Looking for his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Kurt Busch put down the fastest lap in Friday’s final practice.
Busch, who has two wins to date despite running three fewer races than his championship competitors, laid down a 181.987-mph lap to top the session. Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Kevin Harvick joined Busch at the front with a 181.763-mph circuit around the 2.5-mile oval.
Kyle Larson ended the session in third after running a 181.357-mph lap in an early mock qualifying run. Four-time winner Jimmie Johnson (180.697) and Martin Truex Jr. (180.672) rounded out the top five.
Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne, Austin Dillon and Tony Stewart finished out the top 10.
For the first time this weekend, fans got a glimpse of NASCAR’s planned drafting-influenced racing at the Speedway, Indiana track. Drivers including Denny Hamlin, Jamie McMurray and Edwards took advantage of the new high-drag rules package, drafting up to and slingshotting past their competitors as they roared across the track’s brick finish line.
Young Timmy Hill’s No. 98 Premium Motorsports team will have an uphill battle heading into qualifying tomorrow. Hill, hoping to make his first career start in the Brickyard 400, was running in race trim early in the session when he lost control of his Chevrolet coming off turn 4. Hill slid into the inside wall, damaging the nose of his car and forcing the team to bring out a backup.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will return to action Saturday for Coors Light Pole Qualifying.
2015 JEFF KYLE 400 FINAL PRACTICE SPEEDS
POS. | CAR # | DRIVER | MANUFACTURER | SPONSOR | BEST SPEED | BEST TIME | BEHIND |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Haas Automation | 181.987 | 49.454 | Leader | |
2 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Jimmy John's/ Budweiser | 181.763 | 49.515 | 0.061 | |
3 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Target | 181.357 | 49.626 | 0.172 | |
4 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Kobalt Tools | 180.697 | 49.807 | 0.353 | |
5 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr | Furniture Row/Visser Precision | 180.672 | 49.814 | 0.36 | |
6 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Skittles | 180.621 | 49.828 | 0.374 | |
7 | 19 | Carl Edwards | Stanley | 180.491 | 49.864 | 0.41 | |
8 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | FARMERS | 180.104 | 49.971 | 0.517 | |
9 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Dow - Mycogen | 180.101 | 49.972 | 0.518 | |
10 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Mobil 1 / Bass Pro Shops | 180.014 | 49.996 | 0.542 | |
11 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Grainger | 179.297 | 50.196 | 0.742 | |
12 | 27 | Paul Menard | Duracell / Menards | 178.976 | 50.286 | 0.832 | |
13 | 33 | Brian Scott | Shore Lodge | 178.916 | 50.303 | 0.849 | |
14 | 22 | Joey Logano | Shell Pennzoil | 178.884 | 50.312 | 0.858 | |
15 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Lilly/American Diabetes Association Ford Fusion | 178.536 | 50.41 | 0.956 | |
16 | 13 | Casey Mears | No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet SS | 178.165 | 50.515 | 1.061 | |
17 | 25 | Chase Elliott | NAPA Auto Parts | 178.098 | 50.534 | 1.08 | |
18 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr | NOS Energy Drink Ford Fusion | 178.08 | 50.539 | 1.085 | |
19 | 10 | Danica Patrick | GoDaddy | 178.003 | 50.561 | 1.107 | |
20 | 47 | AJ Allmendinger | Kroger/Kingsford Charcoat | 177.929 | 50.582 | 1.128 | |
21 | 95 | Michael McDowell | Thrivent Financial | 177.802 | 50.618 | 1.164 | |
22 | 9 | Sam Hornish Jr | Medallion Bank | 177.781 | 50.624 | 1.17 | |
23 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | 3M | 177.669 | 50.656 | 1.202 | |
24 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | McDonald's/Cessna | 177.613 | 50.672 | 1.218 | |
25 | 51 | Justin Allgaier | Brandt | 177.588 | 50.679 | 1.225 | |
26 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Advocare Ford Fusion | 177.543 | 50.692 | 1.238 | |
27 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Dollar General | 177.518 | 50.699 | 1.245 | |
28 | 40 | Landon Cassill | TBA | 177.294 | 50.763 | 1.309 | |
29 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Miller Lite | 177.225 | 50.783 | 1.329 | |
30 | 21 | Ryan Blaney | Motorcraft / Quick Lane / JDRF | 177.179 | 50.796 | 1.342 | |
31 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | FedEx Express | 177.117 | 50.814 | 1.36 | |
32 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr | Nationwide | 176.974 | 50.855 | 1.401 | |
33 | 46 | Michael Annett | Switch Hitch | 176.312 | 51.046 | 1.592 | |
34 | 55 | David Ragan | Aaron's Dream Machine | 176.105 | 51.106 | 1.652 | |
35 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Eckrich | 176.094 | 51.109 | 1.655 | |
36 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | 5-Hour Energy | 175.84 | 51.183 | 1.729 | |
37 | 34 | Brett Moffitt | CSX Play It Safe | 175.534 | 51.272 | 1.818 | |
38 | 7 | Alex Bowman | Marsh Supermarkets Chevrolet | 175.517 | 51.277 | 1.823 | |
39 | 32 | Josh Wise | Brandise Machinery | 174.832 | 51.478 | 2.024 | |
40 | 23 | J.J. Yeley | Dr. Pepper | 174.496 | 51.577 | 2.123 | |
41 | 35 | Cole Whitt | Speed Stick | 174.192 | 51.667 | 2.213 | |
42 | 38 | David Gilliland | FFA | 173.947 | 51.74 | 2.286 | |
43 | 26 | Jeb Burton | Maxim Fantasy Sports/Estes | 173.537 | 51.862 | 2.408 | |
44 | 83 | Matt DiBenedetto | VooDoo BBQ & Grill | 172.735 | 52.103 | 2.649 | |
45 | 62 | Reed Sorenson | TBA | 168.868 | 53.296 | 3.842 | |
46 | 98 | Timmy Hill | Curb Records | 0 | 0 | -49.454 |
Aaron Bearden is a Frontstretch alumnus who’s come back home as the site’s Short Track Editor. When he isn’t working with our grassroots writers, he can be found talking about racing on his Morning Warmup newsletter, pestering his wife/dog or convincing himself the Indiana Pacers can win an NBA title.
Johnson is fourth. He can be a lot quicker than that. Wait until he starts passing cars like he’s got more hp than anyone else (which he probably does).