NEWS & STATS
Saturday Practice Recap: Brickyard 400
By Brian Polking
July 24, 2010 7:05 PM ET
A few hours after qualifying for the 17th running of the Brickyard 400, drivers took to the track for a pair of practice sessions. The two one-hour sessions were the last chance for crew chiefs to find the perfect setup to help their driver kiss the bricks. Based on the practice the sheets, the Richard Childress Racing drivers are the favorite to earn that elusive honor.The organization swept the top three spots in three spots in the opening session of the afternoon, with Jeff Burton claiming the top spot. Clint Bowyer was second, and former Brickyard winner Kevin Harvick was third. Harvick notched the best average speed in the session as well. RCR announced it resurgence from a dismal 2009 season by nearly winning the Daytona 500 in February, and the organization can put an exclamation point on that comeback with a win tomorrow.
Among RCR's biggest challengers will be three-time Indianapolis winner Jimmie Johnson. Although he was just 13th and sixth in the two sessions, Johnson had the top 10-lap average speed during the afternoon. He opened Happy Hour with 10 laps at a speed of 172.358 mph.
Martin Truex Jr. posted the best lap in the final session, followed by Burton. Bowyer was third, and Carl Edwards put down the fourth-best lap. The No. 99 also posted the best overall average speed in the session. Mark Martin was fifth, Johnson sixth and Greg Biffle was seventh on the charts. Kasey Kahne had the eighth-best lap and second-best average speed. Matt Kenseth was ninth and Denny Hamlin 10th.
A surprise name missing from the top of the charts was Juan Pablo Montoya. After winning the pole and topping the charts in both practices Friday, Montoya was 18th and 14th in Saturday's sessions. Four-time Brickyard winner Jeff Gordon was also surprisingly absent from the top 10, ranking 15th and 18th Saturday. Kyle Busch and Chicagoland winner David Reutimann were outside the top 20 in both sessions, along with Joey Logano.
All four manufacturers were represented well in practice. RCR and Johnson were among the host of fast Chevys, and Kasey Kahne, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards represented Ford nicely. Truex Jr. and Hamlin were the best of the Toyota bunch, and Kurt Busch posted a top-10 average speed in Happy Hour in the No. 2 Dodge.
Happy Hour Speeds (sorted by average speed)
Rank indicates Best Lap standing
| Rank | Car | Driver | Team | Best Lap | Best Time | Avg. Speed | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Aflac Ford | 175.148 | 51.385 | 172.55 | 19 |
| 8 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Budweiser Ford | 174.812 | 51.484 | 172.53 | 22 |
| 12 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Shell / Pennzoil Chevy | 174.564 | 51.557 | 172.436 | 23 |
| 3 | 33 | Clint Bowyer | Wheaties Fuel Chevy | 175.456 | 51.295 | 172.285 | 17 |
| 5 | 5 | Mark Martin | GoDaddy.com Chevy | 175.121 | 51.393 | 172.083 | 26 |
| 7 | 16 | Greg Biffle | 3M Ford | 174.968 | 51.438 | 172.05 | 24 |
| 2 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Prilosec OTC Chevy | 175.531 | 51.273 | 171.962 | 28 |
| 21 | 2 | Kurt Busch | Miller Lite / Vortex Dodge | 173.648 | 51.829 | 171.962 | 19 |
| 6 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Lowe's Chevy | 174.992 | 51.431 | 171.819 | 34 |
| 1 | 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | NAPA Auto Parts Toyota | 175.627 | 51.245 | 171.818 | 23 |
| 14 | 43 | A J Allmendinger | Valvoline Ford | 174.098 | 51.695 | 171.753 | 22 |
| 22 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevy | 173.537 | 51.862 | 171.611 | 24 |
