In the first 20-minute session on Saturday, Byron had the fastest lap speed, going at 181.317 mph. Reddick followed him at second place (180.114 mph), and Wallace was third (180.060 mph). Gibbs led the second session but was fourth overall (179.062 mph).
Before practice, NASCAR gave penalties to Reddick’s No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota. They found that the team made changes to the car’s underwing after it passed inspection. As a result, the team’s car chief got ejected, and they’ll start from the back of the field on Sunday. Reddick will also have to do a pass-through penalty and join qualifying to make it fair for everyone else.
During practice, Larson had the fastest average lap speed among those who ran at least 10 laps in a row, going at 177.415 mph. Gibbs and Buescher were next in line.
In the first group, Byron was the fastest, followed by Reddick and Wallace. Hocevar and Chastain also did well. But Byron had a scary moment when he spun out in Turn 4, though he didn’t hit anything.
In the second group, Gibbs led the way, with Larson and Buescher close behind. Truex Jr. and LaJoie also had good speeds. Buescher had a tire problem and spun out, hitting the wall on the driver’s side. He’ll switch to a backup car and start at the back of the field on Sunday.
