Ragan, Elliott can see the light after final practice (cont'd)

Pole-sitter Brian Vickers backed up his qualifying success with the second-fastest time in the final practice at 181.621 mph (39.643), followed by Ragan, David Stremme (180.451 mph, 39.900), Jimmie Johnson (180.419 mph, 39.907), Jeff Gordon (180.352 mph, 39.922).

After Elliott, rounding out the top 10 were Dale Earnhardt Jr. (180.054 mph, 39.988), Jamie McMurray (179.937 mph, 40.014) and Clint Bowyer (179.816 mph, 40.041).

Kurt Busch was 11th-fastest with a top lap of 179.484 mph (40.115), but he was one in a small group of drivers who battled difficult handling issues. Busch even brushed the wall at one point, cutting his practice session short.

Of course, he wasn't alone. During Saturday's first practice, A.J. Allmendinger flat-sided his No. 44 Dodge; and in Happy Hour, Marcos Ambrose's No. 47 Toyota and Robby Gordon's No. 7 Toyota suffered similar damage.

Busch performed an unusual feat when his Dodge was loose enough to scuff its right-rear quarter against the wall without leaving a tire mark. That was the least of Busch's worries.

"It's definitely an interesting time out on the track right now with it being so hot and slick [but] we feel like we're a top-10 car right now," Busch said. "There are just a few guys that are faster than us right now. I think we're pretty fast.

"Fuel mileage will be critical throughout the 400 miles and double-file restarts will play a big factor late in the race. I think the hot temperatures and slick track will throw everyone's race setup for a loop."

That includes Elliott, who acknowledged as much while also patting his owners and crew members on the back for giving him what he needed to go fast in qualifying and again during Saturday's final practice.

"They just do an awesome job. [Team owners] Len and Eddie [Wood] still believe in me, and we've worked really hard to turn this program around," Elliott said. "Last year they were running out of a couple of sponsors and they decided, 'Hey, we're going to run a limited deal,' and they asked me to drive again this year. I said, 'Well, I don't know if I did you any good last year.'

"But I'll tell you what, it seemed like after Charlotte [and the Coca-Cola 600] this year, we just turned a light on. Everything we've done, we've gone in a good direction."

Elliott admitted, however, that being fast in the final practice doesn't always translate into going fast during the actual race the next day.

"That doesn't mean a thing," he said. "It's all about 400 miles [Sunday]. Cars change, tires change, tracks change. Then you've got to change."