Sunday’s race will be the first in the spring on the asphalt surface at Bristol since 2020. The spring race has been run on dirt the past three seasons, with Christopher Bell the most recent winner last year.
Blaney, who currently leads the series points standings, topped the speed chart with an average lap speed of 127.681 mph. The top three overall speeds were from the first 20-minute group, with Blaney followed by Kyle Busch and Bubba Wallace.
Harrison Burton led the way in Group B with an average lap speed of 125.215 mph.
Among those drivers who ran at least 10 consecutive laps, Blaney had the best average speed (125.713 mph) followed by Ross Chastain and Wallace.
Group B
Burton was the surprise leader in the Group B session with an average lap speed of 125.215 mph.
Chase Elliott was second fastest (124.654 mph) and Kyle Larson was third (124.654 mph).
Brad Keselowski and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. rounded out the top five.
In the opening minutes of the session, Ty Gibbs shot up the track in Turn 2 and hit the wall, bringing out a brief caution. The team made repairs to his No. 54 Toyota and he was able to return to the track before the conclusion of practice.
Here's a look at the hit for Ty Gibbs in Bristol: https://t.co/k8DWyRDjBT pic.twitter.com/aBDQHDVeTz
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 16, 2024
Group A
Blaney got off to a quick start in practice and went right to top of the speed chart with an average lap speed of 127.681 mph.
Busch was second quick at 126.988 mph while Wallace ended up third (126.921 mph).
Chastain ended up fourth and Blaney’s Penske teammate, Joey Logano, rounded out the top five.
| CLA | DRIVER | # | MANUFACTURER | LAPS | TIME | INTERVAL | MPH | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | R. BlaneyTEAM PENSKE | 12 | Ford | 36 |
15.028 |
127.682 | ||
| 2 | K. BuschRICHARD CHILDRESS RACING | 8 | Chevrolet | 37 |
+0.082 15.110 |
0.082 | 126.989 | |
| 3 | B. Wallace23XI RACING | 23 | Toyota | 56 |
+0.090 15.118 |
0.008 | 126.922 | |
| 4 | R. ChastainTRACKHOUSE RACING | 1 | Chevrolet | 51 |
+0.092 15.120 |
0.002 | 126.905 | |
| 5 | J. LoganoTEAM PENSKE | 22 | Ford | 40 |
+0.097 15.125 |
0.005 | 126.863 | |
| 6 | W. ByronHENDRICK MOTORSPORTS | 24 | Chevrolet | 36 |
+0.133 15.161 |
0.036 | 126.562 | |
| 7 | M. McDowellFRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS | 34 | Ford | 29 |
+0.178 15.206 |
0.045 | 126.187 | |
| 8 | C. BellJOE GIBBS RACING | 20 | Toyota | 48 |
+0.207 15.235 |
0.029 | 125.947 | |
| 9 | A. AllmendingerKAULIG RACING | 16 | Chevrolet | 38 |
+0.236 15.264 |
0.029 | 125.708 | |
| 10 | J. NemechekLEGACY MOTOR CLUB | 42 | Toyota | 42 |
+0.279 15.307 |
0.043 | 125.354 | |
| 11 | D. SuarezTRACKHOUSE RACING | 99 | Chevrolet | 16 |
+0.290 15.318 |
0.011 | 125.264 | |
| 12 | C. BuescherRFK RACING | 17 | Ford | 41 |
+0.295 15.323 |
0.005 | 125.224 | |
| 13 | H. BurtonWOOD BROTHERS RACING | 21 | Ford | 31 |
+0.296 15.324 |
0.001 | 125.215 | |
| 14 | J. HaleyRICK WARE RACING | 51 | Ford | 32 |
+0.305 15.333 |
0.009 | 125.142 | |
| 15 | N. GragsonSTEWART-HAAS RACING | 10 | Ford | 45 |
+0.352 15.380 |
0.047 | 124.759 | |
| 16 | C. ElliottHENDRICK MOTORSPORTS | 9 | Chevrolet | 29 |
+0.357 15.385 |
0.005 | 124.719 | |
| 17 | K. LarsonHENDRICK MOTORSPORTS | 5 | Chevrolet | 34 |
+0.365 15.393 |
0.008 | 124.654 | |
| 18 | T. GillilandFRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS | 38 | Ford | 31 |
+0.385 15.413 |
0.020 | 124.492 | |
| 19 | C. LajoieSPIRE MOTORSPORTS | 7 | Chevrolet | 32 |
+0.387 15.415 |
0.002 | 124.476 | |
| 20 |
Z. SmithSPIRE MOTORSPORTS
|
71 | Chevrolet | 37 |
+0.391 15.419 |
0.004 | 124.444 | |
| 21 | B. KeselowskiRFK RACING | 6 | Ford | 31 |
+0.460 15.488 |
0.069 | 123.889 | |
| 22 | R. Stenhouse JrJTG DAUGHERTY RACING | 47 | Chevrolet | 34 |
+0.503 15.531 |
0.043 | 123.546 | |
| 23 | C. BriscoeSTEWART-HAAS RACING | 14 | Ford | 34 |
+0.506 15.534 |
0.003 | 123.523 | |
| 24 | D. HemricKAULIG RACING | 31 | Chevrolet | 37 |
+0.516 15.544 |
0.010 | 123.443 | |
| 25 | R. PreeceSTEWART-HAAS RACING | 41 | Ford | 30 |
+0.573 15.601 |
0.057 | 122.992 | |
| 26 | J. BerrySTEWART-HAAS RACING | 4 | Ford | 36 |
+0.592 15.620 |
0.019 | 122.843 | |
| 27 | A. CindricTEAM PENSKE | 2 | Ford | 25 |
+0.599 15.627 |
0.007 | 122.787 | |
| 28 | A. BowmanHENDRICK MOTORSPORTS | 48 | Chevrolet | 28 |
+0.604 15.632 |
0.005 | 122.748 | |
| 29 | M. Truex JrJOE GIBBS RACING | 19 | Toyota | 34 |
+0.613 15.641 |
0.009 | 122.678 | |
| 30 | D. HamlinJOE GIBBS RACING | 11 | Toyota | 31 |
+0.629 15.657 |
0.016 | 122.552 | |
| 31 |
C. HocevarSPIRE MOTORSPORTS
|
77 | Chevrolet | 24 |
+0.728 15.756 |
0.099 | 121.782 | |
| 32 | T. Reddick23XI RACING | 45 | Toyota | 34 |
+0.746 15.774 |
0.018 | 121.643 | |
| 33 | E. JonesLEGACY MOTOR CLUB | 43 | Toyota | 23 |
+0.786 15.814 |
0.040 | 121.336 | |
| 34 |
T. GibbsJOE GIBBS RACING
|
54 | Toyota | 14 |
+0.859 15.887 |
0.073 | 120.778 | |
| 35 | A. DillonRICHARD CHILDRESS RACING | 3 | Chevrolet | 40 |
+0.908 15.936 |
0.049 | 120.407 | |
| 36 | K. GralaRICK WARE RACING | 15 | Ford | 33 |
+1.239 16.267 |
0.331 | 117.957 |
