Less than 24 hours after narrowly missing the field for the Daytona 500, Ty Dillon has found some consolation in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
The 28-year-old, who recently signed a part-time NXS deal with Joe Gibbs Racing, was the fastest driver at Daytona International Speedway after pacing the lone 50-minute session for Saturday’s (Feb. 13) Beef It’s What’s For Dinner 300 with a fast lap of 192.757 mph.
Riley Herbst slotted in just behind Dillon in his new Stewart-Haas Racing ride. The No. 98 Ford turned a lap of 192.489 mph. The Dillon and Herbst duo was aided by drafting in the session, which was dominated by small packs of no more than five cars and single-car runs.
Austin Cindric, Josh Berry and Daniel Hemric rounded out the top five.
Early in the session, Stefan Parsons had an overheating issue and quickly exited the track. Parsons was able to get back on track and clock in the 26th fastest time of the 44 drivers who turned a lap in practice.
Troubles continued shortly after, this time for Noah Gragson. The No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet cut down a tire on the backstretch, incurring some light cosmetic damage to the left rear quarter panel. Fortunately for Gragson, he was able to catch it and nurse it back to the garage safely before any more calamity struck.
The notable absentee this session amongst the 45 entrants was DGM Racing’s Josh Williams. Williams attempted to get on the track, but his No. 92 failed to fire and leave pit road, prompting a red flag.
Daytona Xfinity Practice Results
The Beef It’s What’s For Dinner 300 is slated to go green at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, Feb. 13. TV coverage will be provided by Fox Sports 1.
About the author
Never at a loss for words, Zach Gillispie is a young, talented marketing professional from North Carolina who talks and writes on the side about his first love: racing! Since joining Frontstretch in 2018, Zach has served in numerous roles where he currently pens the NASCAR 101 column, a weekly piece delving into the basic nuts and bolts of the sport. Additionally, his unabashedly bold takes meshed with that trademarked dry wit of his have made Zach a fan favorite on the weekly Friday Faceoff panel. In his free time, he can be found in the great outdoors, actively involved in his church, cheering on his beloved Atlanta Braves or ruthlessly pestering his colleagues with completely useless statistics about Delma Cowart.
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