RELATED: Full practice results
Wheeling his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet at 193.500 mph, Kevin Harvick surged to the top of the leaderboard during Thurday’s opening Sprint Cup Series practice at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Matt Kenseth‘s late lap of 192.892 mph sent his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing ride to the second spot on the leaderboard. Roush Fenway Racing‘s Greg Biffle also made a late lap, his No. 16 ride clocking a third-best speed of 192.885 mph. Team Penske‘s Joey Logano used a fast lap of 192.458 mph to snag the fourth spot, while Kasey Kahne propelled the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at 192.321 mph to round out the top five.
Having paced the field for the majority of practice, Ryan Blaney settled into eighth by the session’s end, rounding the 1.5-mile North Carolina track at 192.048 mph.
Kyle Busch was the slowest among the 12 Chase Contenders, coming in at 21st-fastest with a top pace of 191.049 mph.