The first formal NASCAR Cup Series practice session on the reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia was paced by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch.
In a 50-minute session that consistently looked like a race seen at Daytona International Speedway or Talladega Superspedway, but on a 1.5-mile track, Stenhouse posted a top speed of 186.616 mph. Busch followed him at 186.391 mph.
The top five was filled out by Christopher Bell (186.322 mph), Harrison Burton (186.121) and Joey Logano (185.897).
The most laps in the session were recorded by Logano with 64. Denny Hamlin had the best 10-lap average at 183.032 mph.
Click here for the practice report.
“It’s going to be a battle,” Stenhouse said of what to expect from Sunday’s race (3 p.m. ET on Fox). “I think the speeds for me, I didn’t think they were going to be as fast as what they were as far as single speed there in the draft. … When you get out in front, you’re going to be able to control the lanes a little bit easier than like a Daytona or Talladega. Because Daytona is easier to control lanes than Talladega because it’s so much more narrow and then you take it another step further here on how long the racetrack is compared to Daytona.”
Kevin Harvick, a three-time winner on the old Atlanta layout, was 30th on the board at the end of the session.
“(Our car) was as good any any of them, the sketchy part to me is when someone’s trying to blend (onto the track) and we’re going into Turn 3,” Harvick told FS1. “The top lane’s gotten really dirty and so the guys up top are trying to cheat it down. Into (Turn) 3 there’s a little bump on the inside and the car’s wanting to go to the right and it straightens the car out and it makes it hard to make the arc of the corner. In traffic, you’re having to lift a little bit right there. It’s going to be interesting to say the least.”
Bubba Wallace, who won last year at Talladega, enjoyed his time on the new version of the 1.54-mile track.
“I’m like itching at the neck here, I want to go back out there, I thought it was fun,” Bubba Wallace told Fox Sports 1. “It’s like half and half. Half speedway and half mile-and-a-half. You lose the nose on entry, you gotta get a little right front light out when you’re on the bottom. You can move up to the second lane. … The car’s really good.”
Atlanta is nucking futs.
— Corey LaJoie (@CoreyLaJoie) March 19, 2022
This joint is WILD @amsupdates
— Harrison Burton (@HBurtonRacing) March 19, 2022