Chip Ganassi Racing driver edges Kyle Busch in early session
RELATED: Full practice results
Kyle Larson zipped to the top of the leaderboard in opening NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Larson, driving the Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42 Chevrolet, logged a fast lap of 133.708 mph on the 1.058-mile track. The lap came as teams made mock qualifying runs late in the 85-minute session in preparation for Sunday's 5-hour ENERGY 301 (1:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM).
Kyle Busch, last week's winner at Kentucky Speedway, was second-fastest at 133.666 mph in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota. Jamie McMurray, Larson's teammate in the Ganassi No. 1 Chevrolet, clocked the third-best lap at 133.469 mph.
Carl Edwards, a teammate to Busch at JGR, was fourth-fastest, with Brad Keselowski, who swept the Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series races at New Hampshire last July, completing the top five in the Team Penske No. 2 Ford.
Martin Truex Jr. encountered trouble just five minutes into opening practice with a flat left-rear tire that slowed him to a stop on the backstretch. His Furniture Row Racing crew, hoping to avoid any further damage from Truex driving around to the garage, changed the No. 78 Chevrolet's tire on the backstretch apron. With the car repaired, he landed the 11th-best lap at 133.007 mph.
RELATED: Watch the Truex Jr. incident
Defending series champion Kevin Harvick drove the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Chevrolet to the ninth-fastest lap of the 44 cars to participate in the opening session.
Coors Light Pole Qualifying for the Sprint Cup Series is scheduled for 4:45 p.m. ET and is on NBCSN.