By Aaron Bearden, Motorsports Editor
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Practice 2
Daniel Suarez swept Friday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice sessions at Daytona International Speedway.
The Joe Gibbs Racing sophomore’s 203.179-mph lap served as the quickest circuit in the second of two Friday practices, besting Ryan Newman (202.945 mph) by .051 seconds.
Michael McDowell (202.867 mph), A.J. Allmendinger (202.739 mph) and Kyle Busch (202.689 mph) rounded out the top five, with Paul Menard (202.607 mph), Martin Truex Jr. (202.488 mph), Kasey Kahne (202.443 mph), Brad Keselowski (201.916 mph) and Kevin Harvick (201.834 mph) completing the top 10.
The session ran with little issue, as early pack drafting gave way to single-car runs. Only 29 teams chose to utilize the session, with a little more than half of the field taking advantage of the opportunity to run in the draft.
The Cup Series will return for final practice on Saturday at 12:05 p.m. ET.
Practice 2 Results
| Pos. | Car No. | Driver | Manu. | Behind | Laps | Best Time | Best Speed |
| 1 | 19 | Daniel Suarez | Toyota | — | 27 | 44.296 | 203.179 |
| 2 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Chevrolet | 0.051 | 20 | 44.347 | 202.945 |
| 3 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Ford | 0.068 | 20 | 44.364 | 202.867 |
| 4 | 47 | A.J. Allmendinger | Chevrolet | 0.096 | 19 | 44.392 | 202.739 |
| 5 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | 0.107 | 16 | 44.403 | 202.689 |
| 6 | 21 | Paul Menard | Ford | 0.125 | 10 | 44.421 | 202.607 |
| 7 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Toyota | 0.151 | 24 | 44.447 | 202.488 |
| 8 | 95 | Kasey Kahne | Chevrolet | 0.161 | 23 | 44.457 | 202.443 |
| 9 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Ford | 0.277 | 25 | 44.457 | 201.916 |
| 10 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Ford | 0.295 | 19 | 44.573 | 201.834 |
| 11 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Ford | 0.304 | 20 | 44.591 | 201.794 |
| 12 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Ford | 0.308 | 20 | 44.600 | 201.776 |
| 13 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Ford | 0.314 | 19 | 44.610 | 201.748 |
| 14 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Ford | 0.318 | 28 | 44.614 | 201.730 |
| 15 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Chevrolet | 0.333 | 5 | 44.629 | 201.663 |
| 16 | 20 | Erik Jones | Toyota | 0.424 | 13 | 44.720 | 201.252 |
| 17 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Ford | 0.430 | 17 | 44.726 | 201.225 |
| 18 | 0 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Chevrolet | 0.793 | 9 | 45.089 | 199.605 |
| 19 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chevrolet | 0.810 | 24 | 45.106 | 199.530 |
| 20 | 24 | William Byron | Chevrolet | 0.817 | 24 | 45.113 | 199.499 |
| 21 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Chevrolet | 0.824 | 34 | 45.120 | 199.468 |
| 22 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Chevrolet | 0.824 | 24 | 45.120 | 199.468 |
| 23 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | 0.825 | 42 | 45.121 | 199.464 |
| 24 | 7 | Danica Patrick | Chevrolet | 1.032 | 14 | 45.328 | 198.553 |
| 25 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Chevrolet | 2.068 | 6 | 46.364 | 194.116 |
| 26 | 22 | Joey Logano | Ford | 2.146 | 14 | 46.442 | 193.790 |
| 27 | 38 | David Ragan | Ford | 2.605 | 10 | 46.901 | 191.894 |
| 28 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Ford | 2.651 | 11 | 46.947 | 191.706 |
| 29 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chevrolet | 2.706 | 18 | 47.002 | 191.481 |
Practice 1
A 199.840-mph lap from Cup Series sophomore Daniel Suarez served as the quickest lap in the penultimate practice session for the 60th Annual Daytona 500.
