NASCAR is back. The field for Saturday night’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup series Advance Auto Parts Clash took to the track for two practice sessions Friday evening. The 17-cars marked the first time in 2017 that Cup cars have turned laps on-track at Daytona International Speedway.
Ford’s were fastest in the first practice; four of the top five belonged to the Blue Oval with Brad Keselowski fastest among the 11 cars that took laps. The Penske Racing driver put down the fastest lap of 191.604. Keselowski will start from the pole Saturday night having inherited the top starting spot via a draw earlier in the day.
“It’s a great way to start the year,” Keselowski said. “We just need to make sure we finish there. That’s something to be joyous about, but at the end of the day it’s just a draw and you’ve got to make it count.”
The first practice consisted of mainly single car runs. It was also absent of the six Toyota’s in the field. The entire Toyota camp wanted to practice together, but the car of Martin Truex Jr. was delayed in inspection and all the Toyota teams elected to sit out the first practice.
Toyota wasted no time when the green fell for the final practice.MORE>>>
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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