Six-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson set the early bar for this weekend’s opening race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup, leading Friday’s sole practice session at Chicagoland Speedway.
Johnson (183.780 mph) was one of two drivers that topped 183 mph around the 1.5-mile track located 50 miles southwest of downtown Chicago.
Carl Edwards was second-fastest at 183.299 mph.
Denny Hamlin, who won last week at Richmond, was third fastest (182.927), followed by Brad Keselowski (182.655), Chase Elliott (182.568), Alex Bowman (182.285), Martin Truex Jr. (182.106), Kyle Larson (182.045), Ryan Blaney (182.045) and Kyle Busch (181.990).
There will be two more Sprint Cup practice sessions on Saturday: 10:25 a.m. ET and 1:20 p.m. ET.
Friday’s Sprint Cup qualifying was cancelled due to weather earlier in the day. Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski will start Sunday’s race from the front row, based upon point standings entering the Chase opener.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 race takes place Sunday with the green flag scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET.
Here’s how Friday’s Cup practice played out:
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