Suarez led a Toyota trio at the top of the charts, besting Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin (199.743 mph) and defending Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. (199.694 mph) in the midst of the a pack run early in the session.
David Ragan (199.650 mph) and Danica Patrick (199.406 mph) rounded out the top five, with Darrell Wallace Jr. (199.397 mph), Kyle Busch (199.203 mph), Brendan Gaughan (199.159 mph), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (198.325 mph) and Justin Marks (198.303 mph) completing the top 10.
The session was completed without incident, with much of the field choosing to avoid running in large packs and risk damage to their cars after the Can-Am Duels. A handful of drivers including William Byron, Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski and Jimmie Johnson completed their first lap with backup cars after crashing in their qualifying races.
The Cup Series will return for a second Friday practice at 3:05 p.m. ET.
Practice 1 Results
| Pos. | Car No. | Driver | Manu. | Behind | Laps | Best Time | Best Speed |
| 1 | 19 | Daniel Suarez | Toyota | — | 23 | 35.036 | 199.840 |
| 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | 0.022 | 27 | 35.058 | 199.743 |
| 3 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Toyota | 0.033 | 14 | 45.069 | 199.694 |
| 4 | 38 | David Ragan | Ford | 0.043 | 17 | 45.079 | 199.650 |
| 5 | 7 | Danica Patrick | Chevrolet | 0.098 | 14 | 45.134 | 199.406 |
| 6 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. | Chevrolet | 0.1 | 11 | 45.136 | 199.397 |
| 7 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | 0.144 | 28 | 45.180 | 199.203 |
| 8 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Chevrolet | 0.154 | 8 | 45.190 | 199.159 |
| 9 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Ford | 0.344 | 15 | 45.380 | 198.325 |
| 10 | 51 | Justin Marks | Chevrolet | 0.349 | 22 | 45.385 | 198.303 |
| 11 | 0 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Chevrolet | 0.525 | 16 | 45.561 | 197.537 |
| 12 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Chevrolet | 0.544 | 15 | 45.580 | 197.455 |
| 13 | 24 | William Byron | Chevrolet | 0.545 | 8 | 45.581 | 197.451 |
| 14 | 95 | Kasey Kahne | Chevrolet | 0.568 | 5 | 45.604 | 197.351 |
| 15 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Chevrolet | 0.57 | 22 | 45.606 | 197.342 |
| 16 | 72 | Corey LaJoie | Chevrolet | 0.6 | 7 | 45.636 | 197.213 |
| 17 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Chevrolet | 0.618 | 10 | 45.654 | 197.135 |
| 18 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Chevrolet | 0.714 | 18 | 45.750 | 196.721 |
| 19 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Ford | 0.777 | 6 | 45.813 | 196.451 |
| 20 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chevrolet | 0.785 | 25 | 45.821 | 196.416 |
| 21 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Ford | 0.851 | 12 | 45.887 | 196.134 |
| 22 | 47 | A.J. Allmendinger | Chevrolet | 0.884 | 10 | 45.920 | 195.993 |
| 23 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Ford | 1.342 | 17 | 46.378 | 194.058 |
| 24 | 22 | Joey Logano | Ford | 1.389 | 15 | 46.425 | 193.861 |
| 25 | 21 | Paul Menard | Ford | 1.474 | 11 | 46.510 | 193.507 |
| 26 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Ford | 1.480 | 19 | 46.516 | 193.482 |
| 27 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Ford | 1.585 | 16 | 46.621 | 193.046 |
| 28 | 96 | D.J. Kennington | Toyota | 1.657 | 13 | 46.693 | 192.748 |
| 29 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Ford | 1.783 | 8 | 46.819 | 192.230 |
| 30 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Chevrolet | 1.783 | 12 | 46.819 | 192.230 |
| 31 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Ford | 1.845 | 11 | 46.881 | 191.975 |
| 32 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | 1.85 | 15 | 46.886 | 191.955 |
| 33 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Ford | 1.87 | 11 | 46.906 | 191.873 |
| 34 | 37 | Chris Buescher | Chevrolet | 2.345 | 13 | 47.381 | 189.950 |
| 35 | 66 | Mark Thompson | Ford | 3.278 | 6 | 48.314 | 186.281 |
| 36 | 23 | Gray Gaulding | Toyota | 3.562 | 9 | 48.598 | 185.193 |
NASCAR XFINITY Series
Practice 2
Daniel Hemric led the way as one of three drivers to top 190 mph in the final practice session for Saturday’s PowerShares QQQ 300 at Daytona International Speedway.
