Jimmie Johnson tops opening Southern 500 practice at Darlington
Thirty-nine teams worked on race setup at Darlington Raceway on Saturday after qualifying was cancelled due to a drive-by from Hurricane Hermine over South Carolina.
Photo by: Action Sports Photography
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 |
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