RELATED: Logano leads opening practice at Martinsville
Practice 3 recap | Practice 3 results
Jimmie Johnson led the final Sprint Cup Series practice at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, topping the leaderboard with a speed of 97.108 mph.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver completed his fastest lap on his fourth go-around of “The Paperclip” track out of 67 laps. Johnson has eight wins at Martinsville, tying with Jeff Gordon for the most victories among active Cup drivers at the Virginia short track.
Kevin Harvick was second to “Six-Time” with a high speed of 96.721 mph in his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet.
Brad Keselowski (96.721 mph), Paul Menard (96.711 mph) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (96.538 mph) rounded out the top-five fastest.
Defending race winner Earnhardt Jr. was fastest in Saturday’s opening session.
Polesitter Joey Logano was seventh-fastest in the closing session at 96.504 mph. Logano was the fastest in Friday’s opening practice. The Team Penske driver is going for his fourth consecutive win, along with a ticket to the Championship 4 Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Kyle Busch was the slowest of the eight-driver Chase field, ranking 26th-fastest (95.854 mph).
Denny Hamlin, Martinsville spring race winner, was ninth-fastest (96.386 mph).
The Sprint Cup Series returns to the track on Sunday for the Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 at 1:15 p.m. ET (NBCSN/Live Extra, MRN, SiriusXM).
Practice 2 recap | Practice 2 results
After qualifying 22nd on Friday, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 picked up some speed for Saturday’s first practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The Hendrick Motorsports driver topped the leaderboard in his Chevrolet SS with a fast lap of 96.998 mph.
Next was the No. 78 Chevrolet of Martin Truex Jr., the fastest during this session among the remaining eight Chase contenders (96.879 mph).
Rounding out the top three was Ryan Newman, who circled the .526-mile track at 96.874 mph in his Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.
Polesitter Joey Logano showed speed again today, snagging the fourth spot with a high speed of 96.755 mph in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford.
The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Denny Hamlin landed in the fifth position after posting a quick speed of 96.731 mph.
Tony Stewart, who finished eighth, left the session with significant damage to his No. 14 after making contact with the wall. Stewart will start the Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 in a backup car. Kasey Kahne, who wrecked in qualifying on Friday, will also start in a backup.