Ryan Blaney led a plethora of Fords atop the leaderboard at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday when he was fastest in the weekend’s first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series after logging a lap at 198.976 mph in his No. 12 Team Penske Ford.
Five more Fords — all driven by NASCAR Playoff drivers preparing for the second race of the Round of 8 — filled out six of the top seven spots. The practice was the first for Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
RELATED: Full practice results
Playoff drivers and Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Kevin Harvick (198.456 mph) and Kurt Busch (198.136 mph) were second and third on the leaderboard, respectively. Non-playoff driver Denny Hamlin drove his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota fourth-fastest at 198.136 mph. SHR’s Aric Almirola rounded out the top five in the No. 10 Ford at 197.904 mph.
Other playoff drivers and their finishes included: Joey Logano, sixth; Clint Bowyer, seventh; Kyle Busch, 11th; Martin Truex Jr., 17th; and Chase Elliott, 18th.
No. 99 Kyle Weatherman served a practice hold at the conclusion of practice for being late to post-qualifying/pre-race inspection in Martinsville.
The Monster Energy Series returns to the track at 7 p.m. ET for Busch Pole Qualifying (NBCSN/NBC Sports App).