Martin Truex Jr. tops final Coke 600 practice
Martin Truex Jr., polesitter for the Coca-Cola 600, retained the top spot on the speed chart in Happy Hour on Saturday.
Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing Toyota
Action Sports Photography
With temperatures on the track registering 30-degrees warmer than the morning session at Charlotte Motor Speedway,Truex single lap speed of 186.387 mph was a mere 0.102-seconds quicker than Kurt Busch’s 29.074-second circuit (185.733 mph) in final practice.
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Truex also posted the Best 10 Consecutive Lap Average of 182.923 mph.
“Tight in most spots, a little loose getting in,” Busch said. “All in all we might be too far in one area and not close enough in another. Check the water and oil, right now it’s 260, 270.”
Seven-time Charlotte winner Jimmie Johnson posted the third fastest lap (185.401 mph) but reported to the team there was smoke coming from his air conditioning until following his last run just moments before the session ended. Joey Logano, who will share the front row with Truex, was fourth (185.109 mph), followed by fellow Ford drivers Greg Biffle (184.938 mph) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (184.824 mph), then Casey Mears (184.653 mph), Matt Kenseth (184.634 mph), Paul Menard (184.489 mph) and rookie Ryan Blaney (184.395 mph).
Johnson was second in Best 10 Consecutive Lap Average (182.713 mph), followed by Brad Keselowski, Greg Biffle, Austin Dillon and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Carl Edwards, the defending winner of the Coca-Cola 600 was 11th quick after running fourth earlier in the day.
“The temperature is making the track change a lot,” Edwards said. “I have no handle on this thing. I have no idea what we’re going to do.”
Two-time Coke 600 winner Kevin Harvick was 24th in Happy Hour. But Happy didn’t sound content over the radio.
“It may be ok, but it drives like (crap),” Harvick said after his last run. Moments earlier the driver of the No. 4 Chevy was sideways in Turn 2. "The front just took off on me in two going straight.”
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