Auto Club NASCAR Practice #1 Notes

Alex Bowman – His opening run put him at the top of the speed chart. He had pretty good speed over his opening run. Early in practice among drivers on their 7th lap, he appeared to be the quickest. His 5 lap average early in practice ranked as the best. 25 minutes into practice he said, “I didn’t really like that change. It tightened it up too much.” 30 minutes into practice he said, “Not as tight as it was. Definitely building tight.”

Kurt Busch – He had pretty good speed over the duration of his opening 21 lap run. He was loose in 1 and 2 but  good in turns 3 and 4. Busch didn’t feel like he could cut off the corner like he wanted to early in practice. Busch said his tires started to really fall off around lap 10. Busch should have a good feel for his car after that long run. Late in practice he did a qualifying run which jumped him up to 2nd.

Martin Truex Jr. – He was said to be happy with his handling and his speed. Late in practice he did a qualifying run which jumped him up to 4th.

Ty Dillon – 25 minutes into practice while he was 13th he said, “Too tight on middle exit. It turns down good from the wall, but I have to lift off the throttle on exit.” 40 minutes into practice he said, “That was better, definitely a move in the right direction. I’m still too tight, especially in traffic.”

Corey LaJoie – Five minutes into practice while he was 22nd he said, “Really swingy loose.” 15 minutes into practice while he was 30th he said, “Still need more right-front turn and rear grip.”