Carl Edwards posted the 11th-fastest lap in Happy Hour despite having no experience at Pocono. Credit: Autostock

Edwards learns quickly in Pocono practices

LONG POND, Pa. -- Carl Edwards rolled into Pocono Raceway wondering how he was going to get around the demanding 2.5-mile track, which he had never seen before.

As it turns out, the trio of turns was a lot easier to get used to than Bristol.

A lot easier.

"This place is fast. To be honest with you, since this place is so big, makes it simpler to break the track down," said Edwards. "It's not as intense as Bristol."

Happy Hour Speeds Pos. Driver Speed Time 1 Ku. Busch 166.620 54.015 2 R. Newman 166.269 54.129 3 B. Vickers 166.254 54.134 4 S. Marlin 166.159 54.165 5 S. Riggs 165.893 54.252 Complete speed chart

Edwards was 20th in the first practice and 11th-best in the second practice. The Nextel Cup teams qualify on Saturday at noon, and Friday's two practices were the only ones of the weekend. Cars will be impounded after Saturday's qualifying session.

Kurt Busch paced the final practice with a lap of 166.620 mph, and Edwards gave his teammate credit for helping deal with Pocono's infamous Tunnel Turn.

The Tunnel Turn at Pocono is a harrowing turn at the end of the mile-long Long Pond Straight, making it easily one of the toughest tests on the Nextel Cup tour.

"This is a little bit nerve-racking. Both Mark Martin and Kurt Busch helped me a lot," said Edwards. "The part that is the most manually taxing is the Tunnel Turn, getting it set up.

"[I've] never been on a straightaway this long."

Edwards was initially going to test at Pocono, but the test was canceled.

Riggs leads first practice at Pocono

POCONO 500 •   1st Practice Speeds •   Complete race coverage

Scott Riggs led the first practice with a lap of 165.850. It was the first on-track test for crew chief Rodney Childers, who was promoted to crew chief this week.

Ryan Newman, who was second best in each practice, turned in the best overall performance on Friday.

The second practice saw Carl Long hit the wall, causing severe right-side damage to his No. 00 Chevrolet.

Deer were spotted in Pocono's cavernous infield, but they didn't cause any delay in practice.