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Five Cup Series teams snagged by tire issues in Kansas practice; Ty Gibbs tops leaderboard

Staff Report

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Multiple teams suffered tire issues in NASCAR Cup Series practice Saturday afternoon as Ty Gibbs -- one of the drivers affected -- topped the speed chart at Kansas Speedway. Five teams slowed with flat rear tires during the session, which was divided into two groups with 25 minutes of track time each. The practice marked the first on-track time for the Cup Series ahead of Sunday's AdventHealth 400 (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), and Gibbs' No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota led the way with a best lap of 180.144 mph -- the only car to break the 30-second barrier in practice at 29.976 seconds. RELATED: Practice results | Sunday's starting lineup The other four teams that were hampered by flats were: Four teams had trouble with their left-rear tires; only Smith's FRM team had a right-rear tire issue, and his No. 38 was the only car to make contact with the wall because of it. "I was going through (Turns) 3 and 4, and it felt a little soft," said Keselowski, "and thankfully it did give me a warning, so I didn't spin out and crash. But we're just all pushing the cars to the limit. I didn't think we were going to be that close, but we'll work on it and get it better for Sunday." Goodyear officials indicated earlier this week that teams are running a different left-side tire this weekend, changing up the compound to promote wear and more fall-off in lap times. While new to Kansas, the same tire combination was also used at similarly sized tracks like Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Darlington Raceway and Texas Motor Speedway earlier this season. "Everybody is getting as aggressive as they can be with those rear air pressures, trying to get that back end down," Goodyear product manager Rick Heinrich said after practice. "Speeds are up a bit, which is going to increase loads. That bump over the tunnel is also pretty aggressive. In a situation like this, where you start out with air pressure that low, the damage is done immediately, and they're going out on the apron, they're getting up and hitting that bump. When you cross that line on air pressure, the damage is going to happen pretty quick." MORE: At-track photos | Weekend schedule: Kansas Behind Gibbs on the practice leaderboard was Michael McDowell, second-fastest at 179.456 mph in the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet. Alex Bowman, Bubba Wallace and William Byron completed the top five. Kyle Larson, the defending race winner, scrubbed the outside retaining wall through Turns 3 and 4 nearly midway through the second practice group. His No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet sustained a minor right-side scrape, and he drove back to pit road. Larson was ninth on the speed chart but topped the category in 10 consecutive lap averages. He backed up that speed in pole qualifying, taking the No. 1 starting spot.