Posted on by Staff Report

Hailie Deegan had one unconquered goal on her ambitious 2018 checklist. On Saturday night in Idaho, she got it. And made history in the process.

Deegan won the K&N Pro Series West race Sept. 29 at Meridian Speedway, becoming the first girl to ever win in the K&N Pro Series. She took the lead from Bill McAnally Racing teammate Cole Rouse on the white-flag lap in the NAPA Auto Parts/Idaho 208.

Hailie Deegan celebrates her win
Loren Orr/NASCAR via Getty Images

The 17-year-old NASCAR Next driver tweeted earlier this week her checklist of goals for 2019, with all but the final one checked off. They were, in order: Earn a top-10 finish; qualify in the top five; finish in the top five; qualify in the top three; finish in the top three; lead a race; win a pole; WIN A RACE, with the all caps emphasis Deegan’s own.

PHOTOS: Images from Deegan’s historic victory

“Oh my god,” Deegan said in Victory Lane. “This has to be the best day of my life right here. It doesn’t get any better than this. People don’t understand how many days, how many hours I’ve put into this. How much work I’ve done to get to this moment. It’s just amazing … this is the happiest day of my life. We did it.”

Deegan did it by initiating contact on Rouse, something she had contemplated the night before.

“I was in bed last night thinking, ‘If it comes down, last lap, I’m in second, I’m a car length off of him, what am I going to do?'” Deegan said. “And I found that Turn 1 spot. I knew what exactly I had to do there. I was doing it to some other people just getting right under them to get them a little light to get them, not wrecking loose, nothing crazy, but enough to just get a little under them and make the pass happen. We did that. I knew exactly what I had to do the last lap. I did it, we executed, and we made it happen.”

WATCH: Inside Victory Lane with Deegan and her team

A dejected Rouse after the race said he won’t cut Deegan any slack over the final two races. Rouse finished second to Deegan, with Derek Kraus, Derek Thorn and Ryan Partridge completing the top five.

Deegan’s pole award came in the series’ previous race, at the dirt track in Las Vegas two weeks before her breakthrough at Meridian’s quarter-mile oval. Her previous best finish was second, accomplished twice, including last week.

Through 12 (of 14) K&N Pro Series West races, Deegan has five top-five finishes and 10 top 10s, along with her one win. The series returns to the track Oct. 13 in Roseville, California.

Posted on by RJ Kraft

Kurt Busch is set to start from the pole position for Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 (2 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).  There were three eventful practice sessions this weekend, giving players plenty to digest. We’ve dissected the numbers to offer a suggested lineup worthy of your Fantasy Live consideration as you make roster decisions.

PLAY NOW: Set your lineup | How the playoff game works

Remember that the garage locks at the end of Stage 2. Also, your garage play can only be swapped for a driver of similar classification. (A playoff garage driver can only be swapped for a playoff driver in your lineup; a non-playoff garage driver can only be swapped for a non-playoff driver in your lineup.)

Cars that will move to the rear: Denny Hamlin (backup car), Bubba Wallace (backup car), Erik Jones (backup car) and Brad Keselowski (backup car).

RJ Kraft’s revised Fantasy Live lineup following the lineup being set:
Playoff driver 1: Chase Elliott
Playoff driver 2: Jimmie Johnson
Non-playoff driver 1: AJ Allmendinger
Non-playoff driver 2: Chris Buescher
Garage: Martin Truex Jr.

MORE: Fantasy analysis for Charlotte | Driver stats | 10-lap averages | Lineup 

Analysis: The Fantasy Live Playoff Game is in Week 3 and it’s an elimination race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs! This is the first race that the Charlotte road course will be used in the sport’s top series, so the only data we have to go on are practice times and qualifying — no past history from other races. You can glean a little insight into a driver’s road course history, but I would focus on the here and now of how they looked on this 2.28-mile, 17-turn layout.

I am making a strategic move to go with playoff drivers in my active lineup that will likely be chasing stage points as they look to advance to the Round of 12. Chase Elliott — the most recent road course winner — has had speed all weekend, qualified fourth and at only +10 in the standings he will likely go after stage points just as he did at Sonoma in June. He has scored the most points on road courses this season among the playoff drivers. Jimmie Johnson is just on the outside looking in at -6 to the cutline. He doesn’t have to a win, but a good, strong run should do the trick — especially if someone in front of him in the playoff picture finds trouble. He led second practice, topped the 10-lap board in final practice and a solid qualifying position (sixth) has him in position for stage points. If you look elsewhere but want a similar type of play, Clint Bowyer would be a solid choice.

