FINAL PRACTICE: RESULTS | Best 10-lap times
Kyle Busch topped the final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice session at Pocono Raceway on Saturday. Busch topped the speed charts with a fast lap of 176.824 mph. The “Tricky Triangle” is one of two Monster Energy Series tracks that the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota driver has yet to win at.
Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Kyle Larson and Jamie McMurray came in second and third in the session. Larson (No. 42 Chevrolet) put up a lap at 175.908 mph, while McMurray (No. 1 Chevrolet, 175.647 mph) came in third in the 50-minute session.
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, 175.415 mph) and Chase Elliott (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, 175.261 mph) rounded out the top five.
Ryan Blaney, the most recent Pocono winner finished the session in sixth, while defending race winner Chris Buescher finished the session in 24th.
For final practice, the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Daniel Suarez and the No. 77 Furniture Row Racing Toyota of Erik Jones served 15-minute practice holds for failing pre-race inspection twice at Indianapolis. The No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota of points leader Martin Truex Jr. served a 30-minute practice hold in final practice for failing pre-race inspection three times at Indianapolis. Despite the limited on-track time, Truex finished seventh in the final practice.
Monster Energy Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying will take place at 11:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN, ahead of Sunday’s race, the Overton’s 400 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
PRACTICE 1: RESULTS | Best 10-lap times
Matt Kenseth led the opening Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice session at Pocono Raceway. Kenseth posted a fast lap of 176.077 mph in his No. 20 JGR Toyota. The 2003 champion won this race in 2015.
Kyle Larson (No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, 175.957 mph) was second in the session followed by Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Erik Jones (No. 77 Furniture Row Racing, 175.415 mph). Kyle Busch (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, 175.360 mph) and defending race winner Chris Buescher (No. 37 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet, 174.774 mph) rounded out the top five.
Ryan Blaney, the most recent winner at the “Tricky Triangle” in June, finished the practice session eighth.
Despite limited practice time, Martin Truex Jr. finished the practice session seventh. Truex Jr.’s No. 78 Furniture Row Racing team was one of several teams that incurred a 15-minute practice hold for this session for being late to pre-race inspection at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last weekend. The teams assessed holds were: The No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford of Clint Bowyer, the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Daniel Suarez, the No. 23 BK Racing Toyota of Corey LaJoie, the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford of Landon Cassill, the No. 72 TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet of Cole Whitt, the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota of Truex Jr. and the No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet of Michael McDowell.