Practice 2 | Full Practice 2 results
Denny Hamlin propelled his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota around Daytona International Speedway at 199.658 mph to top a particularly competitive practice session on Friday afternoon.
Hamlin led a pack of Toyotas that dominated the 55-minute session: His JGR teammate Kyle Busch — who won Can-AmDuel No. 2 on Thursday night — was second-fastest, wheeling his No. 18 entry at 198.640 mph.
Martin Truex Jr., whose Furniture Row Racing team switched from Chevrolet to Toyota this year — laid down the third-fastest speed, his No. 78 clocking in at 198.640 mph. Truex was one of the four drivers — among AJ Allmendinger, Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson — who wheeled out backup cars for today’s practice session after incurring heavy damage in a multi-car wreck during Duel No. 2 Thursday night.
WATCH: Wreck from Can-Am DUel No. 2
Kurt Busch also received damage in Thursday’s melee, but his No. 41 team elected to repair the primary car. Due to extra preparations, Busch did not turn a lap during practice Friday.
RELATED: JGR crew lends helping hand to SHR
JGR teammates Carl Edwards (198.610 mph) and Kenseth (198.566 mph) rounded out the top five.
Wood Brothers Racing‘s Ryan Blaney was the fastest among the Open teams, ranking sixth on the leaderboard with a top speed of 196.498 mph.
Duel No. 1 winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. came up 11th on the leaderboard in the final practice session, his No. 88 Chevrolet dubbed “Amelia” recording a fast lap of 194.670 mph.
Pole-sitter Chase Elliott turned the 14th-fastest lap in Friday’s final practice, posting a top speed of 194.175 mph in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
The Sprint Cup Series is back on track Saturday at 12:15 p.m. ET for final practice.
Practice 1 | Full Practice 1 results
Debuting a backup car in Friday’s first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice at Daytona International Speedway, Jimmie Johnson climbed to the top of the leaderboard early, posting a fast lap of 194.083 mph. Johnson’s primary chassis was heavily damaged in a last-lap wreck in Thursday night’s second Can-Am Duel race, forcing crew chief Chad Knaus and the No. 48 team to prep the backup Chevrolet for today’s practice session.
Matt Kenseth, Martin Truex Jr. and AJ Allmendinger also incurred heavy damage in last night’s wreck and were forced to backup cars, but neither team made a run during this afternoon’s practice.
Sprint Unlimited winner Denny Hamlin was second-fastest, his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota rounding the “World Center of Racing” at 193.861 mph.
Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate — and Sunday’s Daytona 500 pole-sitter — Chase Elliott was next on the speed charts, his No. 24 Chevrolet clocking in at 193.216 mph. Roush Fenway Racing‘s Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was fourth fastest, wheeling his No. 17 Ford at 192.653 mph, while Hendrick Motorsports‘ Kasey Kahne rounded out the top five with a fast lap of 192.505 mph in his No. 5 Chevrolet.
Newcomer Robert Richardson Jr. — who raced his way into the Daytona 500 during Duel 2 — was 11th on the leaderboard, whirling around the 2.5-mile track at 188.933 mph.
Only 13 drivers made their way onto the track for opening practice.