On the non-playoff side, I am taking the JTG Daugherty Racing teammates — AJ Allmendinger and Chris Buescher. Allmendinger qualified second and with the news that he is out of ride for 2019 he should be going for broke in this race. He’s had speed and I expect him to be in the mix all day. He is a strong road racer and already a popular Fantasy Live play as he is owned by more than half the players. Buescher is an underrated road racer, himself, and is tied for the second-most points earned on road courses among non-playoff drivers. Other drivers I considered were Michael McDowell and Daniel Hemric as both have shown some good speed this weekend.

In the garage, I am taking Martin Truex Jr. I think this layout sets up perfectly for the reigning champion who has finished in the top two in the past three road races — winning two of them — and has been strong on the oval layout at Charlotte. He was top five on the speed chart in both of Saturday’s practices so the speed is there. Not quite sure if Cole Pearn and the No. 78 team will strategize similarly to how they handled Sonoma, punting the stages and aiming for the best position to win the race, which is why I will put him in the garage. Truex is already locked into the Round of 12 so he can afford to just go after the race win and nothing else if necessary.

For my stage and race picks, I might be better off just throwing a dart at some names and getting it right that way. Strategy will likely be a factor on these, so this feels like more of a guess than usual. I am taking Elliott to win Stage 1, Bowyer to win Stage 2 and Truex to win the race.

 

Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

The twists and turns of the new 2.28-mile, 17-turn Charlotte Motor Speedway road course and oval combination will be a sight to see for fans, but a race full of unknowns for drivers and teams.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will line ’em up for the first time on the brand-new circuit for the Bank of America Roval 400 (2 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the Round of 16 finale of the Playoffs. It’s the perfect storm of pressure to move further in the postseason, mixed with the anxiety of tackling what’s sure to be a riveting event.

Though there’s one driver who won’t be sweating it, more so than all the rest.

That’s Kyle Busch.

RELATED: Starting lineup | Full schedule for Charlotte

Sure, like Busch, Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr. really don’t have much to worry about since they’re locked into the Round of 12. Add Kevin Harvick to that list once he merely starts the race and you have four competitors out to win the inaugural event or potentially crash out trying without cause for concern.

But Busch came out of the gate swinging, rocketing to the top of the speed charts during Friday’s opening practice session, hustling the No. 18 Toyota around the course for the fastest lap at 106.397 mph.

In Saturday’s early practice, Busch posted the fifth-fastest time at 104.753 mph, and his lap in the final session landed him 11th on the board at 104.382 mph.

Busch also posted the fastest lap times in both the morning and afternoon sessions during testing back in July. Witnessing July’s test sessions firsthand with the full collection of drivers, Busch’s art of attacking the road course was visually apparent.

A bit of work lies ahead for Busch to get to the front in Sunday’s race after a 14th-place qualifying effort, a tougher task than usual as finding the best places to pass will pose the biggest challenge with all 40 cars on the course at once for the first time. As long as he can stay out of trouble, the speed Busch has shown throughout the weekend should help that cause.

MORE: Take a lap around the Charlotte road course

Coming off his seventh win of the 2018 season at Richmond, Busch has a wave of momentum on his side. He’s also shown road-course prowess at Sonoma and Watkins Glen throughout his career, with two wins apiece at each track and average finishes of 16.2 and 9.4, respectively.

Gaining as many stage points and playoff points is always a top priority, and Busch isn’t in dire straits to collect them with the cushion he built during the regular season.

With all that in mind, Busch can go all out for the win without much consequence. And when “Rowdy” has a fast car and nothing to lose, it’s always scary for the competition.

Posted on by Staff Report

CONCORD, N.C. — Three burning questions facing the field (and our writers) heading into Sunday’s inaugural Bank of America Roval 400 (2 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) on Charlotte Motor Speedway’s combination road course and oval:

MORE: Starting lineup | Race-day rundown

1. Which driver above the cutoff line should be the most worried?

Allie Davison: Alex Bowman has two top-15 finishes on road courses in 2018, but the Roval seems to demand a different kind of taming. He is only one point ahead of Ryan Blaney, who currently holds the final transfer position. The No. 88 will fire off third on Sunday, but being up front could be where danger lies for mistakes or getting caught in messy wrecks or traffic.

