BROOKLYN, Mich. -- Amongst the usual and expected names at the top of the speed chart following the final Sprint Cup practice of the weekend Saturday at Michigan International Speedway were a couple of surprises.

One was young. The other was, shall we say, a blast from the past.

The young buck looking for a silver lining in what has been to date a highly disappointing season was David Ragan, whose top lap speed of 180.519 mph (39.885 seconds) was third-fastest. The older gentleman was none other than former champion Bill Elliott, who backed up a strong qualifying effort Friday by turning a lap of 180.180 mph (39.960) that proved to be seventh-fastest during Happy Hour.

"Our [No. 6] UPS Ford is fast," Ragan said. "And certainly when we've got speed, we can make a few small adjustments. I think we've got a good top-10 car right now."

He'll need it to get to the front in Sunday's Carfax 400. Unlike Elliott, who was nearly as fast in qualifying as he was during Saturday's final practice, Ragan qualified poorly Friday. He'll be starting Sunday's race on the inside of Row 19, in the 37th starting position.

"Certainly we've got to pass a lot of cars to get to the front, but it's always good to have a car that's got good speed that we can just fine-tune," Ragan said.

Elliott, on the other hand, will be starting on the inside of Row 5 after qualifying ninth in his No. 21 Ford (watch video) that he drives for the Wood Brothers, which is running a part-time program this season.

"I got to hand it to these guys," said Elliott, 53, who claimed the Cup championship in 1988. "They do an awesome job. ... All the guys believe in me. You know, last year I was ready to quit -- and now I'm ready to go on."

Elliott wasn't the only one with a little age on him who was quick during Saturday's practice on the hot, slick, 2-mile oval. Mark Martin, 50, topped the speed chart with a top lap of 181.717 mph (39.622).

• Weekend Speeds: Practice 1 | Practice 2 | Practice 3 (Continued)