Chris Buescher and Zane Smith, a pair of drivers not in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, paced Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series practice from Kansas Speedway.
Denny Hamlin, third, was the quickest of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs drivers, with Bubba Wallace of 23XI Racing just behind him in fourth. LEGACY MOTOR CLUB teammates John Hunter Nemechek and Erik Jones rounded out the top six.
Justin Haley, Chase Briscoe, Todd Gilliland, and Ty Dillon rounded out the top-10 in a session that heavily favored those who ran in the first group of practice.
Other post-season drivers ranked 12th (Kyle Larson), 13th (Chase Elliott), 14th (Tyler Reddick), 17th (Christopher Bell), 20th (Austin Cindric), 23rd (William Byron), 31st (Ross Chastain), 35th (Joey Logano), and 36th (Ryan Blaney) in the session.
Both Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney had problems during their 25-minute session at Kansas Speedway, where they blew tires and crashed into the outside wall.
PRACTICE RESULTS:
| Pos | # | Driver | Team | Time | Diff | Speed | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing Body Guard Ford | 30.672 | 176.056 | 30 | |
| 2 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports Speedy Cash Ford | 30.735 | 0.063 | 175.695 | 28 |
| 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing Sport Clips Toyota | 30.737 | 0.065 | 175.684 | 34 |
| 4 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing U.S. Air Force Toyota | 30.741 | 0.069 | 175.661 | 33 |
| 5 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Dollar Tree Toyota | 30.763 | 0.091 | 175.536 | 30 |
| 6 | 43 | Erik Jones | LEGACY MOTOR CLUB AdventHealth Toyota | 30.776 | 0.104 | 175.461 | 30 |
| 7 | 7 | Justin Haley | Spire Motorsports Nations Guard Chevrolet | 30.792 | 0.120 | 175.370 | 30 |
| 8 | 19 | Chase Briscoe | Joe Gibbs Racing Bass Pro Shops Toyota | 30.801 | 0.129 | 175.319 | 32 |
| 9 | 34 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports Dean's Dip Ford | 30.806 | 0.134 | 175.291 | 23 |
| 10 | 10 | Ty Dillon | Kaulig Racing DraftKings Chevrolet | 30.823 | 0.151 | 175.194 | 27 |
| 11 | 41 | Cole Custer | Haas Factory Team Haas / Andy's Ford | 30.839 | 0.167 | 175.103 | 32 |
| 12 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports HendrickCars.com Chevrolet | 30.855 | 0.183 | 175.012 | 25 |
| 13 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet | 30.860 | 0.188 | 174.984 | 32 |
| 14 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing The Beast Toyota | 30.867 | 0.195 | 174.944 | 27 |
| 15 | 16 | AJ Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing Action Industries Chevrolet | 30.869 | 0.197 | 174.933 | 28 |
| 16 | 71 | Michael McDowell | Spire Motorsports Gainbridge Chevrolet | 30.871 | 0.199 | 174.921 | 24 |
| 17 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing Rheem Toyota | 30.878 | 0.206 | 174.882 | 32 |
| 18 | 4 | Noah Gragson | Front Row Motorsports Beef-A-Roo Ford | 30.882 | 0.210 | 174.859 | 28 |
| 19 | 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing SAIA LTL Freight Toyota | 30.883 | 0.211 | 174.853 | 31 |
| 20 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske Discount Tire Ford | 30.907 | 0.235 | 174.718 | 26 |
| 21 | 99 | Daniel Suarez | Trackhouse Racing Freeway Hispanic Heritage Chevrolet | 30.938 | 0.266 | 174.543 | 33 |
| 22 | 88 | Shane Van Gisbergen | Trackhouse Racing Red Bull Chevrolet | 30.940 | 0.268 | 174.531 | 35 |
| 23 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports Cincinnati Chevrolet | 30.974 | 0.302 | 174.340 | 28 |
| 24 | 21 | Josh Berry | Wood Brothers Racing Menards / Dutch Boy Ford | 30.974 | 0.302 | 174.340 | 19 |
| 25 | 77 | Carson Hocevar | Spire Motorsports Delaware Life Chevrolet | 30.990 | 0.318 | 174.250 | 25 |
| 26 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing Bass Pro Shops / Winchester Chevrolet | 31.004 | 0.332 | 174.171 | 22 |
| 27 | 35 | Riley Herbst | 23XI Racing Monster Energy Toyota | 31.031 | 0.359 | 174.020 | 35 |
| 28 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. | HYAK Motorsports Ram Self Storage Chevrolet | 31.034 | 0.362 | 174.003 | 27 |
| 29 | 60 | Ryan Preece | RFK Racing Kroger / Minute Rice Ford | 31.046 | 0.374 | 173.935 | 15 |
| 30 | 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing Evil Knievel Museum Ford | 31.088 | 0.416 | 173.700 | 29 |
| 31 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing Kubota Chevrolet | 31.124 | 0.452 | 173.500 | 25 |
| 32 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing Solomon Plumbing Ford | 31.187 | 0.515 | 173.149 | 29 |
| 33 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet | 31.244 | 0.572 | 172.833 | 29 |
| 34 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports Ally Financial Chevrolet | 31.317 | 0.645 | 172.430 | 25 |
| 35 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske Shell-Pennzoil Ford | 31.492 | 0.820 | 171.472 | 24 |
| 36 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske Menards / Richmond Water Heaters Ford | 31.678 | 1.006 | 170.465 | 4 |
| 37 | 44 | JJ Yeley | NY Racing PCNY Concierge Chevrolet | 32.115 | 1.443 | 168.146 | 21 |
