Race Weekend Central

Rookie Daniel Suarez Tops Final 2015 Lilly Diabetes 250 Practice at Indianapolis

Daniel Suarez might not have any experience at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but it isn’t slowing him down.

Suarez, a rookie for Joe Gibbs Racing, laid down a 176.810-mph lap around the 2.5-mile Speedway, Indiana circuit to top the final NASCAR Xfinity Series practice session for Saturday’s Lilly Diabetes 250.

Suarez was joined by JGR teammates Kyle Busch and Erik Jones inside the top five. Busch, who topped opening practice for the Xfinity Series, ended final practice in second with a speed of 175.466 mph. Jones finished in fourth, averaging 174.842 mph as he seeks his first win at Indianapolis.

Kyle Larson (174.907) ended the session in third to split the JGR drivers, with Brian Scott’s 174.432-mph circuit rounding out the top five. However, Larson’s team will have to repair damage after the recent father made contact with the outside wall.

Paul Menard, Ty Dillon, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman and Ryan Sieg finished out the top 10.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series will return on Saturday for Coors Light Pole Qualifying at 11:35 a.m. ET.

2015 LILLY DIABETES 250 QUALIFYING SPEEDS

About the author

A graduate of Ball State, Aaron rejoins Frontstretch for his second season in 2016 following a successful year that included covering seven races and starting the popular "Two-Headed Monster" column in 2015. Now in his third year of covering motorsports, Aaron serves as an Assistant Editor for Frontstretch while also contributing to other popular sites including Speed51 and The Apex. He encourages you to come say hi when you see him at the track.

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