Jimmie Johnson tops opening Southern 500 practice at Darlington

Once competition resumed, Jimmie Johnson posted a fast lap of 176.025mph (27.937sec) in first practice. Sporting a blue and yellow paint scheme reminiscent of one designed for Dale Earnhardt Sr. in 1979, Johnson completed 42 laps during the 85-minute session on Saturday morning. He was also posted the top speed in the Best 10 Consecutive Lap Average category -- 173.389mph.

“The respect Darlington commands is incredible,” said Johnson, who is looking for his fourth win at the 1.33-mile oval. “It’s a tough track -- hence the name it's given -- and she requires a lot of respect.

“I’m pumped to run the throwback scheme. This is the second year and it’s so cool to walk through the garage and see the creativity that all the teams and sponsors have put into the weekend. Every year I see it getting better and better.”

Denny Hamlin, who was fastest in Xfinity Series practice, posted the second quickest speeds in single lap runs and Best 10 Consecutive laps -- 175.060mph and 173.144mph, respectively — followed by Ryan Blaney (174.711mph), Kyle Larson (14.544mph) and Ryan Newman (174.591mph).

Forget something?

Thirty minutes into the session, Blaney was posted by NASCAR for running on the racetrack sans gloves. The driver of the No. 21 Ford adjusted his attire and returned to the track. Twenty minutes later, Brad Keselowski, who posted the sixth fastest lap (174.488mph), earned his first Darlington stripe of the day.

Chase Elliott (174.136mph), Martin Truex Jr. (173.620mph), Paul Menard (173.417mph) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (173.240mph) rounded out the top 10 in single lap runs.

Rounding out the top 10 in Best Consecutive Lap runs were Truex (171.748mph), Kevin Harvick (171.629mph), Menard (171.592mph), Kyle Busch (171.463mph), Elliott (170.521mph), Carl Edwards (170.375mph), Matt Kenseth (170.270mph) and Jeff Gordon (170.114mph).

Although Harvick ended up 11th on the speed chart in single lap runs, several drivers — including Elliott, Carl Edwards and Clint Bowyer — inquired about his line around the track. However, with three minutes remaining in the session, Harvick came over the radio and told the crew he didn’t understand why his car was shaking so bad.

Gordon, who is subbing for Dale Earnhardt Jr. this weekend in the No. 88 Chevy, described his ride as “pretty comfortable”. He was 14th on the speed chart (172.802mph). Gordon leads all active drivers with seven wins at the track.

Cla	#	Driver	Manufacturer	Laps	Time	Gap	Interval	Mph
1	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	42	27.937			176.025
2	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	60	28.091	0.154	0.154	175.060
3	21	Ryan Blaney	Ford	45	28.147	0.210	0.056	174.711
4	42	Kyle Larson	Chevrolet	21	28.174	0.237	0.027	174.544
5	31	Ryan Newman	Chevrolet	47	28.178	0.241	0.004	174.519
6	2	Brad Keselowski	Ford	50	28.183	0.246	0.005	174.488
7	24	Chase Elliott	Chevrolet	61	28.240	0.303	0.057	174.136
8	78	Martin Truex Jr.	Toyota	36	28.324	0.387	0.084	173.620
9	27	Paul Menard	Chevrolet	52	28.357	0.420	0.033	173.417
10	17	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	Ford	31	28.386	0.449	0.029	173.240