Kyle Larson and David Ragan split the two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practices at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday morning (April 14).
Larson’s speed of 129.004 miles per hour put his No. 42 Chevrolet at the top of the scoring pylon in Saturday’s opening session.
All three manufacturers occupied the podium in the first session, as Martin Truex Jr.‘s Toyota (128.952 mph) posted the second quickest lap and Aric Almirola‘s Ford (128.943 mph) was third. Former Bristol winners Kyle Busch (128.934 mph) and Kasey Kahne (128.830 mph) rounded out the top-five.
The pace slowed down in the second session, as Ragan’s speed of 127.487 mph was the fastest. Fellow Georgia native Chase Elliott (127.073 mph) posted the second quickest lap in the practice.
Former Bristol winners Denny Hamlin (126.997 mph) and Kurt Busch (126.537 mph) were third and fourth. Ragan’s Front Row Motorsports teammate Michael McDowell (126.295 mph) finished the session in fifth.
The red flag flew briefly during the second session when Kurt Busch got loose on corner exit and spun into the inside wall. The No. 41 team has to go to a backup car and will forfeit their second place starting spot.
The Food City 500 is scheduled for Sunday afternoon (April 15). The green flag for the race was previously scheduled to wave at 2:13 p.m./et, but NASCAR bumped it back an hour to 1:13 p.m./et due to the threat of rain on Sunday. FOX and PRN will broadcast the race.
About the author
Michael Massie joined Frontstretch in 2017 and has served as the Content Director since 2020. Massie, a Richmond, Va., native, has covered NASCAR, IndyCar, SRX and the CARS Tour. Outside of motorsports, the Virginia Tech grad and Green Bay Packers minority owner can be seen cheering on his beloved Hokies and Packers.
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