Trackhouse Racing teammates Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez set the pace during Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series practice session at Kansas Speedway ahead of the Hollywood Casino 400. Chastain topped the charts with a speed of 177.439 mph (30.433 seconds), closely followed by Suarez, who is still in the playoffs, at 177.177 mph.
Alex Bowman, also competing in the playoffs, was third fastest at 177.026 mph, tied with Carson Hocevar, and Ty Gibbs rounded out the top five with a speed of 176.904 mph. Kyle Larson, another playoff contender, was sixth fastest at 176.511 mph.
The rest of the top 10 included Daniel Hemric in seventh at 176.280 mph, William Byron (P) in eighth at 176.194 mph, Erik Jones in ninth at 176.171 mph, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in 10th at 176.142 mph.
Other notable playoff drivers included Christopher Bell, who was 12th fastest, and Tyler Reddick, the defending race winner, who placed 14th. Chase Elliott was 15th fastest but faced engine troubles during practice, only running 19 laps before his team had to investigate a potential issue under the hood.
Denny Hamlin, a strong playoff contender, was 16th fastest, followed by Austin Cindric in 18th and Justin Haley, now driving for Spire Motorsports, in 19th. Joey Logano placed 20th, while Corey LaJoie, driving for Rick Ware Racing, was 25th fastest.
Ryan Blaney and Chase Briscoe were among the final playoff drivers in practice, finishing 27th and 31st, respectively. Jimmie Johnson, in a rare appearance with a third Legacy Motor Club car, clocked in 37th fastest out of 38 drivers.
William Byron topped the charts in the best 10 consecutive lap average, leading Bowman, Hocevar, Elliott, and Gibbs. The performance in practice positions Trackhouse Racing and their competitors well for an intense battle in Sunday’s race, as teams look to make crucial adjustments ahead of the start.
