Brad Keselowski recorded the fastest lap in Saturday’s final Monster Energy Series practice at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course – before he crashed his primary car just before the practice session ended.
Keselowski pushed his No. 2 Team Penske Ford to 105.596 mph in a lap around the 17-turn, 2.28-mile track before he brought out the red flag with about 10 minutes remaining in the 50-minute practice session when he hopped over a “turtle” bumper coming into Turn 17 and crashed into the wall. He will go to a backup car for Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 (2 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
RELATED: Final practice results
William Byron was second-fastest in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet after moving his car around the track at 105.072 mph. Kyle Larson (104.995 mph), Paul Menard (104.982 mph) and Martin Truex Jr. (104.876 mph) rounded out the top five.
The practice was devoid of the kind of crushing wrecks that came in the earlier practice as drivers were helped by NASCAR moving the angle of the tire barrier wall on the backstretch chicane. The wall was angled back to give cars more room — about four feet — to maneuver through the turns.
That was the wall that both Bubba Wallace and Erik Jones plowed into during the earlier practice, forcing both to backup cars for Sunday’s race.
According to the No. 41 team, Kurt Busch’s Stewart-Haas Racing Ford lost power in the first practice of the day because of an electrical issue. It was back on track for final practice after repairs, but nothing was done that will force Busch to surrender the pole or start in the rear.
Two cars served practice holds in the final 15 minutes: the No. 00 of Landon Cassill and the No. 51 of Stanton Barrett (both late to pre-race inspection). Additionally, the first 10 minutes of the final practice were designated as restart practice.
RELATED: Early practice results
Jimmie Johnson topped the leaderboard in Saturday morning’s early Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s road course, maneuvering the 17-turn, 2.28-mile track at 105.175 mph in the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
Daniel Hemric was second-fastest in the No. 8 Chevrolet at 104.962 mph. Martin Truex Jr. (104.878 mph), Brad Keselowski (104.870 mph) and Kyle Busch (104.753) rounded out the top five.
The second Monster Energy Series practice session of the weekend once again contained plenty of action as drivers sought to master the new road course. Notable incidents involved wrecks for Bubba Wallace and Erik Jones, and a mechanical issue for pole-sitter Kurt Busch.
About seven minutes into the 55-minute session, Wallace crumpled the front of his No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet when he slammed hard into the tire barrier on the backstretch chicane after getting loose. Wallace was able to walk from the car, but will go to a backup car for Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 (2 p.m. ET, NBC / NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
With about six minutes before the end of the session, Jones hit the same tire barrier on the backstretch chicane, wrecking the front of No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. The crew began rolling out the backup car as the No. 20 was towed from the track while practice ended.
Kurt Busch had a mechanical issue that slowed his car and necessitated him stopping his No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford between Turns 3 and 4. He needed the assistance of a tow truck to push the car back to the garage for repairs.