NASCAR: Cup cars slower than Trucks on Bristol dirt.

The NASCAR Trucks were faster than the NASCAR Cup cars in practice on the Bristol Dirt Friday, which was an embarrassment for NASCAR as they boast they are the greatest drivers in the world.

See practice speeds below. Perhaps the Truck race should be the feature event this weekend.

Denny Hamlin rebounded from a difficult first practice session on Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway, topping the NASCAR Cup Series field during the final session in Bush’s Beans Practice Day to prepare for Sunday’s Food City Dirt Race.

Hamlin made contact with the wall early in the opening 50-minute practice sessions, scraping a right-rear fender on his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing machine and putting an abrupt end to his first run on the dirt surface. But the team returned in impressive fashion and posted a top speed of 87.218 mph during the second session, leaving Hamlin all smiles after the early struggles.

Denny Hamlin (11) led the NASCAR Cup Series field during the second practice session Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway during Bush’s Beans Practice Day.

“This team did a good job between practices,” Hamlin said. “The car has been pretty good all day and I haven’t had a whole lot of issues. I’m trying to figure out where to run, and I feel pretty good about how the car is running.”

Tyler Reddick made the strongest first impression to open up another spectacular weekend on dirt, topping the field during the first practice session on Friday with a lap of 89.924 mph in his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.

Tyler Reddick was one of the fastest drivers in both Cup practice sessions Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway during Bush’s Beans Practice Day.

Kyle Busch, who was third-fastest to open the day, was second later on Friday with a best lap of 87.091, and Todd Gilliland was third after going 87.028. Reddick and Christopher Bell rounded out the top five, with Bell’s finish giving JGR three of the top five spots in the second practice.

Kyle Larson, defending event winner Joey Logano, Justin Haley, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Brad Keselowski finished off the top 10 in what was another adventurous 50-minute practice session.

Busch was consistent throughout both practice sessions, putting him on track to possibly grab another memorable Bristol moment. He was impressed with how the new car handled the dirt, giving him confidence the weekend can be another successful one in a place that has treated him well over the years.

“I’m surprised about the amount of grip this car has,” Busch said. “More drive off of the corners. I think most of that has to do with the tire. The tires are really wide. It has really good footprint on it based on looking at its tread pattern versus an open wheel tread pattern. It matches pretty well versus the truck tire, which is very rounded and crowned. I would say the tires a benefit, but the car everywhere we have been with this thing so far has had added grip. Plus, we are at 100 less horsepower than we were last year, so that’s going to help with the throttle on time as well.”

Like the first session, there were plenty of wild moments to close out the day. Several drivers, including Larson, William Byron, Bell, Austin Cindric, Stenhouse and Aric Almirola, made contact with the outside walls as drivers alternated between running high and low.

Ty Dillon spun out early in the session, while Chase Elliott capped off a day of struggles by getting turned around for a fourth time on Friday. He spun around three times during the first session, but did manage to avoid any damage to his car.

BUSH’S BEANS PRACTICE DAY FIRST SESSION – CUP SERIES

Reddick paced the field during a wild opening practice session. Chase Briscoe was second-fastest to open the day, going 89.753 mph, with Kyle Busch, who has dominated at Bristol over the years, taking third after a best lap of 89.625. Justin Haley and Kurt Busch took fourth and fifth, respectively, while Stenhouse, Ross Chastain, Gilliland, Ty Dillon and Bell rounded out the top 10.

Chase Briscoe (14) was one of the three quickest Cup Series drivers in the first practice session Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway during Bush’s Beans Practice Day.

It was a solid starting point for Reddick, who expects track conditions to continue to change throughout the must-see weekend.

“Well, with this car, from what I saw as it transitioned and as it changed – in dirt racing, the line is going to be different just about every single lap as the track changes,” Reddick said. “I think there is going to be a point in time, in the beginning of the race certainly, where one lane is going to be more dominant than the other.

“I think there is going to be a lot of lane choices, based off of just where this tires’ grip is and where the power in this car is, horsepower-wise. But a lot of these things just depend on what the weather does Saturday and how much that really dictates what we can and can’t do to this track Sunday getting ready for our race.”