Hemric’s 191.322-mph lap in the draft stood as the top circuit in the session, besting teammate Austin Dillon (191.310 mph) by just .003 seconds.
Elliott Sadler (190.553), Tyler Reddick (189.183 mph) and Kyle Larson (188.893 mph) completed the top five, with Ryan Truex (188.675 mph), Joey Logano (188.426 mph), Spencer Gallagher (187.352 mph), Joey Gase (185.250 mph) and Brandon Jones (186.862 mph) making up the rest of the top 10.
The practice ran relatively quietly, with no major issues and only 32 drivers choosing to set a time in the session.
The XFINITY Series field will return on Saturday for qualifying at 9:35 a.m. ET.
Practice 2 Results
| Pos. | Car No. | Driver | Manu. | Behind | Laps | Best Time | Best Speed | Best Lap |
| 1 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Chevrolet | — | 13 | 47.041 | 191.322 | 6 |
| 2 | 3 | Austin Dillon(i) | Chevrolet | 0.003 | 11 | 47.044 | 191.31 | 6 |
| 3 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | Chevrolet | 0.19 | 8 | 47.231 | 190.553 | 8 |
| 4 | 9 | Tyler Reddick # | Chevrolet | 0.532 | 12 | 47.573 | 189.183 | 4 |
| 5 | 42 | Kyle Larson(i) | Chevrolet | 0.605 | 4 | 47.646 | 188.893 | 4 |
| 6 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Chevrolet | 0.66 | 5 | 47.701 | 188.675 | 3 |
| 7 | 22 | Joey Logano(i) | Ford | 0.723 | 5 | 47.764 | 188.426 | 4 |
| 8 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher | Chevrolet | 0.997 | 1 | 48.038 | 187.352 | 1 |
| 9 | 35 | Joey Gase | Chevrolet | 1.023 | 3 | 48.064 | 187.25 | 3 |
| 10 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Toyota | 1.123 | 1 | 48.164 | 186.862 | 1 |
| 11 | 15 | Joe Nemechek(i) | Chevrolet | 1.174 | 5 | 48.215 | 186.664 | 2 |
| 12 | 28 | Dylan Lupton | Ford | 1.372 | 6 | 48.413 | 185.9 | 4 |
| 13 | 90 | Josh Williams | Chevrolet | 1.476 | 12 | 48.517 | 185.502 | 6 |
| 14 | 36 | Alex Labbe # | Chevrolet | 1.491 | 18 | 48.532 | 185.445 | 7 |
| 15 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | Chevrolet | 1.535 | 4 | 48.576 | 185.277 | 4 |
| 16 | 93 | Ryan Sieg | Chevrolet | 1.537 | 8 | 48.578 | 185.269 | 5 |
| 17 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Chevrolet | 1.546 | 3 | 48.587 | 185.235 | 3 |
| 18 | 8 | Caesar Bacarella | Toyota | 1.641 | 5 | 48.682 | 184.873 | 5 |
| 19 | 86 | Brandon Brown | Chevrolet | 1.698 | 3 | 48.739 | 184.657 | 3 |
| 20 | 78 | Ryan Ellis | Toyota | 1.813 | 3 | 48.854 | 184.222 | 3 |
| 21 | 99 | Ray Black II | Toyota | 1.999 | 4 | 49.04 | 183.524 | 4 |
| 22 | 38 | Jeff Green | Chevrolet | 2.018 | 1 | 49.059 | 183.453 | 1 |
| 23 | 24 | Kaz Grala # | Ford | 2.038 | 1 | 49.079 | 183.378 | 1 |
| 24 | 25 | Chris Cockrum | Chevrolet | 2.097 | 5 | 49.138 | 183.158 | 3 |
