NASCAR Sprint Unlimited: Paul Menard draws pole, Kurt Busch fastest
Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon were fastest on 2015's first day of NASCAR Sprint Cup running at Daytona on Friday, while Paul Menard drew pole for the non-championship Unlimited race
The 25 drivers participating in Saturday night's exhibition event had two 55-minute practice sessions early on Friday evening.
Stewart-Haas driver Busch's lap of 44.832 seconds and 200.749mph in practice one was the day's benchmark, putting him 0.220s clear of second-placed Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Reigning champion Kevin Harvick completed the top three, followed by Joey Logano and Kasey Kahne.
Only 14 drivers took part in the second session, where Gordon - who announced over the off-season that this will be his last full-time campaign - was quickest with a 45.740s lap, 0.056s in front of Denny Hamlin.
There were no incidents on track, with the only intrigue coming from a frustrated Tony Stewart getting black-flagged for failing to go to the mandatory driver weigh-in before the session and then not heeding an initial radio request to do so.
POLE FOR MENARD
Before practice, a random draw was carried out to determine the Unlimited starting order.
Richard Childress Racing driver Menard selected first place, with Kahne, Logano and Brad Keselowski also on the front two rows. Dale Earnhardt Jr and Kyle Larson start at the back.
The Unlimited race is open to the previous year's Chase drivers and pole winners, all previous Daytona 500 pole winners and all previous Unlimited winners, with drivers then invited in championship order to fill any gaps to build a 25-car field.
Brian Scott, David Gilliland and AJ Allmendinger were all eligible but chose not to compete, while Brian Vickers was unable to take up his slot as he recovers from heart surgery.
The full Daytona 500 field has two practice sessions during the day on Saturday. Qualifying for the championship opener takes place on Sunday, though it only sets the front row and the grids for Thursday's heat races, which decide third to 43rd in the 500 starting order.
UNLIMITED RACE START ORDER:
Pos Driver Team/Car 1. Paul Menard Childress Chevrolet 2. Kasey Kahne Hendrick Chevrolet 3. Joey Logano Penske Ford 4. Brad Keselowski Penske Ford 5. Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Toyota 6. Austin Dillon Childress Chevrolet 7. Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Ford 8. Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Chevrolet 9. Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Toyota 10. Martin Truex Jr Furniture Row Chevrolet 11. Jeff Gordon Hendrick Chevrolet 12. Ryan Newman Childress Chevrolet 13. Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Chevrolet 14. Carl Edwards Joe Gibbs Toyota 15. Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Chevrolet 16. Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Toyota 17. Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Chevrolet 18. Clint Bowyer Waltrip Toyota 19. Aric Almirola Petty Ford 20. Ricky Stenhouse Jr Roush Fenway Ford 21. Jamie McMurray Ganassi Chevrolet 22. Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Chevrolet 23. Casey Mears Germain Chevrolet 24. Dale Earnhardt Jr Hendrick Chevrolet 25. Kyle Larson Ganassi Chevrolet
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