Like Reddick, Briscoe noticed the changing conditions even during the practice sessions. He’s eager to see how it all unfolds under the lights on Sunday night, which adds another thrilling layer to the unique race.

“I thought it was interesting how we were running the top versus last year we were always on the bottom.  Hopefully, we can race where it’s like that and you can kind of move around,” Briscoe said. “I will say it have more grip than I thought it was going to — like from a forward drive standpoint it definitely had way more grip and we carried way more throttle than I thought we would. I was kind of surprised by that. I’ve never driven a dirt car with this kind of suspension, so that part was interesting. I was surprised, truthfully, how well it drove on the dirt.”

Along with Elliott’s three spins and Hamlin scraping the wall, Logano, Bowman, Ross Chastain and Haley spun during the first practice. Briscoe also slowed late in the practice session thanks to a flat rear-left tire.

Chase Elliott drove the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevy to a top-five performance in the second session for the Camping World Truck Series on Friday during Bush’s Beans Practice Day at Bristol Motor Speedway. He was faster in his truck than his Cup car.

Four 15-lap qualifying heat races are scheduled, starting Saturday at 6 p.m. during Bush’s Beans Qualifying to set the starting lineup for Sunday evening’s main event.

BUSH’S BEANS PRACTICE DAY – CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES

Stewart Friesen and Joey Logano led the way during the two sessions during Bush’s Beans Practice Day for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway, as both impressed heading into Saturday’s Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt.

Logano, of course, is pulling double-duty as the defending winner of the Food City Dirt Race in the NASCAR Cup Series and looked strong to close out the day in his No. 54 truck with a top speed of 91.006 mph.

Joey Logano (54) was quickest in one of the two sessions for the Camping World Truck Series during Bush’s Beans Practice Day Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Friesen, meanwhile, had the best pass of the day in the opening session, going 92.932 in his No. 52 Toyota. Ben Rhodes was solid during both sessions on Friday, making the second-fastest lap in each of the two sessions to take plenty of momentum into Saturday’s race.

Matt Crafton, Buddy Kofoid and Chase Elliott made up the top five during the second practice session, while top-five drivers in the opening practice also included Derek Kraus, Carson Hocevar and Matt Crafton.

Rhodes enjoyed every bit of his time on the track on Friday, reveling in the dirt environment in Bristol.

Defending Camping World Truck Series champ Ben Rhodes (99) was second in both sessions Friday during Bush’s Beans Practice Day at Bristol Motor Speedway.

“We were pretty quick in practice both times today, and I think it is a whole lot of fun,” Rhodes said. “I love that you can throw the truck into the corners, and you will have the banking to catch you. When you just start sliding and sliding and sliding, I mean, some people like that, but I don’t. My feel is when I throw it in there, I want to know I’ve got something to lean on and the banking provides that. I’ve never experienced that before.”

Rhodes said he enjoyed racing on dirt at The Last Great Colosseum more than the concrete because he hasn’t experienced much success on the traditional set-up in Bristol. But he’s found a strong footing on the dirt, finishing second a year ago and putting together two strong practice runs on Friday, and he’s looking forward to carrying that over to the race on Saturday.

“I had a really, really fun practice session today,” Rhodes said. “We ran a few laps off of the bat and the crew chief (Rich Lushes) said ‘Alright, that’s enough. Let’s be done for this round.’ After about 30 minutes of watching other people, I got really bummed out that they were having fun and I wasn’t. I begged him to let me go out and he got the truck back on the ground and we put some tires back on it and we went out and ran some laps. That is the happiest I’ve been in a truck at a dirt track ever. This next session we were running through changes and tried to get some sensitivities on what some of the changes are like here, so that way at the end of the stage breaks we know how to adjust the truck. Pretty calm, cool and collected practice for us, but the track is changing a lot to say the least.”

During the second practice, multiple trucks collided, causing significant damage to the No. 02 of Kaz Grala when he made contact with Austin Dillon’s No. 20 machine.

