Welcome back, Jimmie Johnson.
With about 10 minutes to spare in Friday’s (Feb. 17) NASCAR Cup Series practice for the Daytona 500, seven-time champion Johnson found himself on top of the practice session.
The No. 84 for Legacy Motor Club set the fastest lap at 194.23 mph.
Fellow Chevrolet drivers Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chase Elliott and polesitter Alex Bowman following closely behind in spots second through fourth, respectively.
The winner of the Bluegreen Vacations Duel two Thursday (Feb. 16), Aric Almirola, led the Fords in fifth, followed by Team Penske drivers Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney in sixth and seventh.
Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Chase Briscoe and Kevin Harvick ended up eighth and ninth, and defending NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Zane Smith rounded out the top 10.
The fastest Toyota was Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Coliseum winner Martin Truex Jr., who clocked in 17th.
Most teams used the practice to practice drafting with one another and pulling on to pit road for green-flag stops.
The only team to not participate in today’s practice was Kaulig Racing, which will field the Nos. 16 and 31 for AJ Allmendinger and Justin Haley.
Daytona Cup Practice Results
A second practice session will be held tomorrow (Feb. 18), and the 65th running of the Daytona 500 will begin at 2:30 p.m. ET Feb. 19 on FOX.
Wyatt Watson has followed motorsports closely since 2007. He joined Frontstretch as a journalist in February 2023 after serving in the United States Navy for five years as an Electronic Technician Navigation working on submarines. Wyatt is one of Frontstretch's primary IndyCar correspondents, providing exclusive video content on site. He hosts Frontstretch's Through the Gears podcast and occasionally The Pit Straight.You can find Wyatt's written work in columns such as Friday Faceoff and 2-Headed Monsteras well as exclusive IndyCar features. Wyatt also contributes to Frontstretch's social media team, posting unique and engaging content for Frontstretch.
Wyatt Watson can be found on X @WyattWRacing