William Byron Tops Rain-Cut Daytona 500 Practice Session
William Byron led a rain-shortened Daytona 500 practice session on Friday evening, posting a top speed of 194.923mph (46.172s). Fellow Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott finished second with 194.763mph.
The session, originally scheduled for 50 minutes, was cut short after just 31 minutes due to rain. It was the only practice session scheduled for Friday.
Race car 24 on racetrack
Top 10 Practice Speeds:
- William Byron: 194.923mph
- Chase Elliott: 194.763mph
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: 194.679mph
- Kyle Busch: 194.393mph
- Austin Dillon: 194.032mph
- Zane Smith: 193.665mph (fastest Ford)
- Todd Gilliland: 193.395mph
- Joey Logano: 193.278mph
- Kyle Larson: 193.245mph
- Ryan Blaney: 193.237mph
John Hunter Nemechek was the fastest Toyota driver, placing 14th, with teammate Erik Jones following in 15th position. Only 30 drivers participated in the session.
Several teams opted not to run, including both Kaulig Racing drivers, Cody Ware, Shane van Gisbergen, Helio Castroneves, and Daniel Suarez. Many of these teams were focused on repairing primary cars or preparing backups following incidents in Thursday's duel races.
The practice featured varying strategies, with Toyota drivers working in small packs while Ford and Chevrolet arranged an 11-car draft early in the session.
The final Cup Series practice for the Daytona 500 is scheduled for Saturday at 3:05 p.m. ET.