| 10 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | FedEx Express Toyota | 174.601 | 51.546 | 171.584 | 32 |
| 24 | 77 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Mobil 1 Dodge | 173.451 | 51.888 | 171.576 | 16 |
| 19 | 12 | Brad Keselowski | Penske Dodge | 173.759 | 51.796 | 171.556 | 19 |
| 28 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | AMP Energy / National Guard Chevy | 173.154 | 51.977 | 171.522 | 26 |
| 15 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | DuPont Chevy | 174 | 51.724 | 171.518 | 30 |
| 17 | 83 | Reed Sorenson | Red Bull Toyota | 173.92 | 51.748 | 171.48 | 13 |
| 18 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Target Chevy | 173.809 | 51.781 | 171.396 | 21 |
| 27 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Old Spice / Office Depot Chevy | 173.217 | 51.958 | 171.345 | 28 |
| 25 | 20 | Joey Logano | Home Depot Toyota | 173.424 | 51.896 | 171.228 | 27 |
| 29 | 21 | Bill Elliott | Motorcraft / Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford | 173.087 | 51.997 | 171.221 | 26 |
| 11 | 39 | Ryan Newman | Haas Automation Chevy | 174.571 | 51.555 | 171.169 | 33 |
| 32 | 7 | Robby Gordon | SpeedFactory.TV Toyota | 172.751 | 52.098 | 171.086 | 8 |
| 26 | 18 | Kyle Busch | M&M's Toyota | 173.307 | 51.931 | 171.084 | 26 |
| 13 | 98 | Paul Menard | Mastercraft / Menards Ford | 174.459 | 51.588 | 171.023 | 27 |
| 30 | 0 | David Reutimann | Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota | 172.848 | 52.069 | 170.998 | 20 |
| 33 | 78 | Regan Smith | FarmAmerican.com Chevy | 172.708 | 52.111 | 170.737 | 17 |
| 20 | 19 | Elliott Sadler | Stanley Ford | 173.728 | 51.805 | 170.717 | 29 |
| 16 | 6 | David Ragan | UPS Ford | 173.947 | 51.74 | 170.711 | 31 |
| 9 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Crown Royal Ford | 174.622 | 51.54 | 170.633 | 28 |
| 34 | 37 | Travis Kvapil | Long John Silver's Ford | 171.857 | 52.369 | 170.15 | 20 |
| 23 | 47 | Marcos Ambrose | Kroger / Clorox Toyota | 173.491 | 51.876 | 170.088 | 23 |
| 31 | 82 | Scott Speed | Red Bull Toyota | 172.788 | 52.087 | 169.882 | 18 |
| 35 | 64 | Todd Bodine | Fred's Hometown Discout Store Toyota | 171.461 | 52.49 | 169.67 | 12 |
| 36 | 71 | Landon Cassill | TaxSlayer.com Chevy | 171.292 | 52.542 | 169.528 | 14 |
| 38 | 13 | Max Papis | GEICO Toyota | 170.503 | 52.785 | 168.87 | 13 |
| 39 | 66 | Dave Blaney | PRISM Motorsports Toyota | 170.097 | 52.911 | 168.725 | 8 |
| 37 | 9 | Bobby Labonte | Phoenix Construction Chevy | 170.969 | 52.641 | 168.609 | 7 |
| 40 | 32 | Jacques Villeneuve | Dollar General Toyota | 169.578 | 53.073 | 167.93 | 19 |
| 41 | 34 | Kevin Conway | Extenze Ford | 167.355 | 53.778 | 165.555 | 15 |
Happy Hour 10-lap Average Speeds (must run 10 consecutive laps)
| Rank | Car | Driver | From Lap | To Lap | Avg. Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | 1 | 10 | 172.358 |
| 2 | 39 | Ryan Newman | 1 | 10 | 172.004 |
| 3 | 16 | Greg Biffle | 1 | 10 | 171.900 |
| 4 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | 1 | 10 | 171.832 |
| 5 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | 1 | 10 | 171.805 |
| 6 | 14 | Tony Stewart | 19 | 28 | 171.787 |
| 7 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | 12 | 21 | 171.521 |
| 8 | 98 | Paul Menard | 17 | 26 | 171.417 |
| 9 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 12 | 21 | 171.357 |
| 10 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | 1 | 10 | 171.346 |
| 11 | 18 | Kyle Busch | 1 | 10 | 170.908 |
Third Practice Speeds (sorted by average speed) Rank indicates Best Lap standing
