Kevin Harvick fastest in Saturday's first Cup practice at Fontana
Kevin Harvick set the pace early and led Saturday’s first NASCAR Cup Series practice session at Auto Club Speedway.








Harvick’s average lap speed of 175.867 mph topped the leaderboard and he set the mark very early in the 50-minute session.
Kyle Busch was second fastest (175.773 mph) and Brad Keselowski was third (175.644 mph). Martin Truex Jr. and Daniel Hemric completed the top-five.
“Auto Club Speedway is by far one of my favorite tracks we go to. It’s top three on my list as far as tracks that I’m excited to go to, just for the fact that the asphalt is so worn out,” Harvick said.
“It is very similar to Atlanta in a much different shape of a race track. It’s a very unique race track because it is so wide and you have so many options to run all over the race track. When you add in the tire falloff, then it becomes strategy.
“There are so many things that come into play, but it has become a great race and a great race track to race on.”
Harvick has one career win at Auto Club, coming in 2011. In his last two starts at the track, he’s finished no better than 13th and wrecked early in last year’s event.
Rounding out the Top 10 speeds in practice were Joey Logano, Aric Almirola, Alex Bowman, Austin Dillon and Chris Buescher.
With about nine minutes left in the session, Kyle Larson appeared to tag the wall in Turn 4 while racing around Denny Hamlin but the damage did not appear to be extensive.
Keselowski had the fastest average lap speed of all the drivers who ran at least 10 consecutive laps.
Read Also:
Cla | # | Driver | Manufacturer | Laps | Time | Gap | Interval | Mph | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 4 | Ford | 22 | 40.940 | 175.867 | ||||
2 | 18 | Toyota | 37 | 40.962 | 0.022 | 0.022 | 175.773 | ||
3 | 2 | Ford | 34 | 40.992 | 0.052 | 0.030 | 175.644 | ||
4 | 19 | Toyota | 16 | 41.014 | 0.074 | 0.022 | 175.550 | ||
5 | 8 | Chevrolet | 37 | 41.047 | 0.107 | 0.033 | 175.409 | ||
6 | 22 | Ford | 28 | 41.080 | 0.140 | 0.033 | 175.268 | ||
7 | 10 | Ford | 29 | 41.125 | 0.185 | 0.045 | 175.076 | ||
8 | 88 | Chevrolet | 26 | 41.131 | 0.191 | 0.006 | 175.050 | ||
9 | 3 | Chevrolet | 23 | 41.162 | 0.222 | 0.031 | 174.919 | ||
10 | 37 | Chevrolet | 28 | 41.181 | 0.241 | 0.019 | 174.838 | ||
11 | 1 | Chevrolet | 33 | 41.222 | 0.282 | 0.041 | 174.664 | ||
12 | 24 | Chevrolet | 22 | 41.235 | 0.295 | 0.013 | 174.609 | ||
13 | 20 | Toyota | 28 | 41.268 | 0.328 | 0.033 | 174.469 | ||
14 | 41 | Ford | 31 | 41.283 | 0.343 | 0.015 | 174.406 | ||
15 | 34 | Ford | 14 | 41.294 | 0.354 | 0.011 | 174.359 | ||
16 | 43 | Chevrolet | 29 | 41.330 | 0.390 | 0.036 | 174.208 | ||
17 | 14 | Ford | 25 | 41.353 | 0.413 | 0.023 | 174.111 | ||
18 | 17 | Ford | 22 | 41.363 | 0.423 | 0.010 | 174.069 | ||
19 | 48 | Chevrolet | 33 | 41.425 | 0.485 | 0.062 | 173.808 | ||
20 | 95 | Toyota | 27 | 41.438 | 0.498 | 0.013 | 173.754 | ||
21 | 12 | Ford | 25 | 41.439 | 0.499 | 0.001 | 173.749 | ||
22 | 9 | Chevrolet | 30 | 41.496 | 0.556 | 0.057 | 173.511 | ||
23 | 6 | Ford | 26 | 41.509 | 0.569 | 0.013 | 173.456 | ||
24 | 21 | Ford | 34 | 41.513 | 0.573 | 0.004 | 173.440 | ||
25 | 13 | Chevrolet | 27 | 41.522 | 0.582 | 0.009 | 173.402 | ||
26 | 42 | Chevrolet | 23 | 41.532 | 0.592 | 0.010 | 173.360 | ||
27 | 32 | Ford | 14 | 41.570 | 0.630 | 0.038 | 173.202 | ||
28 | 47 | Chevrolet | 22 | 41.571 | 0.631 | 0.001 | 173.198 | ||
29 | 11 | Toyota | 24 | 41.646 | 0.706 | 0.075 | 172.886 | ||
30 | 38 | Ford | 10 | 41.811 | 0.871 | 0.165 | 172.203 | ||
31 | 15 | Chevrolet | 7 | 42.099 | 1.159 | 0.288 | 171.025 | ||
32 | 36 | Ford | 6 | 42.292 | 1.352 | 0.193 | 170.245 | ||
33 | 00 | Chevrolet | 14 | 42.724 | 1.784 | 0.432 | 168.524 | ||
34 | 51 | Cody Ware | Chevrolet | 16 | 42.741 | 1.801 | 0.017 | 168.457 | |
35 | 27 | Chevrolet | 11 | 43.160 | 2.220 | 0.419 | 166.821 | ||
36 | 77 | Chevrolet | 12 | 43.590 | 2.650 | 0.430 | 165.175 | ||
37 | 52 | Ford | 7 | 43.939 | 2.999 | 0.349 | 163.864 | ||
38 | 66 | Toyota | 10 | 45.878 | 4.938 | 1.939 | 156.938 |

