Brad Keselowski And Denny Hamlin Fastest In Advance Auto Parts Clash At Daytona Practice

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – On Friday at Daytona International Speedway, drivers in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series hit the high banks for practice in preparation for Saturday’s Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona.

Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski topped the speed chart in opening practice after running a lap of 46.972 seconds at 191.604 mph. The driver of the No. 2 SKF Ford Fusion ran 23 laps, the most of any driver in the first session.

“We had good speed from what we can tell,” Keselowski said. “It’s hard to get a full picture when only half the cars draft, but it was a good start.  We have some things to work on handing-wise, so we’ll get through that and figure it out.”

Kyle Larson clocked the second fastest lap, followed by Keselowski’s teammate, Joey Logano. Stewart-Haas Racing teammates, Kevin Harvick and Danica Patrick completed the top-10 in their new Ford Fusions.

Only 11 of the 17 drivers participated in the opening round of practice. Drivers who didn’t leave the garage were Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Martin Truex Jr. and Daniel Suarez.

In final practice, the Joe Gibbs Racing drivers set the pace. All four drivers left pit road at the same time to kick-off the session, and they all drafted together. Denny Hamlin finished out final practice on top with a 45.795-second lap at 196.528 mph. He is the defending winner of the non-points race. Hamlin also won the Daytona 500 last season as well.

Rookie, Daniel Suarez was second, followed by his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth. Joey Logano rounded out the top-five.

Kenseth had the best 10 consecutive lap average with a speed of 195.510 mph. Busch was second with an average speed of 195.488, and Hamlin was third with an average speed of 195.446.

Jamie McMurray in the No. 1 McDonald’s BIG Mac Chevrolet was the only driver, who didn’t clock a lap in the final practice session.

The Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona will broadcast live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) at 8 p.m. ET.

Photo Credit: 347508NASCAR Via Getty Images

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