DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – While Jimmie Johnson was squeezing speed out of his Chevrolet in single-car runs, the most formidable Toyotas in the field were dominating the speed chart in a mini-draft.
Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards hooked up with Furniture Row affiliate Martin Truex Jr. to post the fastest four laps in Friday’s second Daytona 500 practice session.
Hamlin, who won last Saturday’s Sprint Unlimited, had the top speed at 199.658 mph, followed by Busch (198.640 mph), the winner of Thursday’s second Can-Am Duel, and Truex, who matched Busch’s speed in a backup car necessitated by the same wreck that KO’d Johnson on Thursday night.
Edwards was fourth fastest at 198.610 mph, and after those four drivers established the draft, JGR teammate Matt Kenseth, another victim of the last-lap wreck in the second Duel, joined party in a backup car.
“We seemed to have pretty good speed out there,” said Kenseth, who was fifth on the chart at 198.566 mph. “I got to run with my teammates there a little bit, and that was encouraging, and the single-car speed seemed like it was pretty much as good as the other car.
“These guys build great race cars, and I feel pretty bad that I’ve been wrecking ‘em all. I appreciate all the work they’re doing, and hopefully we’ll get this thing all tuned in tomorrow (during Saturday’s final practice) and be good on Sunday.”
Kenseth had qualified second for the Daytona 500 during last Sunday’s time trials, but must drop to the rear of the field to start the race in the backup No. 20 Toyota.
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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