Four qualifying heats are scheduled, starting at 4:30 p.m. during Saturday’s Bush’s Beans Qualifying at Bristol, leading into the Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt at 8 p.m.

Cup Series Practice 1 Results

Pos No. Driver Team Time Speed Behind Gap
1 8 Tyler Reddick 3CHI Chevrolet 20.017 89.9236 —.— —.—
2 14 Chase Briscoe HighPoint.com Ford 20.055 89.7532 -0.038 -0.038
3 18 Kyle Busch Mars Crunchy Cookie Toyota 20.068 89.695 -0.051 -0.013
4 31 Justin Haley LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet 20.073 89.6727 -0.056 -0.005
5 45 Kurt Busch Monster Energy Toyota 20.157 89.299 -0.14 -0.084
6 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Kroger/Irish Spring Chevrolet 20.175 89.2193 -0.158 -0.018
7 1 Ross Chastain Advent Health Chevrolet 20.203 89.0957 -0.186 -0.028
8 38 Todd Gilliland # First Phase Credit Card Ford 20.208 89.0736 -0.191 -0.005
9 42 Ty Dillon Food City/Gain Chevrolet 20.21 89.0648 -0.193 -0.002
10 20 Christopher Bell DeWalt Toyota 20.227 88.99 -0.21 -0.017
11 9 Chase Elliott Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet 20.232 88.968 -0.215 -0.005
12 3 Austin Dillon Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road Chevrolet 20.233 88.9636 -0.216 -0.001
13 17 Chris Buescher Fastenal Ford 20.237 88.946 -0.22 -0.004
14 23 Bubba Wallace Columbia Sportswear Company Toyota 20.281 88.753 -0.264 -0.044
15 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Ground Toyota 20.283 88.7443 -0.266 -0.002
16 5 Kyle Larson HendrickCars.com Chevrolet 20.287 88.7268 -0.27 -0.004
17 12 Ryan Blaney Menards/Dutch Boy Ford 20.299 88.6743 -0.282 -0.012
18 43 Erik Jones Food City/Tide Chevrolet 20.301 88.6656 -0.284 -0.002
19 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 20.304 88.6525 -0.287 -0.003
20 99 Daniel Suarez Tootsies Orchid Lounge Chevrolet 20.312 88.6176 -0.295 -0.008
21 24 William Byron Liberty University Chevrolet 20.324 88.5652 -0.307 -0.012
22 41 Cole Custer Jacob Construction/HaasTooling Ford 20.363 88.3956 -0.346 -0.039
23 19 Martin Truex Jr. Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota 20.378 88.3306 -0.361 -0.015
24 6 Brad Keselowski Solomon Plumbing Ford 20.38 88.3219 -0.363 -0.002
25 10 Aric Almirola Cummins/Rush Truck Centers Ford 20.387 88.2916 -0.37 -0.007
26 4 Kevin Harvick Busch Latte Ford 20.43 88.1057 -0.413 -0.043
27 78 Josh Williams(i) Alloy Employment Services Ford 20.431 88.1014 -0.414 -0.001
28 15 JJ Yeley(i) Georgia Strong/JAG Metals LLC Ford 20.437 88.0755 -0.42 -0.006
29 34 Michael McDowell Love’s Travel Stops Ford 20.453 88.0066 -0.436 -0.016
30 77 Justin Allgaier(i) BRANDT Chevrolet 20.49 87.8477 -0.473 -0.037
31 7 Corey LaJoie Nations Guard Chevrolet 20.495 87.8263 -0.478 -0.005
32 48 Alex Bowman Ally Chevrolet 20.527 87.6894 -0.51 -0.032
33 16 Noah Gragson(i) Chevy Truck Month Chevrolet 20.537 87.6467 -0.52 -0.01
34 51 Cody Ware Nurtec ODT Ford 20.617 87.3066 -0.6 -0.08
35 2 Austin Cindric # Discount Tire Ford 20.628 87.26 -0.611 -0.011
36 21 Harrison Burton # Dex Imaging Ford 20.684 87.0238 -0.667 -0.056

