Pocono NASCAR Practice Notes

Group #1 Practice Notes

William Byron – William Byron’s car wasn’t to his liking following his first run. 15 minutes into practice he was 9th. During a late run, Byron jumped up to 3rd and said his car was handling better, he just needs a bit “in between.” With a 1:30 remaining in practice, Byron spun and had a flat tire. Byron didn’t hit anything. Byron had the 7th best 5 lap average. Byron will start in the back on Sunday since his team will be making repairs. 

Ryan Blaney – Ryan Blaney was focusing on making raw speed this session. The #12 was tight and was said to be bouncing. He wanted better ride quality. Blaney never made a 5-lap run. In terms of overall speed between the two sessions, Blaney was 28th. Blaney said he made a lot of changes following practice. His car was tight.

Kyle Busch – Kyle Busch’s opening lap was the fastest overall lap #1 in group A. Busch had the 2nd best five lap average and the best 10 lap average for the group.

Kyle Larson – Kyle Larson started with a two-lap run and then came to pit road. Larson told his team following his opening run, “I just don’t feel like I have grip.” Late in practice, Larson jumped to the top of the speed chart (for the Group). Larson felt like his car could be better balance wise following his 2nd run.

Erik Jones – The #43 team had pretty good speed. On lap 5 in Group A he jumped to the top of the speed chart (at the time). Jones was happy with his car. Jones had the best 5 lap average. Jones was said to be really good in turn 3.