| Rank | Car | Driver | Team | Best Lap | Best Time | Avg. Speed | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Shell / Pennzoil Chevy | 175.182 | 51.375 | 172.495 | 19 |
| 12 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | AMP Energy / National Guard Chevy | 174.540 | 51.564 | 172.301 | 19 |
| 9 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Aflac Ford | 174.778 | 51.494 | 172.214 | 13 |
| 7 | 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | NAPA Auto Parts Toyota | 174.866 | 51.468 | 172.046 | 21 |
| 16 | 2 | Kurt Busch | Miller Lite / Vortex Dodge | 174.108 | 51.692 | 171.853 | 19 |
| 6 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | FedEx Express Toyota | 174.975 | 51.436 | 171.849 | 29 |
| 34 | 87 | Dave Blaney | NEMCO Motorsports Toyota | 171.841 | 52.374 | 171.841 | 1 |
| 11 | 39 | Ryan Newman | Haas Automation Chevy | 174.584 | 51.551 | 171.808 | 15 |
| 20 | 43 | A J Allmendinger | Valvoline Ford | 173.802 | 51.783 | 171.713 | 19 |
| 2 | 33 | Clint Bowyer | Wheaties Fuel Chevy | 175.466 | 51.292 | 171.700 | 29 |
| 10 | 16 | Greg Biffle | 3M Ford | 174.662 | 51.528 | 171.693 | 19 |
| 17 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevy | 173.990 | 51.727 | 171.677 | 15 |
| 8 | 5 | Mark Martin | GoDaddy.com Chevy | 174.832 | 51.478 | 171.612 | 18 |
| 4 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Budweiser Ford | 175.131 | 51.390 | 171.452 | 27 |
| 13 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Lowe's Chevy | 174.422 | 51.599 | 171.429 | 24 |
| 32 | 0 | David Reutimann | Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota | 171.910 | 52.353 | 171.420 | 10 |
| 18 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | DuPont Chevy | 173.926 | 51.746 | 171.405 | 18 |
| 1 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Prilosec OTC Chevy | 175.709 | 51.221 | 171.404 | 23 |
| 19 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Old Spice / Office Depot Chevy | 173.883 | 51.759 | 171.388 | 23 |
| 14 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Target Chevy | 174.348 | 51.621 | 171.292 | 26 |
| 25 | 12 | Brad Keselowski | Penske Dodge | 172.941 | 52.041 | 171.084 | 17 |
| 15 | 98 | Paul Menard | Mastercraft / Menards Ford | 174.226 | 51.657 | 170.936 | 23 |
| 5 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Crown Royal Ford | 175.012 | 51.425 | 170.849 | 22 |
| 24 | 18 | Kyle Busch | M&M's Toyota | 173.010 | 52.020 | 170.820 | 28 |
| 28 | 78 | Regan Smith | FarmAmerican.com Chevy | 172.285 | 52.239 | 170.810 | 18 |
| 21 | 20 | Joey Logano | Home Depot Toyota | 173.601 | 51.843 | 170.638 | 16 |
| 33 | 77 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Mobil 1 Dodge | 171.877 | 52.363 | 170.556 | 17 |
| 23 | 82 | Scott Speed | Red Bull Toyota | 173.064 | 52.004 | 170.514 | 20 |
| 27 | 7 | Robby Gordon | SpeedFactory.TV Toyota | 172.563 | 52.155 | 170.444 | 13 |
| 26 | 83 | Reed Sorenson | Red Bull Toyota | 172.708 | 52.111 | 170.299 | 19 |
| 22 | 6 | David Ragan | UPS Ford | 173.390 | 51.906 | 170.291 | 23 |
| 35 | 55 | Michael McDowell | PRISM Motorsports Toyota | 171.168 | 52.580 | 170.118 | 10 |
| 30 | 19 | Elliott Sadler | Stanley Ford | 172.183 | 52.270 | 170.089 | 21 |
| 37 | 47 | Marcos Ambrose | Kroger / Clorox Toyota | 170.561 | 52.767 | 169.970 | 9 |
| 31 | 21 | Bill Elliott | Motorcraft / Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford | 172.068 | 52.305 | 169.721 | 17 |
| 36 | 13 | Max Papis | GEICO Toyota | 170.804 | 52.692 | 169.578 | 14 |
| 39 | 64 | Todd Bodine | Fred's Hometown Discout Store Toyota | 169.936 | 52.961 | 169.175 | 11 |