Final Cup Series Practice Results

Pos No. Driver Team Time Speed Behind Gap
1 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Ground Toyota 20.638 87.2178 —.— —.—
2 18 Kyle Busch Mars Crunchy Cookie Toyota 20.668 87.0912 -0.03 -0.03
3 38 Todd Gilliland # First Phase Credit Card Ford 20.683 87.028 -0.045 -0.015
4 8 Tyler Reddick 3CHI Chevrolet 20.695 86.9775 -0.057 -0.012
5 20 Christopher Bell DeWalt Toyota 20.707 86.9271 -0.069 -0.012
6 5 Kyle Larson HendrickCars.com Chevrolet 20.72 86.8726 -0.082 -0.013
7 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 20.729 86.8349 -0.091 -0.009
8 31 Justin Haley LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet 20.751 86.7428 -0.113 -0.022
9 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Kroger/Irish Spring Chevrolet 20.758 86.7136 -0.12 -0.007
10 6 Brad Keselowski Solomon Plumbing Ford 20.794 86.5634 -0.156 -0.036
11 16 Noah Gragson(i) Chevy Truck Month Chevrolet 20.809 86.501 -0.171 -0.015
12 24 William Byron Liberty University Chevrolet 20.815 86.4761 -0.177 -0.006
13 48 Alex Bowman Ally Chevrolet 20.817 86.4678 -0.179 -0.002
14 34 Michael McDowell Love’s Travel Stops Ford 20.855 86.3102 -0.217 -0.038
15 12 Ryan Blaney Menards/Dutch Boy Ford 20.856 86.3061 -0.218 -0.001
16 17 Chris Buescher Fastenal Ford 20.859 86.2937 -0.221 -0.003
17 7 Corey LaJoie Nations Guard Chevrolet 20.868 86.2565 -0.23 -0.009
18 3 Austin Dillon Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road Chevrolet 20.875 86.2275 -0.237 -0.007
19 14 Chase Briscoe HighPoint.com Ford 20.888 86.1739 -0.25 -0.013
20 41 Cole Custer Jacob Construction/HaasTooling Ford 20.899 86.1285 -0.261 -0.011
21 10 Aric Almirola Cummins/Rush Truck Centers Ford 20.905 86.1038 -0.267 -0.006
22 45 Kurt Busch Monster Energy Toyota 20.919 86.0462 -0.281 -0.014
23 9 Chase Elliott Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet 20.946 85.9353 -0.308 -0.027
24 42 Ty Dillon Food City/Gain Chevrolet 20.958 85.8861 -0.32 -0.012
25 23 Bubba Wallace Columbia Sportswear Company Toyota 20.963 85.8656 -0.325 -0.005
26 4 Kevin Harvick Busch Latte Ford 20.985 85.7756 -0.347 -0.022
27 1 Ross Chastain Advent Health Chevrolet 20.993 85.7429 -0.355 -0.008
28 51 Cody Ware Nurtec ODT Ford 20.999 85.7184 -0.361 -0.006
29 21 Harrison Burton # Dex Imaging Ford 21.058 85.4782 -0.42 -0.059
30 43 Erik Jones Food City/Tide Chevrolet 21.062 85.462 -0.424 -0.004
31 15 JJ Yeley(i) Georgia Strong/JAG Metals LLC Ford 21.078 85.3971 -0.44 -0.016
32 2 Austin Cindric # Discount Tire Ford 21.091 85.3445 -0.453 -0.013
33 19 Martin Truex Jr. Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota 21.108 85.2757 -0.47 -0.017
34 99 Daniel Suarez Tootsies Orchid Lounge Chevrolet 21.12 85.2273 -0.482 -0.012
35 78 Josh Williams(i) Alloy Employment Services Ford 21.124 85.2111 -0.486 -0.004
36 77 Justin Allgaier(i) BRANDT Chevrolet 21.193 84.9337 -0.555 -0.069

