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Larson launches atop final practice at Kentucky Speedway

Staff Report

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RELATED: Final practice results | Best 10-lap times | Full schedule for Kentucky Kyle Larson rocketed to the fastest lap in Friday's final practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Kentucky Speedway. Larson, the series points leader, secured a lap of 188.186 mph in the Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42 Chevrolet on the 1.5-mile track. The 85-minute session was the final prep before Saturday's Quaker State 400 Presented by Advance Auto Parts (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). "I thought in race trim we were pretty good. Then we switched to qualifying trim and we were really fast," said Larson, a two-time Monster Energy Series winner this season. "I was happy with the Target Chevy and hopefully, I guess it doesn’t really matter if qualifying rains out or not because we will be on the pole if it rains out. If we get to qualify, I still think we will qualify well. We will see." Martin Truex Jr. landed the second-fastest lap, guiding the Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Toyota to a speed of 187.188 mph. Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney and two-time Kentucky winner Kyle Busch rounded out the top five. NASCAR competition officials have given Monster Energy Series teams additional practice this weekend to better prepare for racing on the Kentucky venue's new pavement. The layout was reconfigured ahead of last year's NASCAR tripleheader, but a new layer of asphalt was added to improve the surface's durability. Darrell Wallace Jr. clocked the ninth-fastest lap in the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 Ford. Saturday's 400-mile is set to be his fourth start in place of the injured Aric Almirola, sidelined with a broken back after a May 13 crash at Kansas Speedway. Brad Keselowski, a three-time Kentucky winner, was 15th-fastest in the Team Penske No. 2 Ford. A number of penalty holds were enforced in the 85-minute session. The following teams had 15 minutes deducted from their final practice time for failing pre-race inspection twice last weekend at Daytona: The following teams were docked 30 minutes in final practice for various infractions: Coors Light Pole Qualifying is scheduled Friday at 6:15 p.m. ET (NBCSN). McMurray sets early pace in first Kentucky practice RELATED: Practice 1 results Jamie McMurray set the fastest time in Friday's opening practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Kentucky Speedway. McMurray drove the Chip Ganassi Racing No. 1 Chevrolet to a best lap of 186.780 mph on the 1.5-mile track. Martin Truex Jr. posted the second-fastest speed at 186.445 mph in the Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Toyota. Series points leader Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney and two-time Kentucky winner Kyle Busch completed the top five. Brad Keselowski, the defending race winner, was 15th-fastest in the Team Penske No. 2 Ford. Keselowski has won three of the six premier-series races held at the 1.5-mile track. Darrell Wallace Jr., set to make his fourth start in the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 Ford in place of the injured Aric Almirola, was 23rd-fastest. BK Racing's Ryan Sieg, preparing for his fourth Monster Energy Series start, was held out of the first 30 minutes of the session for missing the rookie orientation meeting. His No. 83 Toyota wound up 33rd on the speed chart. [gallery_content baseUrl="https://www.nascar.com" galleryID="1279"]