Bowman leads first Cup practice at Fontana as Chevys dominate
Alex Bowman, who was in good position late in last weekend’s race at Las Vegas to pick up a win, topped Friday’s first NASCAR Cup Series practice at Auto Club Speedway in California.
Bowman quickly posted the fastest average lap speed when the 50-minute session began and continued to improve throughout, leading the way at 179.439 mph.
In all, Chevrolet drivers claimed the top four positions and six of the top-10 speeds.
Kyle Larson ended up second (177.703 mph) and Tyler Reddick was third (177.607 mph). Kurt Busch was fourth and Matt DiBenedetto completed the top-five.
Rounding out the top-10 speeds were Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr., Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ryan Blaney and Brad Keselowski.
“I’m so thankful and appreciative to Auto Club Speedway and all the fans,” Johnson said. “It’s going to be a special weekend with of course my family being here and waving the green flag.
“That practice was great. We stayed on one set of tires and we’re happy with our car and the comfort that it has. The second practice will tell us a lot more.”
| Cla | # | Driver | Manufacturer | Laps | Time | Gap | Interval | Mph |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 88 |  Alex Bowman | Chevrolet | 23 | 40.125 | 179.439 | ||
| 2 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chevrolet | 17 | 40.517 | 0.392 | 0.392 | 177.703 |
| 3 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Chevrolet | 21 | 40.539 | 0.414 | 0.022 | 177.607 |
| 4 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chevrolet | 23 | 40.592 | 0.467 | 0.053 | 177.375 |
| 5 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Ford | 24 | 40.768 | 0.643 | 0.176 | 176.609 |
| 6 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | 20 | 40.791 | 0.666 | 0.023 | 176.510 |
| 7 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Toyota | 20 | 40.791 | 0.666 | 0.000 | 176.510 |
| 8 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Chevrolet | 22 | 40.805 | 0.680 | 0.014 | 176.449 |
| 9 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Ford | 28 | 40.882 | 0.757 | 0.077 | 176.117 |
| 10 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Ford | 21 | 40.901 | 0.776 | 0.019 | 176.035 |
| 11 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Chevrolet | 23 | 40.944 | 0.819 | 0.043 | 175.850 |
| 12 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | 27 | 40.955 | 0.830 | 0.011 | 175.803 |
| 13 | 22 | Joey Logano | Ford | 23 | 40.999 | 0.874 | 0.044 | 175.614 |
| 14 | 6 | Ross Chastain | Ford | 19 | 41.028 | 0.903 | 0.029 | 175.490 |
| 15 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Chevrolet | 14 | 41.074 | 0.949 | 0.046 | 175.293 |
| 16 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. | Chevrolet | 19 | 41.114 | 0.989 | 0.040 | 175.123 |
| 17 | 37 | Ryan Preece | Chevrolet | 18 | 41.125 | 1.000 | 0.011 | 175.076 |
| 18 | 24 | William Byron | Chevrolet | 27 | 41.145 | 1.020 | 0.020 | 174.991 |
| 19 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Ford | 21 | 41.146 | 1.021 | 0.001 | 174.987 |
| 20 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Ford | 19 | 41.182 | 1.057 | 0.036 | 174.834 |
| 21 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Ford | 16 | 41.225 | 1.100 | 0.043 | 174.651 |
| 22 | 41 | Cole Custer | Ford | 24 | 41.236 | 1.111 | 0.011 | 174.605 |
| 23 | 20 | Erik Jones | Toyota | 22 | 41.247 | 1.122 | 0.011 | 174.558 |
| 24 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | 27 | 41.295 | 1.170 | 0.048 | 174.355 |
| 25 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Ford | 23 | 41.311 | 1.186 | 0.016 | 174.288 |
| 26 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Chevrolet | 33 | 41.326 | 1.201 | 0.015 | 174.224 |
| 27 | 38 | John Hunter Nemechek | Ford | 21 | 41.487 | 1.362 | 0.161 | 173.548 |
| 28 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Ford | 19 | 41.616 | 1.491 | 0.129 | 173.010 |
| 29 | 95 | Christopher Bell | Toyota | 22 | 41.715 | 1.590 | 0.099 | 172.600 |
| 30 | 32 | Corey Lajoie | Ford | 18 | 41.719 | 1.594 | 0.004 | 172.583 |
| 31 | 15 | Brennan Poole | Chevrolet | 24 | 42.359 | 2.234 | 0.640 | 169.976 |
| 32 | 52 | J.J. Yeley | Ford | 3 | 42.365 | 2.240 | 0.006 | 169.952 |
| 33 | 96 |  Daniel Suarez | Toyota | 15 | 42.690 | 2.565 | 0.325 | 168.658 |
| 34 | 77 | Reed Sorenson | Chevrolet | 2 | 42.855 | 2.730 | 0.165 | 168.008 |
| 35 | 53 | Joey Gase | Ford | 14 | 43.205 | 3.080 | 0.350 | 166.647 |
| 36 | 51 | Garrett Smithley | Chevrolet | 8 | 43.319 | 3.194 | 0.114 | 166.209 |
| 37 | 00 | Quin Houff | Chevrolet | 19 | 43.510 | 3.385 | 0.191 | 165.479 |
| 38 | 66 | Timmy Hill | Toyota | 5 | 45.222 | 5.097 | 1.712 | 159.215 |
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