Truck Series Practice 1 Results

Pos No. Driver Team Time Speed Behind Gap
1 52 Stewart Friesen Halmar International Toyota 19.369 92.932 —.— —.—
2 99 Ben Rhodes Tenda Toyota 19.394 92.8122 -0.025 -0.025
3 19 Derek Kraus NAPA AutoCare Chevrolet 19.436 92.6116 -0.067 -0.042
4 42 Carson Hocevar Premier Security Solutions Chevrolet 19.453 92.5307 -0.084 -0.017
5 88 Matt Crafton Great Lakes Flooring/Menards Toyota 19.493 92.3408 -0.124 -0.04
6 66 Ty Majeski TSPORT Toyota 19.534 92.147 -0.165 -0.041
7 54 Joey Logano(i) Planet Fitness Ford 19.587 91.8977 -0.218 -0.053
8 7 Chase Elliott(i) HendrickCars.com Chevrolet 19.617 91.7571 -0.248 -0.03
9 15 Tanner Gray Ford Performance Ford 19.621 91.7384 -0.252 -0.004
10 1 Hailie Deegan Wastequip Ford 19.636 91.6684 -0.267 -0.015
11 75 Parker Kligerman Food Country USA/Bounty Chevrolet 19.657 91.5704 -0.288 -0.021
12 38 Zane Smith Speedco Ford 19.666 91.5285 -0.297 -0.009
13 25 Matt Dibenedetto TW Frierson/Rackley Roofing Chevrolet 19.717 91.2918 -0.348 -0.051
14 33 Mike Marlar JDS Technologies Inc Toyota 19.728 91.2409 -0.359 -0.011
15 18 Chandler Smith Charge Me Toyota 19.735 91.2085 -0.366 -0.007
16 30 Tate Fogleman Rangeline Group Toyota 19.741 91.1808 -0.372 -0.006
17 98 Christian Eckes TSPORT/Curb Records Toyota 19.755 91.1162 -0.386 -0.014
18 44 Kris Wright Big Dog Energy Chevrolet 19.77 91.047 -0.401 -0.015
19 4 John H. Nemechek Mobil 1 Toyota 19.782 90.9918 -0.413 -0.012
20 91 Colby Howard Gates Hydraulics Chevrolet 19.794 90.9366 -0.425 -0.012
21 45 Lawless Alan # AUTOParkIt.com Chevrolet 19.8 90.9091 -0.431 -0.006
22 23 Grant Enfinger Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet 19.889 90.5023 -0.52 -0.089
23 20 Austin Dillon(i) K&L Ready Mix Chevrolet 19.937 90.2844 -0.568 -0.048
24 9 Blaine Perkins # Raceline Chevrolet 19.955 90.203 -0.586 -0.018
25 40 Dean Thompson # Worldwide Express Chevrolet 20.019 89.9146 -0.65 -0.064
26 16 Tyler Ankrum AISIN Toyota 20.036 89.8383 -0.667 -0.017
27 22 Austin Wayne Self AM Technical Solutions Chevrolet 20.092 89.5879 -0.723 -0.056
28 2 Kaz Grala Ruedebusch Development Chevrolet 20.112 89.4988 -0.743 -0.02
29 24 Jack Wood # Chevyliners.com Chevrolet 20.15 89.33 -0.781 -0.038
30 17 Harrison Burton(i) Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford 20.184 89.1795 -0.815 -0.034
31 62 Jessica Friesen Halmar International Toyota 20.369 88.3696 -1 -0.185
32 61 Chase Purdy BAMA Buggies Toyota 20.387 88.2916 -1.018 -0.018
33 51 Buddy Kofoid Mobil 1 Toyota 20.594 87.4041 -1.225 -0.207
34 12 Spencer Boyd Rimtyme Chevrolet 20.66 87.1249 -1.291 -0.066
35 56 Timmy Hill Hill Motorsports Toyota 20.662 87.1164 -1.293 -0.002
36 6 Norm Benning Circle B Diecast Chevrolet 21.266 84.6422 -1.897 -0.604
37 43 Keith Mcgee Vulcan Towing & Recovery Chevrolet 21.378 84.1987 -2.009 -0.112

