First Practice: Practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on the newly re-vamped Bristol Motor Speedway started out with a two hour practice session for teams to figure out the new left-side tire Goodyear opted to bring for this weekend’s action.
From the moment the session got underway, it was obvious the middle groove was the fast way around the half-mile track with some drivers putting their cars on the very bottom of the track through the corners.
Bristol’s move of grinding the groove next to the outside wall proved successful as no drivers turned a lap in that section of the track all practice.
But, Kasey Kahne said to Speed crews during the first practice session that he can’t tell if the track made any changes since they were there in March.
Emphasis early in the practice was placed on teams preparing their cars for the 500 lap race Saturday night. While Carl Edwards’ Ford was listed a the top of the speed charts during the first half, Kyle Busch’s No.18 Toyota was the quickest car on race runs early on.
As teams shifted more to a qualifying setup, names not normally seen at the top of leader-boards paced the session as it wound down.
Casey Mears was the fastest car in the opening session with his lap of record at 122.209 mph.
Top-10 in opening Sprint Cup practice:
1: Casey Mears
2: Brad Keselowski
3: Greg Biffle
4: Joey Logano
5: Aric Almirola
6: Jeff Burton
7: Paul Menard
8: Denny Hamlin
9: Marcos Ambrose
10: Kyle Busch
Danica Patrick was 47th of 47 cars in the first practice session for the Sprint Cup Series with her fastest lap being at 116.722 mph.
Final Practice: The final session of the day for the Sprint Cup Series was a short 45 minute practice to fine tune for Saturday night’s 500 lap event.
Joey Logano was able to set the fast lap within the opening minutes of the practice, and he stayed at the top of the board from there with his speed of 122.404 mph.
Brad Keselowski put his Miller Lite Rusty Wallace tribute Dodge in the No.2 position on the leader board for the second consecutive session. Keselowski was also second fastest when it came to ten-lap averages, with Greg Biffle taking the top honor in that department.
Maybe the shock of the session was that Jimmie Johnson was still at the back-half of the speed charts, only posting a lap worthy of 31st quickest.
Danica Patrick’s struggles in the opening practice carried over to the final session, posting the slowest lap of the 47 cars.
Top-10 in Final Sprint Cup Practice:
1: Joey Logano
2: Brad Keselowski
3: David Gilliland
4: Matt Kenseth
5: Kyle Busch
6: Denny Hamlin
7: Regan Smith
8: Brian Vickers
9: Greg Biffle
10: Kasey Kahne
Qualifying: Jet dryers were the only vehicles to make laps around Bristol Motor Speedway after strong thunderstorms made their way through the surrouding areas of the track, producing hail, heavy rain and strong winds.
After attempts to dry the half-mile oval, NASCAR decided to cancel the session to prepare the track for the Nationwide Series race that would take place shorty after the session.
That left Casey Mears, who was fastest in opening practice, on the pole for the Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol per the NASCAR rule book.
“It’s exciting. I think for our team, Germain Racing, it’s been a long couple of years. It’s been good, but the team has really grown in strides and we’ve made a lot of big improvements this year,” said Mears.
“We still have a lot to learn and still have a lot to grow, but it’s a big shot in the arm for our team for sure.”
Failing to qualify for the race were; Kelly Bires, Scott Speed, Reed Sorenson, and J.J. Yeley.
Fantasy Racing Lineup:
- “A” Driver: Brad Keselowski
- “B” Driver: Kasey Kahne, Martin Truex Jr.
- “C” Driver: Brian Vickers
Irwin Tools Night Race Starting Lineup:
1: Casey Mears
2: Brad Keselowski
3: Greg Biffle
4: Joey Logano
5: Aric Almirola
6: Jeff Burton
7: Paul Menard
8: Denny Hamlin
9: Marcos Ambrose
10: Kyle Busch
11: Jeff Gordon
12: Kasey Kahne
13: Kevin Harvick
14: Regan Smith
15: Martin Truex Jr.
16: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
17: Matt Kenseth
18: David Gilliland
19: Ryan Newman
20: Kurt Busch
21: Tony Stewart
22: Brian Vickers
23: Clint Bowyer
24: David Ragan
25: Dave Blaney
26: Jamie McMurray
27: Carl Edwards
28: Juan Pablo
29: Sam Hornish Jr.
30: Michael McDowell
31: David Stremme
32: Josh Wise
33: Landon Cassill
34: Mike Bliss
35: Scott Riggs
36: Bobby Labonte
37: Jimmie Johnson
38: Stephen Leicht
39: Jason Leffler
40: Joe Nemechek
41: Travis Kvapil
42: Ken Schrader
43: Danica Patrick
