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Kenseth, Hamlin top charts in Preseason Thunder practice
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Joe Gibbs Racing drivers showed early strength in the opening day of NASCAR Preseason Thunder testing Thursday at Daytona International Speedway, sweeping the top three spots as speeds picked up in the afternoon session.
PRESEASON THUNDER
Sprint Cup Series testing
Thursday, Jan. 10
Generation-6 cars pass first test
Penske, Roush walk thin line
Friday, Jan. 11
Video: 'Big One' hits during draft
Johnson shows his smarts
Saturday, Jan. 12
Final day, final impressions
Patrick pleased with Thunder
Denny Hamlin was fastest among the 34 drivers to turn a lap in the second session of the day, clocking a 195.712 mph lap in his No. 11 JGR Toyota. Hamlin is scheduled to miss the next two days of testing at Daytona, instead opting to return to Charlotte to be with his girlfriend, Jordan Fish, who is expecting the couple's first child.
Hamlin's new teammate Matt Kenseth, who logged the fastest lap in the day's first session, was second fastest at 195.385, followed by fellow Gibbs driver Kyle Busch (195.329) in third.
The day concluded the first on-track activity in the new year for the sixth generation of Sprint Cup Series cars, which will make their competition debut next month on the 2.5-mile track.
Danica Patrick, who begins her first full-time season at NASCAR's highest level in 2013, was seventh-fastest at 192.934. Defending Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski ranked 31st-fastest out of 34 cars in both sessions. His Penske Racing Ford was more than 5 mph off Hamlin's pace in the second session.


The second day of the three-day test is scheduled Friday with a three-hour morning stint and a four-hour afternoon session.
NASCAR Preseason Thunder -- Practice 2 results
Thursday, Jan. 10 |
|||||||||
Pos
|
Car
|
Driver | Team | Time
|
Speed
|
Lap #
|
# Laps
|
-Fastest
|
-Next
|
1
|
11
|
Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 45.986
|
195.712
|
28
|
38
|
---.---
|
---.---
|
2
|
20
|
Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 46.063
|
195.385
|
24
|
35
|
-0.077
|
-0.077
|
3
|
18
|
Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 46.076
|
195.329
|
21
|
30
|
-0.090
|
-0.013
|
4
|
55
|
Mark Martin | Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota | 46.139
|
195.063
|
32
|
33
|
-0.153
|
-0.063
|
5
|
31
|
Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet | 46.244
|
194.620
|
22
|
22
|
-0.258
|
-0.105
|
6
|
27
|
Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet | 46.550
|
193.340
|
32
|
32
|
-0.564
|
-0.306
|
7
|
10
|
Danica Patrick | Stewart Haas Racing Chevrolet | 46.648
|
192.934
|
26
|
26
|
-0.662
|
-0.098
|
8
|
9
|
Marcos Ambrose | Richard Petty Motorsports Ford | 46.746
|
192.530
|
21
|
24
|
-0.760
|
-0.098
|
9
|
15
|
Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota | 46.750
|
192.513
|
23
|
23
|
-0.764
|
-0.004
|
10
|
43
|
Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports Ford | 46.756
|
192.489
|
25
|
25
|
-0.770
|
-0.006
|
11
|
24
|
Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | 46.777
|
192.402
|
17
|
17
|
-0.791
|
-0.021
|
12
|
42
|
Juan Pablo Montoya | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet | 46.832
|
192.176
|
20
|
23
|
-0.846
|
-0.055
|
13
|
21
|
Trevor Bayne | Wood Bros Racing Ford | 46.843
|
192.131
|
24
|
24
|
-0.857
|
-0.011
|
14
|
29
|
Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet | 46.870
|
192.020
|
22
|
22
|
-0.884
|
-0.027
|
15
|
1
|
Jamie McMurray | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet | 46.876
|
191.996
|
24
|
30
|
-0.890
|
-0.006
|
16
|
16
|
Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing Ford | 46.886
|
191.955
|
23
|
24
|
-0.900
|
-0.010
|
17
|
33
|
Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet | 46.896
|
191.914
|
22
|
24
|
-0.910
|
-0.010
|
18
|
51
|
Regan Smith | Phoenix Racing Chevrolet | 46.925
|
191.795
|
23
|
26
|
-0.939
|
-0.029
|
19
|
56
|
Martin Truex | Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota | 46.958
|
191.661
|
26
|
35
|
-0.972
|
-0.033
|
20
|
5
|
Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | 46.958
|
191.661
|
17
|
23
|
-0.972
|
-0.000
|
21
|
39
|
Ryan Newman | Stewart Haas Racing Chevrolet | 46.968
|
191.620
|
14
|
14
|
-0.982
|
-0.010
|
22
|
48
|
Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | 47.000
|
191.489
|
17
|
32
|
-1.014
|
-0.032
|
23
|
14
|
Tony Stewart | Stewart Haas Racing Chevrolet | 47.015
|
191.428
|
17
|
23
|
-1.029
|
-0.015
|
24
|
88
|
Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | 47.021
|
191.404
|
30
|
31
|
-1.035
|
-0.006
|
25
|
78
|
Kurt Busch | Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet | 47.120
|
191.002
|
19
|
31
|
-1.134
|
-0.099
|
26
|
22
|
Joey Logano | Penske Racing Ford | 47.171
|
190.795
|
3
|
23
|
-1.185
|
-0.051
|
27
|
38
|
Josh Wise | Front Row Motorsports Ford | 47.221
|
190.593
|
8
|
23
|
-1.235
|
-0.050
|
28
|
99
|
Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing Ford | 47.233
|
190.545
|
21
|
21
|
-1.247
|
-0.012
|
29
|
17
|
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing Ford | 47.241
|
190.512
|
15
|
27
|
-1.255
|
-0.008
|
30
|
13
|
Casey Mears | Germain Racing Ford | 47.280
|
190.355
|
14
|
35
|
-1.294
|
-0.039
|
31
|
2
|
Brad Keselowski | Penske Racing Ford | 47.329
|
190.158
|
27
|
27
|
-1.343
|
-0.049
|
32
|
36
|
Dave Blaney | Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet | 47.396
|
189.889
|
33
|
33
|
-1.410
|
-0.067
|
33
|
95
|
Scott Speed | Leavine Family Racing Ford | 47.609
|
189.040
|
18
|
22
|
-1.623
|
-0.213
|
34
|
47
|
Bobby Labonte | JTG Racing Toyota | 47.713
|
188.628
|
16
|
16
|
-1.727
|
-0.104
|
|
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