Final Truck Series Practice Results

Pos No. Driver Team Time Speed Behind Gap
1 54 Joey Logano(i) Planet Fitness Ford 19.779 91.0056 —.— —.—
2 99 Ben Rhodes Tenda Toyota 19.837 90.7395 -0.058 -0.058
3 88 Matt Crafton Great Lakes Flooring/Menards Toyota 19.861 90.6299 -0.082 -0.024
4 51 Buddy Kofoid Mobil 1 Toyota 19.867 90.6025 -0.088 -0.006
5 7 Chase Elliott(i) HendrickCars.com Chevrolet 19.882 90.5342 -0.103 -0.015
6 18 Chandler Smith Charge Me Toyota 19.887 90.5114 -0.108 -0.005
7 23 Grant Enfinger Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet 19.948 90.2346 -0.169 -0.061
8 66 Ty Majeski TSPORT Toyota 19.95 90.2256 -0.171 -0.002
9 98 Christian Eckes TSPORT/Curb Records Toyota 19.986 90.063 -0.207 -0.036
10 25 Matt Dibenedetto TW Frierson/Rackley Roofing Chevrolet 20.003 89.9865 -0.224 -0.017
11 30 Tate Fogleman Rangeline Group Toyota 20.004 89.982 -0.225 -0.001
12 42 Carson Hocevar Premier Security Solutions Chevrolet 20.008 89.964 -0.229 -0.004
13 91 Colby Howard Gates Hydraulics Chevrolet 20.089 89.6013 -0.31 -0.081
14 19 Derek Kraus NAPA AutoCare Chevrolet 20.093 89.5834 -0.314 -0.004
15 45 Lawless Alan # AUTOParkIt.com Chevrolet 20.121 89.4588 -0.342 -0.028
16 15 Tanner Gray Ford Performance Ford 20.144 89.3566 -0.365 -0.023
17 40 Dean Thompson # Worldwide Express Chevrolet 20.168 89.2503 -0.389 -0.024
18 20 Austin Dillon(i) K&L Ready Mix Chevrolet 20.202 89.1001 -0.423 -0.034
19 75 Parker Kligerman Food Country USA/Bounty Chevrolet 20.236 88.9504 -0.457 -0.034
20 2 Kaz Grala Ruedebusch Development Chevrolet 20.236 88.9504 -0.457 0
21 16 Tyler Ankrum AISIN Toyota 20.284 88.7399 -0.505 -0.048
22 12 Spencer Boyd Rimtyme Chevrolet 20.328 88.5478 -0.549 -0.044
23 17 Harrison Burton(i) Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford 20.334 88.5217 -0.555 -0.006
24 4 John H. Nemechek Mobil 1 Toyota 20.342 88.4869 -0.563 -0.008
25 9 Blaine Perkins # Raceline Chevrolet 20.355 88.4304 -0.576 -0.013
26 22 Austin Wayne Self AM Technical Solutions Chevrolet 20.358 88.4173 -0.579 -0.003
27 49 Andrew Gordon Trick Shot Products/Staar Trucking Toyota 20.384 88.3046 -0.605 -0.026
28 24 Jack Wood # Chevyliners.com Chevrolet 20.394 88.2613 -0.615 -0.01
29 38 Zane Smith Speedco Ford 20.402 88.2266 -0.623 -0.008
30 61 Chase Purdy BAMA Buggies Toyota 20.483 87.8778 -0.704 -0.081
31 62 Jessica Friesen Halmar International Toyota 20.498 87.8134 -0.719 -0.015
32 56 Timmy Hill Hill Motorsports Toyota 20.522 87.7107 -0.743 -0.024
33 33 Mike Marlar JDS Technologies Inc Toyota 20.537 87.6467 -0.758 -0.015
34 52 Stewart Friesen Halmar International Toyota 20.576 87.4806 -0.797 -0.039
35 6 Norm Benning Circle B Diecast Chevrolet 20.793 86.5676 -1.014 -0.217
36 44 Kris Wright Big Dog Energy Chevrolet 20.942 85.9517 -1.163 -0.149
37 43 Keith Mcgee Vulcan Towing & Recovery Chevrolet 21.478 83.8067 -1.699 -0.536