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Practice report

Bowyer blasts off with top spot in practice

The No. 15 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota leads the first session at Sonoma.

Clint Bowyer, Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota

Clint Bowyer, Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota

Action Sports Photography

Clint Bowyer, Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota
Landon Cassill, A.J. Allmendinger, Jamie McMurray wait out the rain delay
Sam Hornish Jr., Richard Petty Motorsports Ford and Danica Patrick, Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Roush Fenway Racing Ford and Danica Patrick, Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet talk during the rain delay

Clint Bowyer topped the speed chart in first practice at Sonoma Raceway with a lap of 74.979-seconds (95.547 mph) in his 18th of 20 laps.

AJ Allmendinger (75.159), Sam Hornish Jr. (75.338), Danica Patrick (75.401) and Jamie McMurray (75.458) rounded out the top-five fastest times on the 1.99-mile circuit at Sears Point.

“That was pretty hard off of (turn) seven and a little bit up the hill,” said Bowyer, who won this race in 2012 and has just two finishes outside of the top 10 in nine starts. “Just need a little bit here and a little bit there.”

David Ragan, Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch and last year’s winner Carl Edwards rounded out the top 10. 

“This is the most fun race of the year for me,” Edwards said. “I feel like we can win this weekend. I think we can win a lot of races.

Three drivers lost control of their cars in the first session. Alex Bowman, Aric Almirola and Paul Menard hit the spin cycle while Casey Mears ran off the road — and then ran out of gas to bring out the yellow toward the end of first practice.

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