Allmendinger best in second Cup practice
Red Bull Racing's AJ Allmendinger posted the fastest lap in Thursday's second Sprint Cup practice session at Darlington Raceway, topping the speed chart at 178.679 mph. Hendrick Motorsports' Dale Earnhardt Jr. was second fastest at 178.640 mph followed by Bill Davis Racing's Dave Blaney at 178.620 mph.
Joe Gibbs Racing's Kyle Busch and Roush Fenway Racing's Greg Biffle completed the top five fastest speeds.
| Pos | Car # | Driver | Manu | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 84 | AJ Allmendinger | Red Bull Toyota | 27.522 | 178.679 |
| 2 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Mountain Dew/AMP Energy/National | 27.528 | 178.640 |
| 3 | 22 | Dave Blaney | Caterpillar Toyota | 27.531 | 178.620 |
| 4 | 18 | Kyle Busch | M&M's Indiana Jones Toyota | 27.744 | 177.249 |
| 5 | 16 | Greg Biffle | 3M Ford | 27.834 | 176.676 |
| 6 | 70 | Johnny Sauter | Haas Automation Chevy | 27.853 | 176.555 |
| 7 | 78 | Joe Nemechek | Furniture Row Racing Chevy | 27.853 | 176.555 |
| 8 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Dodge Challenger Dodge | 27.868 | 176.460 |
| 9 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Claritin Ford | 27.901 | 176.252 |
| 10 | 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevy | 27.908 | 176.208 |
| 11 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | FedEx Ground Toyota | 27.909 | 176.201 |
| 12 | 12 | Ryan Newman | alltel Dodge | 27.910 | 176.195 |
| 13 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Home Depot Toyota | 27.953 | 175.924 |
| 14 | 19 | Elliott Sadler | McDonald's Dodge | 27.968 | 175.830 |
| 15 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Lowe's Chevy | 27.992 | 175.679 |
| 16 | 5 | Casey Mears | Kellogg's/CARQUEST Chevy | 28.010 | 175.566 |
| 17 | 2 | Kurt Busch | Miller Lite Dodge | 28.028 | 175.453 |
| 18 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Budweiser Dodge | 28.053 | 175.297 |
| 19 | 96 | J.J. Yeley | DLP HDTV Toyota | 28.065 | 175.222 |
| 20 | 44 | David Reutimann | UPS Toyota | 28.097 | 175.022 |
| 21 | 8 | Mark Martin | U.S. Army Chevy | 28.127 | 174.836 |
| 22 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | DuPont Chevy | 28.134 | 174.792 |
| 23 | 34 | Jeff Green | Chevy | 28.141 | 174.749 |
| 24 | 28 | Travis Kvapil | Lafayette Ford Ford | 28.144 | 174.730 |
| 25 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Shell/Pennzoil Chevy | 28.167 | 174.587 |
| 26 | 6 | David Ragan | AAA Insurance Ford | 28.209 | 174.327 |
| 27 | 38 | David Gilliland | freecreditreport.com Ford | 28.219 | 174.266 |
| 28 | 43 | Bobby Labonte | Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge | 28.225 | 174.229 |
| 29 | 26 | Jamie McMurray | Crown Royal Ford | 28.232 | 174.185 |
| 30 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Wrigley's Big Red Dodge | 28.245 | 174.105 |
| 31 | 7 | Robby Gordon | Jim Beam Dodge | 28.247 | 174.093 |
| 32 | 41 | Reed Sorenson | Target Dodge | 28.298 | 173.779 |
| 33 | 77 | Sam Hornish Jr. # | Mobil 1 Dodge | 28.300 | 173.767 |
| 34 | 00 | Michael McDowell # | Brain Cancer Action Week Toyota | 28.350 | 173.460 |
| 35 | 15 | Paul Menard | Menards/Nibco Chevy | 28.366 | 173.362 |
| 36 | 07 | Clint Bowyer | Jack Daniel's Chevy | 28.380 | 173.277 |
| 37 | 83 | Brian Vickers | Red Bull Toyota | 28.389 | 173.222 |
| 38 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge | 28.389 | 173.222 |
| 39 | 31 | Jeff Burton | AT&T Mobility Chevy | 28.390 | 173.216 |
| 40 | 01 | Regan Smith # | Principal Financial Group/DEI Chevy | 28.431 | 172.966 |
| 41 | 66 | Scott Riggs | State Water Heaters Chevy | 28.454 | 172.826 |
| 42 | 55 | Michael Waltrip | NAPA Auto Parts Toyota | 28.480 | 172.669 |
| 43 | 21 | Bill Elliott | Motorcraft Ford | 28.498 | 172.559 |
| 44 | 10 | Patrick Carpentier # | LifeLock Dodge | 28.515 | 172.457 |
| 45 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | DeWalt NANO Ford | 28.684 | 171.441 |