JRM driver edges points leader Ty Dillon on speed chart
Play: NASCAR Fantasy Live | Results: Practice 1 | Practice 2
Regan Smith locked up the top spot on the leaderboard in final NASCAR XFINITY Series practice Friday at Phoenix International Raceway.
Smith, last year's runner-up in the series, piloted the JR Motorsports No. 7 Chevrolet to a fast lap of 133.680 mph on the 1-mile track just outside the Arizona capital. He edged the Richard Childress Racing No. 3 Chevrolet of Ty Dillon, the series points leader who clocked a 133.650 mph lap -- just six thousandths of a second slower than Smith's.
Smith said his team usually doesn't make mock qualifying runs, but did so Friday in hopes of landing a better pit selection and track position in Saturday's Coors Light Pole Qualifying. He said his prime concern was gaining some performance edge on Joey Logano, who wheeled the Team Penske No. 22 Ford to the fastest lap in opening practice and set the best 10-lap average in final practice.
"Pleased with the car; it was good in race trim," Smith said. "We need a little bit compared to the 22 and I think we'll be OK. Looking forward to it."
Chase Elliott, who clinched the 2014 series championship at Phoenix with one race remaining in the season, was third-fastest in the JR Motorsports No. 9, completing a 1-2-3 sweep by Chevrolets at the top of the charts. Rookie Daniel Suarez and Austin Dillon, last week's XFINITY winner, rounded out the top five in final practice for Saturday's Axalta Faster. Tougher. Brighter. 200 (4 p.m. ET, FOX).
Eighth-fastest Erik Jones, subbing for the injured Kyle Busch in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54 Toyota, had an adventurous moment in the early stages of the 85-minute session when smoke emerged from behind his car's dashboard. His crew removed the dash to remedy an electrical problem, and Jones returned to the track without further issues.
Harrison Rhodes' spin off Turn 2 with 21 minutes left brought out the session's only stoppage.
Coors Light Pole Qualifying for the XFINITY Series is scheduled Saturday at 12:45 p.m. ET (FOX Sports 1).
Logano launches to fast lap in opening XFINITY practice
Joey Logano set the early pace in the opening NASCAR XFINITY Series practice Friday at Phoenix International Raceway.
Logano, making his second XFINITY start of the year driving the Team Penske No. 22 Ford, posted a fast lap of 131.685 mph in the opening 55-minute session. It matched his early Friday performance in the Sprint Cup Series, where he also topped the first practice leaderboard.
"It's been a few years since I've driven an XFINITY car here, so it took a second to get used to driving one of these things again," said Logano, this year's Daytona 500 winner. "These guys brought a fast piece, so just trying to tune it in a little here and a little there to make sure we're good for the race. Obviously, we've got some speed; we just got to make sure we race well."
Kevin Harvick, behind the wheel of the JR Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet, was second-fastest at 131.444 mph on the one-mile track. Regan Smith, Harvick's JRM teammate in the No. 7 Chevy, was third-fastest at 131.339 mph with Matt Kenseth and Brian Scott completing the top five.
Erik Jones registered the sixth-fastest lap as a substitute for the injured Kyle Busch, who suffered multiple lower-leg fractures in the XFINITY Series opener at Daytona International Speedway.
Austin Dillon, last week's winner in the XFINITY Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, was seventh-fastest. Defending series champion Chase Elliott secured the eighth-fastest lap with current XFINITY points leader Ty Dillon logging the ninth-best lap in preparation for Saturday's Axalta Faster. Tougher. Brighter. 200 (4 p.m. ET, FOX).
The session was slowed by two stoppages for debris.
MORE:
READ: Latest
|
PLAY: Sign up
|
WATCH: Latest
|
FOLLOW LIVE: Get
|
|---|