Kasey Kahne tops final Sprint Cup practice

Greg Biffle, driver of the No. 16 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing, was second at 126.162 mph. Carl Edwards, in the No. 19 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, was third at 126.027 mph, and Jamie McMurray (125.851 mph) and Denny Hamlin (125.839 mph) rounded out the top five.

Hamlin, who didn't finish last week's Sprint Cup race at Bristol because of a neck injury, finished first in NASCAR XFINITY Series practice earlier Friday. Barring any setbacks, Hamlin appears to be on pace to compete in Saturday night's race.

Chase Elliott was 21st in the opening practice session and 27th in final practice as he looks to qualify for his second career Sprint Cup Series start. The defending NASCAR XFINITY Series champion is trying to pull double duty this weekend and will need to qualify among the top 36 drivers in qualifying on Friday to make the 43-car field for Saturday's main event.

There will be more Sprint Cup activity at Richmond today. Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying will take place at 5:45 p.m. ET with TV coverage on FOX Sports 1.

PRACTICE 1: Full results

Brad Keselowski topped the opening 85-minute practice session on Friday at Richmond International Raceway.

Keselowski's speed of 126.086 mph paced the practice session.

Keselowski ran well at Richmond last year, finishing fourth in the Toyota Owners 400 and dominating his way to a win in the Federated Auto Parts 400 by leading 383 of 400 laps.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. came in second for the session (125.593 mph), followed by Kevin Harvick (125.517 mph), Jimmie Johnson (125.203 mph) and Clint Bowyer (125.174 mph). All four drivers have won at Richmond before.

Defending race winner Joey Logano came in ninth in the session with a fast lap of 124.827 mph.

Kasey Kahne had to serve a 15-minute penalty at the start of opening practice for failing qualifying inspection three times last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. That is in line with a memo outlining specific penalties that was sent to Sprint Cup teams this week. Kahne finished the session in 27th.

Danica Patrick, who is looking for her third top-10 finish at a short track this season, struggled in the opening practice to a 41st-place finish as she battled a tight condition in the center of the turn.

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