Martin Truex Jr. continued a run of strong superspeedway showings on Saturday, topping final practice for Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
Truex ran a scorching 37.553-second, 191.729-mph lap to top the session for Furniture Row Racing.
Last week’s winner Joey Logano ended the session in second with a time of 37.654 seconds. Carl Edwards (37.659), Kyle Larson (37.691) and Austin Dillon (37.718) rounded out the top five.
Ryan Blaney served as the surprise of the session, running a 37.810-second lap to take sixth on the charts in the Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 Ford. Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick finished out the top 10.
Two of Friday’s top qualifiers suffered significant setbacks in the 55-minute session. Busch, who qualified sixth for Sunday’s race, was forced to a backup after spinning through the infield at the 2-mile oval. Busch following the incident.
Dillon appeared to be a darkhorse for the weekend, qualifying fourth and showing speed throughout Saturday’s practices. However, Dillon was forced off-track when his engine shut off with issues in the final minutes of final practice. If his team is unable to fix the motor, both Dillon and Busch will be forced to start at the tail-end of the field after moving to backup cars.
Teams started the session in packs, looking to test the new high-drag rules package. However, severe handling issues associated with the package left teams and drivers choosing to run single-file by the session’s end.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will return tomorrow for the Pure Michigan 400. Coverage for the event will begin a 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN and MRN.
2015 PURE MICHIGAN 400 FINAL PRACTICE SPEEDS
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.