Petty surprises in final 500 practice; Edwards fastest

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Where did Kyle Petty come from?

The Petty Enterprises driver, who hadn't placed higher than 22nd in any of the previous practice sessions for the Daytona 500, rocketed toward the top of the speed chart Saturday, posting the third-quickest time in Sprint Cup Happy Hour at Daytona International Speedway.

Petty posted a top speed of 190.634 mph, .099 slower than practice leader Carl Edwards. It was gleam of light for the No. 45 crew after a tough Speedweeks that saw Petty post the fifth-slowest of the 53 pole qualifying attempts made last weekend, and place 26th of 27 cars in the first of Thursday's twin qualifying races.

"Our car is a lot better than it was all week long," Petty said. "Our guys worked really, really, hard. The Evernham engines are a lot better than what we had here in the 150s. We struggled there. It's an indicator that our guys are still pumped up even after a bad week, so this is a great way to end it. But is this an indicator of how you are going to do in the race? Not by any stretch of the imagination."

Don't tell that to Edwards, who thrived in Saturday's warm conditions.

"We're going to be great if it's nice and slick," said Edwards, who will start 11th Sunday, the highest of any Ford driver. "If tires are an issue, I think that's going to play into our hands. I think [crew chief] Bob [Osborne] and the guys have done a good job of getting the car to handle really well."

John Andretti, who raced his way into the 500 in Thursday's qualifying events, was second-fastest. Pole winner Jimmie Johnson was 31st-fastest in the session, while Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. was 37th.