NASCAR on TV this week

Martin Truex Jr. Fastest in Michigan Practice No. 2, Jimmie Johnson to Backup

Saturday morning, Furniture Row Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. was fastest in the second practice session for Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams at Michigan International Speedway.  Truex’s lap of 36.293 seconds (198.385 mph) was eight-hundredths of a second faster than Kyle Busch in second.

Jimmie Johnson was third quickest, two-tenths of a second off of Truex.  However, Johnson spun his Lowe’s Chevrolet into the tri-oval grass during the session.  The splitter was damaged on the No. 48 in the incident.

The team originally chose to repair the car, but later changed their minds.  According to FOX Sports’ Alan Cavanna, the team is indeed going to a backup.  Johnson will thus have to start in the back.

Pocono winner Ryan Blaney was fourth quickest while Pocono runner-up Kevin Harvick was fifth. Brad Keselowski was sixth, followed by Kyle Larson, Erik Jones and Joey Logano.  Dale Earnhardt Jr. rounded out the top-10 speeds.

Busch had the fastest 10-lap average in the session with an average time of approximately 36.57 seconds (approximately 196.876 mph). That’s a tenth and a half faster than Larson. Denny Hamlin, who was 14th quickest in the session, had the third-best 10-lap average, followed by Jones and Harvick.

FIREKEEPERS CASINO 400: PRACTICE 2 RESULTS

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams have one more practice session that is scheduled for 11:30 a.m.  The practice will air live on FOX Sports 2.

About the author

Phil Allaway has three primary roles at Frontstretch. He's the manager of the site's FREE e-mail newsletter that publishes Monday-Friday and occasionally on weekends. He keeps TV broadcasters honest with weekly editions of Couch Potato Tuesday and serves as the site's Sports Car racing editor.

Outside of Frontstretch, Phil is the press officer for Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, N.Y. He covers all the action on the high-banked dirt track from regular DIRTcar Modified racing to occasional visits from touring series such as the Super DIRTcar Series.

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