| 25 | 52 | David Starr | Chevrolet | 2.217 | 1 | 49.258 | 182.711 | 1 |
| 26 | 76 | Spencer Boyd # | Chevrolet | 2.283 | 4 | 49.324 | 182.467 | 2 |
| 27 | 55 | Stephen Leicht | Toyota | 2.526 | 10 | 49.567 | 181.572 | 6 |
| 28 | 40 | Chad Finchum # | Toyota | 2.547 | 3 | 49.588 | 181.496 | 3 |
| 29 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Chevrolet | 2.574 | 2 | 49.615 | 181.397 | 2 |
| 30 | 66 | Timmy Hill | Toyota | 2.641 | 5 | 49.682 | 181.152 | 3 |
| 31 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Dodge | 2.875 | 2 | 49.916 | 180.303 | 2 |
| 32 | 39 | JJ Yeley | Chevrolet | 4.081 | 3 | 51.122 | 176.049 | 3 |
Practice 1
Tyler Reddick’s JR Motorsports debut ended at the top of the charts.
The Kentucky Speedway winner’s 196.190 mph circuit led the way in the opening NASCAR XFINITY Series practice session of the year.
With just two practice sessions and qualifying separating them from Saturday’s season-opening PowerShares QQQ 300, the field of NASCAR’s second series were forced to learn their machines quickly in the opening practice. That led to multiple pack runs in the session, with the latest packs yielding the practice’s quickest times.
Following Reddick in the top five were Daniel Suarez, Spencer Gallagher, Chase Elliott and Michael Annett. Dylan Lupton, Austin Cindric, Matt Tifft, Cole Custer and Aric Almirola completed the top 10.
The 50-minute session ran caution-free, but there were a few early mishaps.
Championship 4 participant Daniel Hemric sustained damage in the practice after contact with incoming rookie Cindric as he was heading the pit road.
While Lupton was ultimately fast in the session, the JGL Racing shoe suffered a close call of his own early in the practice when his No. 28 Ford was nearly sent around. The Californian was able to keep his machine controlled and limp it to the garage area before returning later.
What. A. Save!@LuptonDylan avoids disaster with a brilliant save in practice. #PowerSharesQQQ300 pic.twitter.com/8ZJJpJkYwb
— NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts (@NASCAROReillyAP) February 16, 2018
The XFINITY Series will return for final practice at 2:05 p.m. ET.
Practice 1 Results
| Pos. | Car No. | Driver | Manu. | Behind | Laps | Best Time | Best Speed | Best Lap |
| 1 | 9 | Tyler Reddick # | Chevrolet | — | 19 | 45.874 | 196.19 | 2 |
| 2 | 18 | Daniel Suarez(i) | Toyota | 0.053 | 18 | 45.927 | 195.963 | 2 |
| 3 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher | Chevrolet | 0.099 | 18 | 45.973 | 195.767 | 2 |
| 4 | 88 | Chase Elliott(i) | Chevrolet | 0.279 | 12 | 46.153 | 195.004 | 2 |
| 5 | 5 | Michael Annett | Chevrolet | 0.395 | 11 | 46.269 | 194.515 | 2 |
