NSCS: Elliott Leads Fast Michigan Practice

With speeds topping 218 MPH going into the corners and a new aerodynamics package featuring a shorter spoiler, teams were on the edge of control in the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice at Michigan International Speedway. Despite the new aero package and quick speeds, rookie Chase Elliott paced the field in the first practice.

Elliott ran a fast lap of 35.709 seconds, which averaged more than 201 MPH around the track. Elliott may have been fast, but the lap is still just under a second off the pace of the track record set by the man who used to drive Elliott’s No. 24 car, retired Jeff Gordon.

Coca-Cola 600 winner Martin Truex, Jr. was second in practice with a lap of 35.765. For Truex and company, it’s an important race. Truex’s crew chief Cole Pearn is from Mt. Brydges, Ontario, which is just under 200 miles from the Irish Hills.

Carl Edwards was third in practice with a 35.782, just one one-thousandth of a second in front of fourth-place Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Both Edwards and Earnhardt are two-time winners at MIS.

Rounding out the top-five in practice was Kevin Harvick. Harvick is looking for his first win with Stewart-Haas Racing at Michigan. The California driver has one win with Richard Childress Racing in 2010, but still looks for his first with SHR after three second-place finishes with the team at MIS.

Denny Hamlin, Austin Dillon, Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch rounded out the top-10.

Ryan Blaney in 11th and AJ Allmendinger in 12th were the two other drivers to join the 200 MPH club. It’s worth noting most of the teams ran in qualifying trim for the session, prompting these drivers to break the 200 mph mark.