|
Posted 03/17/2012 at 01:49 PM
Ryan Newman led the way with the fastest lap and best 10 consecutive lap average during Saturday’s final practice session at Bristol in preparation for Sunday’s for Food City 500, but a few other drivers shined a little brighter on the day.
-----
Five-time Bristol winner Kyle Busch was second fastest with a lap of 121.836 mph giving Busch the second fastest single lap in each of Saturday's two sessions. Brad Keselowski won last fall at Bristol and looks primed to make it two in a row based on his laps. He had the third fastest lap (121.682 mph) and had very impressive average speeds.
-----
Kasey Kahne ran the fifth fastest single lap (121.682 mph), but had the top average speed among all driver who ran at least 60 laps. Kahne might be Kyle’s biggest challenger on Sunday based on his effort from both of Saturday’s practices. This is the third straight week that Kahne has looked to be the best in practice.
-----
Most of the drivers used the final session to maximize their speeds on long runs which make the average speeds very important, more so than the 10 consecutive lap average because a tank of fuel covers more laps at Bristol than most tracks. 10 consecutive laps is too small of a sampling here to get the best read.
-----
Drivers who impressed in average speeds along with Kahne and Keselowski were Martin Truex Jr and A,J, Allmendinger. Truex Jr was in the top-10 of both practices in single lap times and ran 70 laps for a 119.403 mph average.
-----
Allmendinger was fastest in the earlier session, but fell to 17th during the final practice. However, his average speeds (87 laps for 119.384 average) suggest he’ll be competing for a top-5 finish or better in Sunday’s race.
-----
Jeff Gordon is also a driver that showed he can compete for his sixth Bristol win with the ninth fastest single lap and good average speeds.
-----
Greg Biffle didn’t do anything spectacular in practice, but the points leader and pole sitter should be fine as he attempts to win his first short track race.
-----
Top-5 Final Practice Speeds:
1. Ryan Newman 121.883 mph (92 laps for 118.962 average)
2. Kyle Busch 121.836 mph (81 laps for 118.722 average)
3. Brad Keselowski 121.682 mph (94 laps for 119.310 average)
4. David Reutimann 121.682 mph (39 laps for 119.758 average)
5. Kasey Kahne 121.628 mph (60 laps for 119.567 average)
-----
Notes: Kahne’s average lap times were fastest among drivers with at least 60 laps run. Jeff Burton ran the most laps of the session with 108 followed by Jimmie Johnson with 102.
|
