Hamlin, Larson top Sprint Unlimited practices

RELATED: Full field for Sprint Unlimited

PRACTICE 2

Denny Hamlin was lightning fast, his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota topping the speed charts early and staying there in Friday’s final Sprint Unlimited practice at Daytona International Speedway. Hamlin’s top speed of 198.930 mph was more than 3 mph faster than second-place Clint Bowyer, whose No. 15 HScott Motorsports Chevrolet clocked in at 195.253 mph.

Aric Almirola was next on the leaderboard in the final of two sessions, wheeling the iconic No. 43 Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports at 194.885 mph. Brian Vickers — who was announced as the substitute for injured Tony Stewart at Daytona — was fourth-fastest in the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet (194.805 mph), while fellow SHR wheelman Kevin Harvick rounded out the top five with a fast lap of 194.763 mph.

After finishing 11th in the opening practice, last season’s Sprint Unlimited winner Matt Kenseth elected not to hit the track in the final practice. Martin Truex Jr., Casey Mears and Greg Biffle also did not make runs in the second session.

Kyle Larson, who topped practice earlier on Friday, came up 19th in the final session, his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet reaching a top speed of 190.456 mph. Friday’s practices marked Larson’s first on-track action with new crew chief Chad Johnston, who called the shots for Tony Stewart last season.

Several drivers — including Larson, Carl Edwards and AJ Allmendinger — elected to run outside of the pack, bringing down their speeds from the rest of the field.

The Sprint Cup Series is back on track Saturday at 10:30 a.m. ET for practice (FS1).

FULL PRACTICE RESULTS

PRACTICE 1

Kyle Larson wheeled his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet at 199.344 mph around a sunny Daytona International Speedway on Friday, topping the first practice of the Sprint Unlimited and the 2016 season.

Hendrick Motorsports‘ Kasey Kahne was next on the leaderboard, clocking in at 199.159 mph in his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, while Joe Gibbs Racing‘s Denny Hamlin came up third on the charts (199.067 mph). Richard Childress Racing‘s Paul Menard and Joe Gibbs Racing‘s Carl Edwards rounded out the top five with top speeds of 198.979 mph and 198.715 mph, respectively.

Reigning Sprint Cup Series champion Kyle Busch wheeled his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing machine around the track at 198.623 mph to earn the sixth-fastest speed in the 25-car field.

Filling in for the injured Tony Stewart in the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet, Brian Vickers was seventh-fastest in practice, earning a top speed of 198.295 mph.

Jimmie Johnson, who won the pole position during the random drawing earlier in the day, was 23rd-fastest, clocking in at 190.892 mph after staying out of the drafting pack.

Aric Almirola‘s No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford rolled off the grid at 5 p.m. ET, signaling the first car on track of the 2016 season. He ultimately came up 15th on the leaderboard.

Per crew chief Cole Pearn’s instructions not to run in the pack, Martin Truex Jr. was the final driver to make his way onto the track, rolling off the grid with about 10 minutes remaining in the 55-minute session. He finished 22nd in the session (192.020 mph) in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota.

FULL PRACTICE RESULTS