Jessica Ruffin: Austin Dillon hit the wall of the backstretch chicane in opening practice and while his crew was able to repair the No. 3, there’s still damage. He’s also never finished better than 16th at a road course and is rolling off the grid mid-pack — a scary place to be — in 24th. Dillon may have won at Charlotte Motor Speedway before, but this Roval is a whole different game that he may have trouble playing.

Zack Albert: Realize he’s 23 points to the good and in a relatively comfortable spot entering Sunday’s event, but Aric Almirola’s weekend performance thus far means he might be cutting it close. He didn’t crack the top 20 in any of the three practices and his No. 10 Ford sustained damage in a Saturday crash in Turn 3.

RELATED: Playoff standings | Roval rules updated 

2. What have we learned about the track?

Allie Davison: If you miss your line, the chance of you spinning out or wrecking are seemingly much, much higher than normal. Saturday’s Xfinity Series race was the first time we’ve seen cars attempt passing or go two-wide racing … and it’s even crazier than originally thought.

Jessica Ruffin: Expect some new faces near the front; road courses typically have their ringers, but this track is even more of a wild card. ‘Big 3’ driver Martin Truex Jr. has been strong, but we’ve also seen speed from drivers like outside pole-sitter AJ Allmendinger, Michael McDowell and even Daniel Hemric in the No. 8, making his second-career Monster Energy Series start.

Zack Albert: This might be more of a confirmed hunch than a learning, but the course is exacting. We knew that the scarcity of run-off room would likely mean damage in the case of a misstep, but the curbing (including the feared “turtles”) have been especially bruising.

MORE: Drivers, beware of ‘turtles’

3. Will we see a surprise winner?

Allie Davison: Daniel Hemric has logged plenty of laps around the Charlotte road course. The double-duty job may just be the ticket to cap off a weekend that he’ll forever remember, as it was announced Friday that he would race in the Monster Energy Series full-time in 2019 with Richard Childress Racing. He placed 10th in the Saturday NXS event.

Jessica Ruffin: Hendrick Motorsports has shown speed this weekend, particularly Jimmie Johnson; the No. 48 Chevrolet topped the 10-lap leaderboard in final practice, led second practice and qualified sixth. Johnson needs a strong run to advance to the Round of 12 and with his veteran driving experience, the tricky Charlotte road course seems like the place where he could do more than that by finally snapping that 51-race winless streak.

Zack Albert: Let’s give a nod to AJ Allmendinger, the front-row starter finishing out his term this season in the No. 47 Chevrolet. His road-racing pedigree has always shown up on non-oval tracks and would make for a fond farewell to JTG Daugherty Racing.

MORE: Allmendinger offers frank take on ’19 plans

Posted on by Zack Albert

CONCORD, N.C. — Justin Allgaier’s postseason aspirations were riding high two weeks ago as the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular-season champ with a solid accumulation of playoff points bolstering his hopes.

Two events into the seven-race playoffs, Allgaier sits in limbo after crashes in consecutive events. The latest snare struck midway through Saturday’s Race for the Cure 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s newfangled oval-road course, but both snags have a common thread: costly contact with the Team Penske No. 22 Ford of Austin Cindric.

“I think this playoff format has kind of disconnected some people’s brains and they drive a little bit over their head,” said Allgaier, who wound up 15th to Cindric’s third place in Saturday’s race. “It’s a shame, too, because it took us out of a good day. That’s really disappointing.”

RELATED: Full Charlotte results | Xfinity Series Playoffs standings

Allgaier was leaving pit road on Lap 27, his JR Motorsports No. 7 Chevrolet blending back onto the course in formation behind Matt Tifft’s No. 2 Chevy on the short chute leading to Turn 3. He returned to the circuit alongside Cindric, who was closing on the slower No. 35 car of Joey Gase.

Cindric veered up into the right-rear fender of Allgaier’s car, which looped around and was slammed by Ryan Sieg’s No. 39 Chevrolet. Allgaier continued, but sizable damage to the left-rear wheel hampered his chances of contending.

WATCH: Allgaier and Sieg make contact

Cindric accepted blame for the incident, but pointed out that the blend area for the new 2.28-mile circuit’s pit exit could be more clearly defined.

