Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Daytona 500: Dale Earnhardt Jr tops final practice for Hendrick

Dale Earnhardt Jr topped final practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup season-opening Daytona 500

The Hendrick Motorsport driver, who will start Sunday's race from the third, turned in a lap of 45.655 seconds to go fastest.

Team Penske team-mates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski were second and fourth quickest, split by Ryan Blaney's affiliated Wood Brothers Racing car, as the Ford trio drafted together on track.

Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick completed the top six for Stewart-Haas Racing.

500 polesitter Chase Elliott lapped eighth fastest, ahead of Tony Stewart's stand-in Brian Vickers and Clint Bowyer.

Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, and Brian Scott, all running back-up cars after their crashes in the Duel qualifying races, were 18th, 21st and 23rd respectively.

Twenty five of the 40 cars qualified for the 500 took to the track in final practice, with Denny Hamlin, Casey Mears, 2015 Cup champion Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr among those sitting out the session.

Follow the 2016 Daytona 500 as it happens with Autosport Race Centre Live from 6pm UK time on Sunday

PRACTICE TIMES:

Pos Driver Team Car Time Gap Laps
1 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 45.655s - 8
2 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 45.832s 0.177s 29
3 Ryan Blaney Wood Brothers Racing Ford 45.851s 0.196s 29
4 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 45.857s 0.202s 29
5 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 45.904s 0.249s 23
6 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 45.915s 0.260s 10
7 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 45.928s 0.273s 7
8 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 45.956s 0.301s 16
9 Brian Vickers Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 45.962s 0.307s 10
10 Clint Bowyer HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 45.974s 0.319s 15
11 Landon Cassill Front Row Motorsports Ford 46.098s 0.443s 20
12 Regan Smith Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 46.122s 0.467s 13
13 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 46.297s 0.642s 22
14 David Ragan BK Racing Toyota 46.300s 0.645s 6
15 Robert Richardson Jr. BK Racing Toyota 46.310s 0.655s 15
16 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Racing Ford 46.325s 0.670s 7
17 Michael Annett HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 46.339s 0.684s 7
18 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 46.459s 0.804s 18
19 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 46.614s 0.959s 9
20 Ty Dillon Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet 46.644s 0.989s 11
21 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 46.679s 1.024s 30
22 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 46.826s 1.171s 24
23 Brian Scott Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 46.836s 1.181s 23
24 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 47.093s 1.438s 14
25 Chris Buescher Front Row Motorsports Ford 47.271s 1.616s 19


Be part of the Autosport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Johnson and Hamlin lead Friday Daytona 500 practice sessions
Next article NASCAR Xfinity win no help for Daytona 500, polesitter Elliott says

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe