William Byron Tops NASCAR Cup Practice at COTA with Fastest Overall Time

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William Byron fastest overall in NASCAR Cup practice at COTA

Byron, who clinched pole position for this race a year ago, showcased his prowess as one of the final contenders to complete laps during the 1½-hour practice session. Despite the clock ticking down, Byron managed to clock the fastest average lap speed of the day at an impressive 94.415 mph.

With the inaugural road course race of the season featuring NASCAR’s new aero package, teams were divided into two groups. Each group was granted a pair of 20-minute sessions on the track to fine-tune their strategies.

Byron’s standout performance emerged from Group B, surpassing Ty Gibbs’ leading lap of 94.681 mph set in the second session of Group A.

William Byron
William Byron (Credits: Motorsport)

In the second 20-minute session of Group B, Byron’s late flyer lap at 94.703 mph effortlessly claimed the top spot on the speed chart. His teammate at Hendrick Motorsports, Alex Bowman, followed closely in second place (94.415 mph), with Christopher Bell securing third (94.226 mph). Ross Chastain and Kamui Kobayashi completed the top five.

While Group B saw Chastain briefly spinning out and a few drivers having their lap times invalidated for cutting the course, including Michael McDowell, Austin Dillon, and Josh Berry, the action remained intense.

In Group A, Gibbs set a scorching pace across both sessions, improving his time in the second 40-minute practice to lead with an average lap speed of 94.681 mph. Bubba Wallace trailed in second place (94.260 mph), with Kyle Busch securing third. Shane van Gisbergen and Corey LaJoie rounded out the top five in this group.

William Byron
William Byron (Credits: Motorsport)

Reflecting on his team’s performance, Wallace expressed pride in 23XI Racing’s efforts. However, he noted the variance in tire strategies among competitors, emphasizing the importance of preparation for the race ahead.

The sessions weren’t without incidents; Tyler Reddick’s spin-off at Turn 7 in the first Group A session led to a brief halt in the action. Additionally, several drivers in Group A, including LaJoie, Denny Hamlin, A.J. Allmendinger, Todd Gilliland, Ryan Blaney, and Chase Briscoe, had their lap times invalidated for cutting corners.

The competitive spirit was evident throughout the practice sessions, setting the stage for an exhilarating race day. Byron’s late surge, coupled with Gibbs’ impressive consistency, hints at a thrilling battle ahead on the track.

CLA DRIVER # MANUFACTURER LAPS TIME INTERVAL MPH
1 W. Byron

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS

24 Chevrolet 14

2’09.626

94.703
2
T. Gibbs
JOE GIBBS RACING
54 Toyota 16

+0.030

2’09.656

0.030 94.681
3 A. Bowman

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS

48 Chevrolet 13

+0.395

2’10.021

0.365 94.416
4 B. Wallace

23XI RACING

23 Toyota 13

+0.609

2’10.235

0.214 94.260
5 C. Bell

JOE GIBBS RACING

20 Toyota 15

+0.656

2’10.282

0.047 94.226
6 K. Busch

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING

8 Chevrolet 14

+0.787

2’10.413

0.131 94.132
7 R. Chastain

TRACKHOUSE RACING

1 Chevrolet 15

+0.791

2’10.417

0.004 94.129
8 K. Kobayashi

23XI RACING

50 Toyota 10

+0.941

2’10.567

0.150 94.021
9 K. Larson

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS

5 Chevrolet 14

+0.997

2’10.623

0.056 93.980
10 S. van Gisbergen

KAULIG RACING

16 Chevrolet 15

+1.043

2’10.669

0.046 93.947
11 C. Lajoie

SPIRE MOTORSPORTS

7 Chevrolet 14

+1.051

2’10.677

0.008 93.942
12 T. Reddick

23XI RACING

45 Toyota 11

+1.262

2’10.888

0.211 93.790
13 A. Cindric

TEAM PENSKE

2 Ford 13

+1.289

2’10.915

0.027 93.771
14 C. Briscoe

STEWART-HAAS RACING

14 Ford 15

+1.391

2’11.017

0.102 93.698
15 M. Truex Jr

JOE GIBBS RACING

19 Toyota 17

+1.443

2’11.069

0.052 93.661
16 R. Blaney

TEAM PENSKE

12 Ford 18

+1.450

2’11.076

0.007 93.656
17 A. Allmendinger

KAULIG RACING

13 Chevrolet 12

+1.553

2’11.179

0.103 93.582
18 C. Buescher

RFK RACING

17 Ford 16

+1.613

2’11.239

0.060 93.539
19 J. Logano

TEAM PENSKE

22 Ford 15

+1.666

2’11.292

0.053 93.502
20 C. Elliott

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS

9 Chevrolet 15

+1.668

2’11.294

0.002 93.500
21 J. Haley

RICK WARE RACING

51 Ford 13

+1.701

2’11.327

0.033 93.477
22 R. Preece

STEWART-HAAS RACING

41 Ford 13

+1.716

2’11.342

0.015 93.466
23 N. Gragson

STEWART-HAAS RACING

10 Ford 17

+1.727

2’11.353

0.011 93.458
24 D. Suarez

TRACKHOUSE RACING

99 Chevrolet 16

+1.784

2’11.410

0.057 93.418
25 A. Dillon

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING

3 Chevrolet 15

+1.818

2’11.444

0.034 93.393
26 M. McDowell

FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

34 Ford 16

+1.876

2’11.502

0.058 93.352
27 T. Gilliland

FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

38 Ford 17

+2.059

2’11.685

0.183 93.222
28 R. Stenhouse Jr

JTG DAUGHERTY RACING

47 Chevrolet 11

+2.111

2’11.737

0.052 93.186
29
C. Hocevar
SPIRE MOTORSPORTS
77 Chevrolet 15

+2.121

2’11.747

0.010 93.179
30 B. Keselowski

RFK RACING

6 Ford 15

+2.166

2’11.792

0.045 93.147
31 J. Nemechek

LEGACY MOTOR CLUB

42 Toyota 17

+2.238

2’11.864

0.072 93.096
32
Z. Smith
SPIRE MOTORSPORTS
71 Chevrolet 16

+2.297

2’11.923

0.059 93.054
33 D. Hamlin

JOE GIBBS RACING

11 Toyota 17

+2.506

2’12.132

0.209 92.907
34 K. Grala

RICK WARE RACING

15 Ford 11

+2.511

2’12.137

0.005 92.904
35 H. Burton

WOOD BROTHERS RACING

21 Ford 12

+2.562

2’12.188

0.051 92.868
36 J. Berry

STEWART-HAAS RACING

4 Ford 15

+2.864

2’12.490

0.302 92.656
37 E. Jones

LEGACY MOTOR CLUB

43 Toyota 12

+3.280

2’12.906

0.416 92.366
38 D. Hemric

KAULIG RACING

31 Chevrolet 13

+3.330

2’12.956

0.050 92.331
39 T. Hill

MBM

66 Ford 4

+8.292

2’17.918

4.962 89.009
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By Jayson O'Neil

Jayson is a car-o-holic, and you will often find him writing about cars & bikes here at DaxStreet. You can reach out to him at [email protected]

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