| 6 | 28 | Dylan Lupton | Ford | 0.581 | 3 | 46.455 | 193.736 | 3 |
| 7 | 60 | Austin Cindric # | Ford | 0.684 | 15 | 46.558 | 193.307 | 3 |
| 8 | 2 | Matt Tifft | Chevrolet | 0.69 | 13 | 46.564 | 193.282 | 3 |
| 9 | 0 | Cole Custer | Ford | 0.842 | 9 | 46.716 | 192.653 | 6 |
| 10 | 98 | Aric Almirola(i) | Ford | 0.954 | 14 | 46.828 | 192.193 | 4 |
| 11 | 42 | Kyle Larson(i) | Chevrolet | 0.971 | 25 | 46.845 | 192.123 | 10 |
| 12 | 16 | Ryan Reed | Ford | 0.985 | 18 | 46.859 | 192.066 | 10 |
| 13 | 3 | Austin Dillon(i) | Chevrolet | 0.991 | 13 | 46.865 | 192.041 | 6 |
| 14 | 22 | Joey Logano(i) | Ford | 1.001 | 25 | 46.875 | 192 | 12 |
| 15 | 11 | Ryan Truex | Chevrolet | 1.003 | 19 | 46.877 | 191.992 | 15 |
| 16 | 20 | Christopher Bell # | Toyota | 1.027 | 17 | 46.901 | 191.894 | 10 |
| 17 | 19 | Brandon Jones | Toyota | 1.027 | 16 | 46.901 | 191.894 | 2 |
| 18 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | Chevrolet | 1.035 | 19 | 46.909 | 191.861 | 12 |
| 19 | 1 | Elliott Sadler | Chevrolet | 1.043 | 20 | 46.917 | 191.828 | 6 |
| 20 | 52 | David Starr | Chevrolet | 1.329 | 12 | 47.203 | 190.666 | 9 |
| 21 | 25 | Chris Cockrum | Chevrolet | 1.329 | 10 | 47.203 | 190.666 | 7 |
| 22 | 36 | Alex Labbe # | Chevrolet | 2.558 | 9 | 48.432 | 185.828 | 5 |
| 23 | 24 | Kaz Grala # | Ford | 2.685 | 6 | 48.559 | 185.342 | 5 |
| 24 | 35 | Joey Gase | Chevrolet | 2.708 | 7 | 48.582 | 185.254 | 5 |
| 25 | 86 | Brandon Brown | Chevrolet | 2.808 | 5 | 48.682 | 184.873 | 5 |
| 26 | 93 | Ryan Sieg | Chevrolet | 2.83 | 2 | 48.704 | 184.79 | 2 |
| 27 | 76 | Spencer Boyd # | Chevrolet | 2.97 | 13 | 48.844 | 184.26 | 13 |
| 28 | 78 | Ryan Ellis | Toyota | 2.975 | 3 | 48.849 | 184.241 | 3 |
| 29 | 99 | Ray Black II | Toyota | 2.985 | 3 | 48.859 | 184.204 | 3 |
| 30 | 8 | Caesar Bacarella | Toyota | 3.059 | 3 | 48.933 | 183.925 | 3 |
| 31 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Chevrolet | 3.153 | 1 | 49.027 | 183.572 | 1 |
| 32 | 4 | Ross Chastain | Chevrolet | 3.238 | 2 | 49.112 | 183.255 | 1 |
| 33 | 1 | Vinnie Miller # | Chevrolet | 3.312 | 2 | 49.186 | 182.979 | 1 |
| 34 | 38 | Jeff Green | Chevrolet | 3.362 | 2 | 49.236 | 182.793 | 2 |
| 35 | 0 | Garrett Smithley | Chevrolet | 3.505 | 1 | 49.379 | 182.264 | 1 |
| 36 | 40 | Chad Finchum # | Toyota | 3.774 | 3 | 49.648 | 181.276 | 2 |
| 37 | 66 | Timmy Hill | Toyota | 4.061 | 2 | 49.935 | 180.234 | 2 |
| 38 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Chevrolet | 4.149 | 1 | 50.023 | 179.917 | 1 |
| 39 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Dodge | 4.245 | 3 | 50.119 | 179.573 | 3 |
| 40 | 39 | JJ Yeley | Chevrolet | 5.925 | 4 | 51.799 | 173.749 | 4 |
| 41 | 21 | Daniel Hemric | Chevrolet | 6.142 | 2 | 52.016 | 173.024 | 1 |