Practice 2
Brad Keselowski made it a Team Penske sweep on Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway by leading final practice in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Keselowski circled the 1.5-mile track at a session-best 180.826 mph in the No. 2 Ford. Ryan Blaney, who led the first practice, finished in 14th place in final practice in the No. 12 Ford.
Martin Truex Jr. finished second to Keselowski with a speed of 180.656 mph in the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota. Joey Logano, in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford, Kurt Busch, in the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, and Aric Almirola, in the No. 10 SHR Ford, rounded out the top five.
RELATED: Practice 2 results | 10-lap averages | Full Chicago schedule
Hendrick Motorsports teammates Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott and Jimmie Johnson, who were fast in opening practice, finished 21st, 23rd and 30th, respectively, in final practice. Series points leader Kyle Busch was eighth in final practice in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota. Kevin Harvick, the leader in wins with five this season, was sixth in the No. 4 SHR Ford. Kyle Larson, who finished 16th in the session, made slight contact with the wall late in practice.
Focus in the Monster Energy Series now turns to Busch Pole Qualifying, set for 7:05 p.m. ET with coverage on NBCSN and the NBC Sports App. Be sure to set your pole-winning pick for NASCAR Fantasy Live in order to have a chance at earning five bonus points toward your score.
Practice 1
Ryan Blaney jumped to the top of the leaderboard in the final minute of practice on Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway. Blaney posted a speed of 178.992 mph in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford to best Jimmie Johnson, who had held the top spot for the first 49 minutes of the opening session in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammates Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott finished tied for third with identical speeds of 178.749 mph. Daniel Suarez, in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, rounded out the top five on a steamy morning in Illinois.
RELATED: Practice 1 results | 10-lap averages
Defending race winner Martin Truex was 19th in the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota. Series points leader Kyle Busch was just ahead of Truex in 18th place in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
Landon Cassill, in the No. 00 StarCom Racing Chevrolet, and BJ McLeod, in the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet, served 15-minute penalties at the end of practice for being late to pre-race inspection.