SAD NEWS FOR NASCAR ABOUT A MINUTES AGO NASCAR DRIVER’S DIE IN A CAR CRASH…….
track activity for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway began on Wednesday morning with a 45-minute practice session in preparation for qualifying on Wednesday evening.
Toyotas claimed the top three positions on the practice leaderboard, with three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin clocking the fastest lap of the session. Hamlin’s quick time registered at 48.005 seconds, an average speed of 187.480 miles per hour around the 2.5-mile superspeedway.
Bubba Wallace placed second, followed by Ty Gibbs, Chandler Smith and John Hunter Nemechek.
Smith’s practice performance was notable, making him the fastest “open” competitor in the practice session. With 45 cars attempting to enter this year’s Daytona 500, Smith was quickest among the nine teams not locked into the Daytona 500 in the No. 66 Garage 66 Ford.
Qualifying for the Daytona 500 begins at 8 p.m. ET, airing on FS1. The qualifying session will lock in the front row for Sunday’s Daytona 500 and set the fields for Thursday’s Duels at Daytona.
Daytona International Speedway takes center stage beginning Wednesday as all of NASCAR gathers for one of the biggest annual weeks in motorsports.
Daytona Speedweeks marks the official openers for the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series, Craftsman Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series and culminates in stock car racing’s most iconic event: the 67th annual Daytona 500. Each day will feature cars (or trucks) on the track, speeding around the 2.5-mile oval at the “World Center of Racing.”