“Justin and I talked on pit road. He wasn’t happy, but it didn’t seem like something he wanted to fight about or anything,” Cindric said. “He just said that was poor racing and we can do better than that. So I said, ‘Yeah, I completely agree.’ Kind of move on. I’m sure that doesn’t help him super-great in points, but I think he was still able to recover and it didn’t really hurt his day too much. Obviously, unfortunate to have that happen in the race, especially when it didn’t really even matter, when we were all pitting off strategy, but obviously you’ve got to minimize those errors.”

Allgaier discounted the blend-line theory, instead blaming his second straight run-in with Cindric on the rookie’s unnecessary haste. The two collided the previous weekend at Richmond Raceway, with Allgaier receiving the brunt of the damage. He was on the short end of their contact Saturday, prompting Allgaier into a civil but animated discussion with a Team Penske crew member in the Xfinity Series garage.

“We had no issues merging out on the race track. That wasn’t the problem,” Allgaier said. “The car that wrecked me was impatient because he was behind a car he felt wasn’t up to speed. Instead of trying to pass that car and losing the spot to us again, he just decided to drive into me and spin me out, so in my mind, it’s pretty cut and dried what happened. Just dumb racing.”

Allgaier recovered enough to return to the top 10 in the final stage, but repeated pit stops for repairs led to the sour-tasting finish. The result knocked the postseason’s top seed down to seventh in the playoff standings, 11 points above the cut-off point with one race remaining in the opening round. The driver who sits on the cut line as the provisional first driver outside the playoff picture? Cindric, who sits nine points behind eighth-ranking Ross Chastain.

The Xfinity Series playoff field will be trimmed from 12 drivers to eight after next Saturday’s race at Dover International Speedway. Allgaier won at the Monster Mile’s most recent Xfinity race in May, but said there was no such thing as a safe place in the current standings.

“You want to go run good — you don’t want to get crashed — and you try to gain as many points as you can,” Allgaier said. “That’s what we tried to do today, figure out how to gain as many points as we can. Dover’s been good for us, it’s always been good for us, but all in all anything can happen and we can miss this first round. You can’t say never.”

Posted on by Staff Report

CONCORD, N.C. — In a sport where drivers consistently want to be quick as hares, a key might be avoiding the “turtles.”

The nickname has been applied to the most prominent blue curbing around the new Charlotte Motor Speedway road course. They’re another new facet to Sunday’s inaugural Bank of America Roval 400 (2 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the final event in the three-race Round of 16 in the Monster Energy Series Playoffs.

The curbs are meant to define the chicanes and other turns on the 2.28-mile circuit, keeping drivers from making shortcuts in the more twisty sections. But they’ve also given drivers a penalty for bounding over them, upsetting and stressing the cars’ damage limits.

PHOTOS: Curb hopping, spinning and more great Roval photos

“It’s definitely not good for the car and I purposely stayed off them all day,” said defending series champion Martin Truex Jr. after final practice, “so there’s a little bit of speed there maybe for the end of the race, but we’re definitely going to try and stay off of them as much possible.”

Truex predicted that drivers would likely adopt a defensive tack to the event, especially early on. A similar approach played out in the early stages of Saturday’s Xfinity Series race with drivers feeling out the race pace before pushing the limits.

Overstepping those bounds was especially costly for Bubba Wallace and Erik Jones in Saturday’s Monster Energy Series practice. Both drivers clouted the tire barrier on the backstretch chicane forming Turns 11-12, causing serious damage. Afterward competition officials altered the angle of the tire-pack wall. The curbs — in particular the “turtles” — remain as potential obstacles.

“Keeping it between the lines is probably the biggest key to survival,” said Mike Wheeler, crew chief for Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota. “We worked on the car a lot with the builds to make sure it can withstand more load than ever. Then again, at the same point, it can still happen at any point.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

CONCORD, N.C. – Chase Briscoe made the most of pit strategy that put him out front during Saturday’s inaugural NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course.

Leading the last 24 of 55 laps in the Drive for the Cure 200 at the challenging 2.28-mile, 17-turn road course — thanks to a pit stop on Lap 26, before the end of Stage 2 — Briscoe held off Justin Marks after the last restart on Lap 45 and took the checkered flag 1.478 seconds ahead of Marks’ No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.

Driving the No. 98 Ford fielded by Biagi DenBeste Racing in collaboration with Stewart-Haas Racing, Briscoe claimed his first victory in the series. Neither Briscoe nor Marks are playoff contenders, given that neither is running a full Xfinity Series season.

