Though his teammate has been showing higher speed this season, it was Erik Jones who led the organization and the field in final practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Posting a best lap of 48.425 seconds (185.854 mph), the rookie led Kevin Harvick by only 0.008 to lead the session. Ryan Blaney was third followed by Jimmie Johnson and Jamie McMurray the top five.
2013 Brickyard 400 winner Ryan Newman ran sixth with Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne and Martin Truex Jr. the top 10.
Two-time race winner Kyle Busch finished 13th quick. His Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin led first practice by nearly a half-second, yet, was 17th in this session.
"A win here could right a lot of the wrongs this season" – @DaleJr @IMS #askmrn #nascar #Brickyard400 pic.twitter.com/EvUZcyhlSt
— Woody Cain (@WYcain) July 22, 2017
Final practice is complete. @Stenhousejr is p22. Only made one q trim run and he was super tight.
— No. 17 Team (@17RoushTeam) July 22, 2017
https://twitter.com/Hendrick5Team/status/888791671646892033
Growing up in Easton, Pa., Zach Catanzareti has grown his auto racing interest from fandom to professional. Joining Frontstretch in 2015, Zach enjoys nothing more than being at the track, having covered his first half-season of 18 races in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in 2017. With experience behind the wheel, behind the camera and in the media center, he thrives on being an all-around reporter.