| 29 | 37 | Travis Kvapil | Long John Silver's Ford | 172.265 | 52.245 | 169.071 | 20 |
| 40 | 71 | Landon Cassill | TaxSlayer.com Chevy | 169.738 | 53.023 | 168.892 | 10 |
| 41 | 66 | Dave Blaney | PRISM Motorsports Toyota | 168.729 | 53.340 | 168.729 | 2 |
| 38 | 9 | Bobby Labonte | Phoenix Construction Chevy | 170.271 | 52.857 | 168.420 | 13 |
| 43 | 32 | Jacques Villeneuve | Dollar General Toyota | 168.023 | 53.564 | 166.316 | 10 |
| 42 | 34 | Kevin Conway | Extenze Ford | 168.486 | 53.417 | 165.634 | 15 |
Combined Average Speeds (weighted based on # of laps per session)
| Car | Driver | Team | Average Speed | Total Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | Kevin Harvick | Shell / Pennzoil Chevy | 172.463 | 42 |
| 99 | Carl Edwards | Aflac Ford | 172.414 | 32 |
| 9 | Kasey Kahne | Budweiser Ford | 171.936 | 49 |
| 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | NAPA Auto Parts Toyota | 171.927 | 44 |
| 33 | Clint Bowyer | Wheaties Fuel Chevy | 171.916 | 46 |
| 2 | Kurt Busch | Miller Lite / Vortex Dodge | 171.908 | 38 |
| 16 | Greg Biffle | 3M Ford | 171.892 | 43 |
| 5 | Mark Martin | GoDaddy.com Chevy | 171.890 | 44 |
| 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | AMP Energy / National Guard Chevy | 171.851 | 45 |
| 87 | Dave Blaney | NEMCO Motorsports Toyota | 171.841 | 1 |
| 43 | A J Allmendinger | Valvoline Ford | 171.734 | 41 |
| 31 | Jeff Burton | Prilosec OTC Chevy | 171.710 | 51 |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | FedEx Express Toyota | 171.710 | 61 |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Lowe's Chevy | 171.658 | 58 |
| 1 | Jamie McMurray | Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevy | 171.636 | 39 |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | DuPont Chevy | 171.476 | 48 |
| 39 | Ryan Newman | Haas Automation Chevy | 171.369 | 48 |
| 14 | Tony Stewart | Old Spice / Office Depot Chevy | 171.364 | 51 |
| 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Target Chevy | 171.338 | 47 |
| 12 | Brad Keselowski | Penske Dodge | 171.333 | 36 |
| 0 | David Reutimann | Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota | 171.139 | 30 |
| 77 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Mobil 1 Dodge | 171.051 | 33 |
| 20 | Joey Logano | Home Depot Toyota | 171.008 | 43 |
| 98 | Paul Menard | Mastercraft / Menards Ford | 170.983 | 50 |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | M&M's Toyota | 170.947 | 54 |
| 83 | Reed Sorenson | Red Bull Toyota | 170.779 | 32 |
| 78 | Regan Smith | FarmAmerican.com Chevy | 170.775 | 35 |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth | Crown Royal Ford | 170.728 | 50 |
| 7 | Robby Gordon | SpeedFactory.TV Toyota | 170.689 | 21 |
| 21 | Bill Elliott | Motorcraft / Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford | 170.628 | 43 |
| 6 | David Ragan | UPS Ford | 170.532 | 54 |
| 19 | Elliott Sadler | Stanley Ford | 170.453 | 50 |
| 82 | Scott Speed | Red Bull Toyota | 170.215 | 38 |
| 55 | Michael McDowell | PRISM Motorsports Toyota | 170.118 | 10 |
| 47 | Marcos Ambrose | Kroger / Clorox Toyota | 170.055 | 32 |
| 37 | Travis Kvapil | Long John Silver's Ford | 169.611 | 40 |
| 64 | Todd Bodine | Fred's Hometown Discout Store Toyota | 169.433 | 23 |
| 71 | Landon Cassill | TaxSlayer.com Chevy | 169.263 | 24 |
| 13 | Max Papis | GEICO Toyota | 169.237 | 27 |
| 66 | Dave Blaney | PRISM Motorsports Toyota | 168.726 | 10 |
| 9 | Bobby Labonte | Phoenix Construction Chevy | 168.486 | 20 |
| 32 | Jacques Villeneuve | Dollar General Toyota | 167.373 | 29 |
| 34 | Kevin Conway | Extenze Ford | 165.595 | 30 |
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