Previous article
NASCAR plans tweaks to prevent another "mockery" of qualifying
Next article
Brad Keselowski leads wave of Fords in final Cup practice

About this article
Series | NASCAR Cup |
Event | Fontana |
Author | Jim Utter |
Kevin Harvick fastest in Saturday's first Cup practice at Fontana
Trending
From the archive: Dale Earnhardt’s final Autosport interview
The death of Dale Earnhardt in the 2001 Daytona 500 shocked NASCAR to the core. At the Daytona 24 Hours, two weeks before his fatal accident, ‘The Intimidator’ shared his expectations of challenging for an eighth Cup title with JONATHAN INGRAM, in an article first published in the 15 February 2001 issue of Autosport magazine. Little did we know then what tragedy would unfold…
The lasting NASCAR legacy after Dale Earnhardt’s death
On February 18, 2001, seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Dale Earnhardt – the fearless ‘Intimidator’ – was in his element at Daytona International Speedway. While his own DEI team’s cars ran 1-2 towards the finish line, his famed #3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Monte Carlo was playing rear gunner to block any late runs from the chasing pack. As the cars tore through Turns 3 and 4 on that fateful final lap, Earnhardt maintained the strongarm tactics that encapsulated his persona… but his actions in those moments sadly proved to be his last.
Inspired by Pitbull, the “revolution” sweeping through NASCAR
The NASCAR Cup Series is changing. Whether it be the gradual morphing out the seasoned drivers of yesterday as the next generation step up, a radical calendar shake-up featuring more road courses than ever before and the prospect of an all-new car on the horizon, stock car racing’s highest level is nearing the end of a huge facelift.
The NASCAR storylines to watch out for in 2021
This weekend's Daytona 500 kickstarts a NASCAR Cup season that promises plenty of intrigue courtesy of new owners and a refreshed calendar. Here's what you need to know ahead of the new season…
Why Kyle Larson can't blow his big shot at redemption
From a disgraced NASCAR exile, Kyle Larson has been given a chance of redemption by the powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports squad. Effectively replacing seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson is no easy billing, but Larson has every intention of repaying the team's faith...
Why Roger Penske is an American motorsport icon
In this exclusive one-on-one interview, Roger Penske reveals the inner drive that has made him not only a hugely successful team owner and businessman but also the owner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar. He spoke to David Malsher-Lopez.
Why NASCAR's latest second-generation champion is just getting started
Chase Elliott's late charge to the 2020 NASCAR Cup title defied predictions that it would be a Kevin Harvick versus Denny Hamlin showdown. While the two veterans are showing no signs of slowing down, Elliott's triumph was a window into NASCAR's future…
Why Kyle Larson deserves his second chance in a cancel culture
“You can’t hear me? Hey n*****” Those fateful words uttered by Kyle Larson, spoken into his esports headset on April 12, were directed at his sim racing spotter – but instead they quickly became amplified around the world via social media, including his own Twitch stream.