Denny Hamlin registered the fastest lap in Saturday’s final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, leading an eventful final tune-up for Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway.
Hamlin pushed the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota to a best speed of 186.987 mph on the 1.5-mile track. The 50-minute session was Saturday’s only on-track time for the Monster Energy Series after an earlier practice was canceled by rain. The session was punctuated by a frantic final 10 minutes with close-quarters racing.
RELATED: Final practice results | 10-lap averages | Full Texas schedule
Defending race winner Kyle Busch logged the second-fastest speed to complete a 1-2 sweep by Joe Gibbs Racing, hustling the No. 18 Toyota to a 186.342 mph lap. Ryan Blaney, Kurt Busch and pole-starter Jimmie Johnson rounded out the top five in the final prep ahead of Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 (3 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Johnson, a seven-time Texas winner, was fastest in the consecutive 10-lap averages category in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet. The seven-time series champ swept all three rounds of Friday’s qualifying to claim the Busch Pole for Sunday’s main event. He was also fastest in Friday’s opening practice.
Erik Jones posted the 11th-fastest lap but had 15 minutes deducted from his practice time after inspection issues Friday for the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota. The team failed pre-qualifying inspection twice, resulting in a time penalty for final practice and the ejection of the team’s car chief.
The practice session was slowed just three minutes in as safety officials checked for leaked fluid on the backstraight.