We’re now one step closer to taking the green flag in the 68th Annual DAYTONA 500.
The second of three one-hour practice sessions ahead of ‘The Great American Race’ on Sunday is complete, and Austin Dillon, driving the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Richard Childress Racing, topped the speed charts.
Dillon was a part of one of the massive packs that hit the racetrack early in Friday’s NASCAR Cup Series practice from the 2.5-mile superspeedway, with several Chevrolet-backed drivers getting in line and putting together several fast laps.
The Welcome, North Carolina-native was able to get around the 2.5-mile superspeedway in 46.006 seconds, equivalent to 195.627mph. Alex Bowman was second, with Justin Allgaier, Chase Elliott, and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. rounding out the top five. Shane Van Gisbergen, William Byron, Ross Chastain, Kyle Larson, and Connor Zilisch rounded out the top-10.
While for some drivers, the practice was a good opportunity to get a better read on their vehicles while in the draft, it also provided an opportunity for those driving backup cars (William Byron, Chris Buescher, Daniel Suarez, and Ross Chastain) to get acclimated to the racecars they will now drive in the DAYTONA 500.
Byron, Chastain, and Suarez were all able to get in the Chevrolet pack that was the biggest throughout the session, while Buescher got himself in a pack with some fellow Ford Racing drivers.
RELATED: Practice Results from DAYTONA 500 Practice #2
Of the 41 drivers scheduled to compete in the 2026 DAYTONA 500, only 37 of them took to the racetrack in the second practice session, with Casey Mears, Ryan Preece, and AJ Allmendinger all unable to return to the racetrack. They, along with several others in the field. will look to get some more practice time on Saturday at 3:00 PM ET.
That session, considered ‘Happy Hour’, will take place on Saturday between the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series events. Coverage will be on FOX Sports 1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
