Practice report
NASCAR Cup Dover
Ryan Blaney fastest in Dover Cup practice; Smith and Grala wreck
Reigning NASCAR Cup champion Ryan Blaney ended up fastest in a practice session Saturday at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway that featured a pair of violent wrecks.
Jim Utter
Edited: Apr 28, 2024, 7:21 PM
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The top speeds all came from the second 20-minute session, which also proved the most dramatic.
Blaney’s average lap speed of 159.468 mph topped the overall speed chart, followed by Tyler Reddick (158.982 mph) and Chase Briscoe (158.478 mph) – all from Group B.
William Byron was fastest in the Group A with an average lap speed of 158.954 mph.
Both Zane Smith and Kaz Grala hit the wall hard in separate incidents in the second session.
Among those drivers who ran at least 10 consecutive laps, Byron had the fastest average lap speed (155.405 mph). Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs were second and third, respectively, in that category.
Group B
Following a nearly 10-minute delay, the Group B session got under way with Blaney leading the way at 159.468 mph.
Reddick was second fastest at 158.982 mph and Briscoe was third (158.478 mph). Seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson was fourth and Michael McDowell ended up rounding out the top five.
About six minutes into the session, rookie Smith had a right-side tire go down, spun in Turn 2 and backed into wall, doing significant damage to his No. 71 Chevrolet. Smith will move to a backup car and have to start Sunday’s race from the rear of the field.
In the final minute of the session, Grala got loose off Turn 4, then shot up the track and into slammed into the outside frontstretch wall hard, which brought an ended to the second 20-minute session. Grala will also move to a backup car and have to start Sunday’s race from the rear of the field.
Group A
Byron set a blistering pace in the first session with an average lap speed of 158.954 mph but it may have been at a cost.
After his first long run on the track, Byron corded his right-front tire after his 17 laps and his crew chief, Rudy Fugle, elected not to send the No. 24 Chevrolet back out on the track.
Ross Chastain ended up second quick (158.200 mph) while A.J. Allmendinger was third (158.054 mph). Allmendinger’s No. 16 Kaulig Racing team also reported a corded tire on his last run.
Chris Buescher was fourth fastest and Hamlin rounded out the top five.
Truck Series regular Corey Heim, who is substituing for the injured Erik Jones in Legacy Motor Club’s No. 43 Toyota and making his Cup series debut this weekend, ended up 14th fastest in the session.
“It’s just so much different,” Heim said. “I was just trying to find my limits but in a 20-minute practice, it’s pretty tough. This race for me will be a help to get a real feel for these cars.
“You never know how these cars are gonna drive until you get in one.”
CLA DRIVER # MANUFACTURER LAPS TIME INTERVAL MPH 1 R. BlaneyTEAM PENSKE 12 Ford 24
22.575
159.468 2 T. Reddick23XI RACING 45 Toyota 22
+0.069
22.644
0.069 158.983 3 W. ByronHENDRICK MOTORSPORTS 24 Chevrolet 17
+0.073
22.648
0.004 158.954 4 C. BriscoeSTEWART-HAAS RACING 14 Ford 22
+0.141
22.716
0.068 158.479 5 J. JohnsonLEGACY MOTOR CLUB 84 Toyota 22
+0.146
22.721
0.005 158.444 6 M. McDowellFRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS 34 Ford 21
+0.169
22.744
0.023 158.284 7 R. ChastainTRACKHOUSE RACING 1 Chevrolet 20
+0.181
22.756
0.012 158.200 8 C. ElliottHENDRICK MOTORSPORTS 9 Chevrolet 22
+0.186
22.761
0.005 158.165 9 A. AllmendingerKAULIG RACING 16 Chevrolet 21
+0.202
22.777
0.016 158.054 10 C. BuescherRFK RACING 17 Ford 21
+0.203
22.778
0.001 158.047 11 D. HamlinJOE GIBBS RACING 11 Toyota 19
+0.203
22.778
0.000 158.047 12 K. BuschRICHARD CHILDRESS RACING 8 Chevrolet 20
+0.219
22.794
0.016 157.936 13 J. LoganoTEAM PENSKE 22 Ford 19
+0.222
22.797
0.003 157.916 14 J. BerrySTEWART-HAAS RACING 4 Ford 15
+0.227
22.802
0.005 157.881 15 B. KeselowskiRFK RACING 6 Ford 17
+0.227
22.802
0.000 157.881 16 A. CindricTEAM PENSKE 2 Ford 18
+0.237
22.812
0.010 157.812 17
T. GibbsJOE GIBBS RACING
54 Toyota 23
+0.246
22.821
0.009 157.749 18 B. Wallace23XI RACING 23 Toyota 15
+0.247
22.822
0.001 157.743 19 C. BellJOE GIBBS RACING 20 Toyota 24
+0.256
22.831
0.009 157.680 20 R. PreeceSTEWART-HAAS RACING 41 Ford 12
+0.264
22.839
0.008 157.625 21 K. LarsonHENDRICK MOTORSPORTS 5 Chevrolet 18
+0.283
22.858
0.019 157.494 22 A. BowmanHENDRICK MOTORSPORTS 48 Chevrolet 22
+0.303
22.878
0.020 157.356 23
C. HocevarSPIRE MOTORSPORTS
77 Chevrolet 15
+0.319
22.894
0.016 157.246 24
Z. SmithSPIRE MOTORSPORTS
71 Chevrolet 10
+0.343
22.918
0.024 157.082 25 M. Truex JrJOE GIBBS RACING 19 Toyota 23
+0.362
22.937
0.019 156.952 26 T. GillilandFRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS 38 Ford 16
+0.372
22.947
0.010 156.883 27 A. DillonRICHARD CHILDRESS RACING 3 Chevrolet 26
+0.434
23.009
0.062 156.461 28 D. SuarezTRACKHOUSE RACING 99 Chevrolet 16
+0.435
23.010
0.001 156.454 29 K. GralaRICK WARE RACING 15 Ford 27
+0.459
23.034
0.024 156.291 30 J. NemechekLEGACY MOTOR CLUB 42 Toyota 21
+0.460
23.035
0.001 156.284 31
C. HeimLEGACY MOTOR CLUB
43 Toyota 21
+0.470
23.045
0.010 156.216 32 R. Stenhouse JrJTG DAUGHERTY RACING 47 Chevrolet 15
+0.506
23.081
0.036 155.972 33 J. HaleyRICK WARE RACING 51 Ford 18
+0.516
23.091
0.010 155.905 34 N. GragsonSTEWART-HAAS RACING 10 Ford 20
+0.516
23.091
0.000 155.905 35 D. HemricKAULIG RACING 31 Chevrolet 26
+0.545
23.120
0.029 155.709 36 H. BurtonWOOD BROTHERS RACING 21 Ford 21
+0.714
23.289
0.169 154.579 37 C. LajoieSPIRE MOTORSPORTS 7 Chevrolet 16
+0.749
23.324
0.035 154.347
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