
Porsche lodges appeal over da Costa's Misano Formula E disqualification
Ricky Taylor looking for redemption at Long Beach
How Senna’s early Pacific GP exit raised his Benetton suspicions
What could have been: When Villeneuve’s shock return thwarted an F1 rookie
The ex-F1 driver taking on NASCAR with a new team
The early benefits and challenges of NASCAR's Next Gen car
How Penske's rookie sensation opened NASCAR's new era in style
Six key themes to follow in the 2022 NASCAR Cup season
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments