In the NASCAR Cup Series practice session at Phoenix Raceway, Spire Motorsports teammates Carson Hocevar and Michael McDowell emerged as the frontrunners. From the get-go, they set an electrifying pace that remained unbeaten throughout the session.
The duo made an impressive showing, clocking their fastest laps right on their initial outing. Hocevar led the pack with a top speed of 132.533 mph that he managed in 27.163 seconds, with McDowell hot on his tail, finishing second fastest at an equally impressive 132.523 mph in 27.165 seconds.
The top five was rounded out by 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick, who clocked third fastest at 132.499 mph. He was closely followed by Austin Cindric in fourth place, hitting a speed of 132.489 mph, and Chris Buescher, who rounded off the top five with 132.329 mph.
In the top ten positions, William Byron took sixth with 132.120 mph, Denny Hamlin was seventh at 131.984 mph, Erik Jones eighth at 131.878 mph, Christopher Bell ninth at 131.854 mph, and John Hunter Nemechek took the tenth spot with 131.839 mph.
Christopher Bell, the defending race champion at Phoenix, and his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team are riding high on momentum, chasing their third consecutive Cup Series win following their victories at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Circuit of The Americas.
The practice session went smoothly without any incidents. Teams had one 45-minute practice session, as Goodyear introduced the option tires for the weekend. Each team had one set of these tires to use during practice, with two sets reserved for Sunday’s race.
Phoenix’s fall race winner, Joey Logano, ranked 11th fastest in the practice session. Other notable performances included Bubba Wallace in 12th place, Ryan Blaney in 14th, and Alex Bowman in 15th. Ross Chastain, who clinched his last Cup Series win at Phoenix in the fall of 2023, managed an 18th place finish.
Meanwhile, Katherine Legge, making her Cup Series debut with Live Fast Motorsports, finished 37th out of 37 cars. The best 10 consecutive lap average was led by McDowell, followed by Reddick, Cindric, Chastain, and Byron.
As the dust settled on the practice session, teams are now gearing up for the Cup Series single-car qualifying for the Shriners Children’s 500. Despite circulating rumors, NASCAR is firmly moving ahead with its plans for the Mexico race, bringing an optimistic outlook for a Phoenix turnaround after a slow start to the season.