Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
Alex Bowman set the pace in an innovative practice session on Friday afternoon, posting the fastest lap as the NASCAR Cup Series riders made the rounds on the Bristol Motor Speedway’s ground surface for the first time.
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Bowman pushed Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet No. 48 to the best speed of 89.308 mph on the half-mile track. The 50-minute session marked the opening of activity on the track ahead of Sunday’s Food City Dirt Race (3:30 pm ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM), the first Cup Series event on the ground since 1970.
Dirt expert Christopher Bell was the second fastest at 88,999 mph in the 20th Toyota, the first of three consecutive Joe Gibbs competitors behind Bowman. Kyle Busch was third on the speed chart, with teammate Denny Hamlin fourth and Hendrick’s Kyle Larson completing the top five.
The opening training was concluded without major incident, with solo rounds by Martin Truex Jr. and JJ Yeley (twice) among the few mistakes. Truex is among the Cup Series drivers who do double tasks at the Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt on Saturday (8pm ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM) for the Camping World Truck Series.
Final Cup Series training is scheduled for Friday at 6:35 pm Eastern Time (FS1). The first of four qualifying races to define the starting lineup is scheduled for Saturday at 6 pm Eastern Time (FS1).
This story will be updated.