Denny Hamlin, a three-time champion of the Daytona 500, set the pace during NASCAR Cup Series practice on Friday. He achieved this feat while drafting with his fellow Toyota teammates, with his Camry reaching a speed of 197.477mph (45.575s). Notably, eight other drivers from the Toyota team followed closely behind him.
Erik Jones secured the second-fastest time with a speed of 197.468mph, while Christopher Bell took third place with a speed of 197.429mph. Ty Gibbs and John Hunter Nemechek claimed the fourth and fifth spots, respectively, with speeds of 197.394mph and 193.377mph.
Tyler Reddick finished in sixth place, clocking in at 197.364mph, followed by Jimmie Johnson in seventh place with a speed of 197.282mph. Bubba Wallace, Michael McDowell, and Austin Cindric completed the top 10 with speeds of 197.126mph, 194.569mph, and 194.523mph, respectively.
Joey Logano, who secured the pole position for the Daytona 500, achieved the 14th fastest time during practice with a speed of 194.07mph.
During practice, the drivers formed small groups consisting of their teammates, which had an impact on the speed rankings. The top eight fastest drivers belonged to the Toyota team, followed by the next six from Ford. Chevrolet had the following six drivers on the speed charts.
Fortunately, there were no incidents reported during the practice session.
In a notable display of dedication, David Ragan took on a dual role. He not only drove the No. 60 Ford, which he qualified for the Daytona 500 with RFK Racing, but he also took the wheel of the No. 17 Ford for Chris Buescher. Buescher had to leave early on Friday to be with his wife Emma for the birth of their second child but will return for the Daytona 500. Ragan secured the 26th position on the speed chart in the No. 60 and the 39th position after completing a three-lap run in the No. 17 Ford.
Given the impending rain forecast for the area on Saturday, track time during the 50-minute practice session was of utmost importance. If the rain persists until Monday, Friday’s practice session would be the only opportunity for teams to be on the track between Thursday’s Duels and the start of the Daytona 500.
Thirty-nine out of the 40 teams participated in practice, with the exception of Anthony Alfredo from Beard Motorsports, who did not get on track with his No. 62 car.
According to the Source racer.com