Chase Elliott powered to the fastest lap in final Monster Energy Series practice Saturday afternoon at Watkins Glen International.
Elliott pushed the Hendrick Motorsports No. 9 Chevrolet to a best lap of 124.520 mph late in the 75-minute session. That lap bumped Denny Hamlin, a Watkins Glen winner in 2016, out of the top spot by .088 seconds. Hamlin settled for the second-fastest speed — 124.365 mph — in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota.
RELATED: Final practice results | 10-lap averages | Weekend schedule
Aric Almirola posted the third-fastest speed at 123.979 mph in the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 10 Ford. Rookie William Byron and Michael McDowell completed the top five in the final tune-up session before qualifying for Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen (3 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Martin Truex Jr., winner of the last two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series road-course events, registered the 10th-fastest lap in the Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Toyota. Erik Jones, the fastest driver in opening practice, wound up 22nd on the speed chart in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota.
Busch Pole Qualifying to set the provisional starting lineup is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. ET (NBCSN).
Erik Jones, JGR show early speed in first practice
Erik Jones topped the leaderboard in opening Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice Saturday morning at Watkins Glen International, leading a 1-2 sweep by Joe Gibbs Racing.
Jones lapped the 2.45-mile road course with a best speed of 125.165 mph in JGR’s No. 20 Toyota. That lap edged teammate Kyle Busch, a two-time winner of Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen (3 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Busch clocked a 124.255-mph lap in the No. 18 Toyota as Joe Gibbs Racing placed all four of its cars among the top seven in practice.
RELATED: Practice 1 results | Weekend schedule
Joey Logano, the 2015 Watkins Glen winner, checked in with the third-fastest lap (123.654 mph) in the Team Penske No. 22 Ford, just ahead of fourth-fastest Clint Bowyer. Martin Truex Jr., aiming for his third straight road course win, completed the top five on the speed chart in the Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Toyota.
The 75-minute session went without major incident. The most signicant issue was Ryan Newman’s scrape against the guardrail in the esses, leaving his Richard Childress Racing No. 31 Chevrolet smoking on its way back to the garage. Denny Hamlin also slightly brushed the left side of his Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota against the barrier in the final turn.