Johnson tops final Las Vegas Cup practice
LAS VEGAS — Jimmie Johnson topped final Cup Series practice Friday afternoon at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Pennzoil 400.
Johnson, a four-time winner at Las Vegas, posted a lap time of 30.095 seconds (179.432 mph average). Rounding out the top-five fastest drivers were Clint Bowyer, Aric Almirola, Kevin Harvick and Matt DiBenedetto.
“We worked through some stuff in the first practice,” Johnson said. “Very optimistic and a lot of smiles around this 48 car.”
Ross Chastain, filling in for Ryan Newman, was sixth fastest and turned 51 laps.
Martin Truex Jr., the September Las Vegas winner, was 11th fastest.
Joey Logano, the defending Pennzoil 400 winner, was 13th fastest.
Denny Hamlin, the 2020 Daytona 500 champion, was 19th quickest.
Kyle Busch, the defending Cup Series champion, was 28th fastest.
All 38 drivers entered for the race turned at least four laps in the 50-minute practice session.
Qualifying for the Pennzoil 400 will be held Saturday.
The Pennzoil 400 will be run on Sunday, Feb. 23 at 3:30 p.m. ET (TV FOX, radio PRN).
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Dominic Aragon View All
Dominic Aragon is currently the editor-in-chief for The Racing Experts.
From Grants, New Mexico, USA, Aragon started watching NASCAR in 2004 and has been covering the sport since 2009. Aragon is a 2012 graduate of Grants High School and a May 2016 graduate of the University of New Mexico with a B.A. in Mass Communications & Journalism. Aragon has worked in local and national media, as a musician, and an educator. He is co-author of the 2024 book "All of It: Daytona 500 Champion Tells the Rest of the Story" with racer Geoff Bodine.
Aragon, his wife Feliz, and son Christopher currently reside in Grants, New Mexico, USA.
You can reach Dominic at daragon@theracingexperts.net.