RELATED: Full results

“This is unreal,” an elated Briscoe said after the race. “I was four seconds off in practice, and my guys stuck behind me and kept working with me. It’s just an honor and privilege to drive a race car and to do it for my hero, (Stewart-Haas co-owner) Tony Stewart, and get a win.

“I feel like my career was getting really bad this year, and I needed to get my stock back up, and I just can’t believe it. Thanks to all these fans for coming out — what an awesome crowd! I hope you all enjoyed that race. It’s going to be a good one tomorrow (Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event).”

WATCH: Briscoe talks winning for Smoke

Briscoe took particular pride in winning the inaugural race on the Charlotte road course, which combines an infield section with the traditional oval punctuated by two chicanes.

“It’s huge to me,” Briscoe said. “Everybody had to adapt to it and figure it out, and I don’t know that I’m necessarily the best at it, but I felt like I just tried not to hit anything, and this thing hardly has a scratch on it.”

Marks, a road-course specialist who is also running Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 (2 p.m. ET on NBC, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), gave the Charlotte Road Course a favorable review.

“These Roval races are always challenging for these series to put on, given the confines of the oval, but I thought it was great,” Marks said. “If we’re going to reinvigorate this fan base and we’re going to regain some positive momentum on our side, we’ve got to think outside the box and do things like this.

“So I really applauded the effort everybody made to put this track together. The track itself is challenging … They did a great job of painting the infield, there’s a lot of grip there, and it’s a really challenging course. But you want to challenge this group of drivers. You want it to be hard for them. …

“I thought it was great. I thought it was awesome. You’ve got tight corners, and then you’ve got the things wound up to 160 miles an hour on the oval, and that’s a little bit of everything these cars do. That makes it an exciting event.”

Pole winner and playoff driver Austin Cindric recovered from a spin in Turn 6 while leading on Lap 14 to finish third in front of Ryan Preece and series leader Christopher Bell, who has advanced to Round 2 of the Playoffs by virtue of his Sept. 21 victory at Richmond.

In fact, Cindric and Daniel Hemric had arguably the two fastest cars, but, like Cindric, Hemric made a mistake that cost him a chance to battle for the win.

On Lap 45, after the final restart, Hemric blew the frontstretch chicane and paid the prescribed penalty of a full stop in the tri-oval. He fell to 15th and fought his way back to 10th at the finish.

Approaching next week’s playoff cutoff race at Dover, Bell is the only driver locked into the second round. With the field to be trimmed from 12 to eight contenders after the Dover race, Cindric is in ninth place, nine points behind Ross Chastain in eighth.

In the wide-open competition for the top eight spots, only 12 points separate third place Tyler Reddick from Chastain.

Matt Tifft, Cole Custer, Kaz Grala, Tyler Reddick and Hemric completed the top 10 in Saturday’s race.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR angled the Turn 12 tire wall before final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at the Charlotte road course. The rumble strips remained.

The move was an effort to provide more room — about five feet — for drivers exiting the backstretch chicane. Erik Jones and Bubba Wallace hit the spot hard Saturday in second practice, sustaining significant damage to their cars. Both drivers were forced to go to backup cars for Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 (2 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

PHOTOS: Bubba’s wreck, frame by frame

Angling the barrier wall doesn’t mean, however, that the corner is now defenseless. The “turtles” (six-inch-high steel rumble strips) at the exit can upset a car that takes the corner too wide.

“It’s less treacherous,” said Martin Truex Jr., who topped the speed chart in final practice. “You’ve got about two feet of wiggle room, so if you screw up, you can just hit the turtles and not that thing.”

MORE: Turn-by-turn analysis of Charlotte road course

NASCAR Wire Service contributed

Posted on by Track Release

Sonoma Raceway will return to the circuit’s historic 12-turn, 2.52-mile road-course layout for the 2019 Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR weekend as part of its upcoming 50th anniversary celebration, raceway officials announced Saturday.

The full track layout, which was originally unveiled when the raceway opened in 1968, incorporates the raceway’s signature sweeping downhill corner known as “The Carousel.” The Carousel plunges from Turn 4, down through Turns 5 and 6 and navigates a more than 200-degree radius turn before dropping onto the raceway’s longest straightaway into the Turn 7 hairpin.

The 2019 Sonoma race course
Sonoma Raceway

“The Carousel is a corner where history has been made, and as we celebrate the half century of track history in 2019, we are excited to re-introduce this signature turn on the Sonoma Raceway circuit,” said Steve Page, Sonoma Raceway president and general manager.  “We look forward to seeing a new generation of racers battle through this challenging corner and create moments fans will remember 50 years from now.”

The Carousel has been the site of many memorable moments in the raceway’s history, including Dale Earnhardt’s critical pass of Mark Martin in 1995 resulting in the Intimidator’s first NASCAR road-course victory.

“Innovation and exceeding expectations is in the DNA of SMI. This is something fans and drivers have been talking about for years, and we are excited to bring it to them, particularly as part of the track’s 50th anniversary,” said Marcus Smith, CEO of Speedway Motorsports, Inc.

NASCAR utilized the full 12-turn course beginning with its first Pacific Coast Late Model Division race at then-Sears Point Raceway in 1969 through numerous Cup Series, West Series, Southwest Series and Truck Series events until 1997. Since 1998, NASCAR has competed on a shorter, 1.99-mile configuration, which utilized a bypass connecting Turns 4 and 7 known as “The Chute.” The 2019 Toyota/Save Mart 350 is expected to run 85 laps and the race distance will remain 350 kilometers.

“The carousel adds a technical aspect to the track that will be a challenge for the drivers. I’m looking forward to the FOX broadcasts of the race weekend next year and analyzing how the teams deal with this new challenge,” said Gordon, a five-time Sonoma winner.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series returns to Sonoma Raceway for the 2019 Toyota/Save Mart 350, June 21-23. Sonoma Raceway will celebrate its 50th anniversary season throughout the year and will announce additional plans in the coming months. For more information on upcoming raceway events or to secure tickets for 2019, visit www.sonomaraceway.com or call 800-870-7223.

Posted on by Staff Report

Brad Keselowski recorded the fastest lap in Saturday’s final Monster Energy Series practice at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course – before he crashed his primary car just before the practice session ended.

Keselowski pushed his No. 2 Team Penske Ford to 105.596 mph in a lap around the 17-turn, 2.28-mile track before he brought out the red flag with about 10 minutes remaining in the 50-minute practice session when he hopped over a “turtle” bumper coming into Turn 17 and crashed into the wall. He will go to a backup car for Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 (2 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 RELATED: Final practice results

William Byron was second-fastest in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet after moving his car around the track at 105.072 mph. Kyle Larson (104.995 mph), Paul Menard (104.982 mph) and Martin Truex Jr. (104.876 mph) rounded out the top five.

The practice was devoid of the kind of crushing wrecks that came in the earlier practice as drivers were helped by NASCAR moving the angle of the tire barrier wall on the backstretch chicane. The wall was angled back to give cars more room — about four feet — to maneuver through the turns.

That was the wall that both Bubba Wallace and Erik Jones plowed into during the earlier practice, forcing both to backup cars for Sunday’s race.

According to the No. 41 team, Kurt Busch’s Stewart-Haas Racing Ford lost power in the first practice of the day because of an electrical issue. It was back on track for final practice after repairs, but nothing was done that will force Busch to surrender the pole or start in the rear.

Two cars served practice holds in the final 15 minutes: the No. 00 of Landon Cassill and the No. 51 of Stanton Barrett (both late to pre-race inspection). Additionally, the first 10 minutes of the final practice were designated as restart practice.

RELATED: Early practice results

Jimmie Johnson topped the leaderboard in Saturday morning’s early Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s road course, maneuvering the 17-turn, 2.28-mile track at 105.175 mph in the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

Daniel Hemric was second-fastest in the No. 8 Chevrolet at 104.962 mph. Martin Truex Jr. (104.878 mph), Brad Keselowski (104.870 mph) and Kyle Busch (104.753) rounded out the top five.

The second Monster Energy Series practice session of the weekend once again contained plenty of action as drivers sought to master the new road course. Notable incidents involved wrecks for Bubba Wallace and Erik Jones, and a mechanical issue for pole-sitter Kurt Busch.

About seven minutes into the 55-minute session, Wallace crumpled the front of his No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet when he slammed hard into the tire barrier on the backstretch chicane after getting loose. Wallace was able to walk from the car, but will go to a backup car for Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 (2 p.m. ET, NBC / NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

With about six minutes before the end of the session, Jones hit the same tire barrier on the backstretch chicane, wrecking the front of No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. The crew began rolling out the backup car as the No. 20 was towed from the track while practice ended.

Kurt Busch had a mechanical issue that slowed his car and necessitated him stopping his No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford between Turns 3 and 4. He needed the assistance of a tow truck to push the car back to the garage for repairs.