DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — In the run-up to “The Great American Race,” Ford made a strong showing in the final practice for the Daytona 500, with Brad Keselowski setting the pace as he aims to end a 15-year victory drought.
Keselowski has faced challenges at the Daytona International Speedway over the years. He often performs well but tends to get caught up in the typical chaos that surrounds the race. The event features a full field of 41 cars, which marks the highest number of participants in the last ten years. Given the crash-filled nature of the recent ARCA Series race, the Daytona 500 could see similar turbulence, posing a challenge for Keselowski, who has struggled to finish nine Daytona 500 races.
He co-owns the Roush Fenway Keselowski team, which prepared a competitive Ford that clocked in at 193.307 mph during the 55-minute practice session. Following Keselowski was Alex Bowman in a Chevrolet from Hendrick Motorsports, and Cole Custer, who is back in the Cup Series after a stint in the Xfinity Series, drove a Ford from Haas Factory, now operating after the closure of Stewart-Haas Racing.
A notable story emerging from the session concerned Justin Allgaier, who placed fourth. His Chevrolet, supported by Dale Earnhardt Jr., is making its Cup Series debut in Daytona, backed by sponsorship from musician Chris Stapleton’s whiskey brand. Earnhardt has described his emotional journey regarding this participation, particularly on the day Allgaier secured his spot in the race.
Kyle Larson, the 2021 champion still in search of a Daytona 500 win, ended the practice fifth in a Chevrolet, helping Hendrick Motorsports secure two top-five finishes during the session. Corey LaJoie, who financed his race seat with his kids’ college savings, showed impressive performance in sixth place driving a Ford fielded by Rick Ware Racing.
Seventh place went to Ryan Preece in a Ford from RFK, while Justin Haley came in eighth with a Chevrolet driving for Spire Motorsports. Chris Buescher helped RFK place three cars inside the top nine, and Zane Smith completed the top ten in a Ford for Front Row Motorsports.
Ford appears to be the only manufacturer maintaining a competitive edge against Toyota, which secured the pole with Chase Briscoe and had strong showings from both Jimmie Johnson and Martin Truex Jr. in qualification. Yet, Toyota drivers struggled during the final practice session, with Ty Gibbs from Joe Gibbs Racing finishing in 13th.
Ford demonstrated its speed when Austin Cindric qualified second for the Daytona 500 and managed to outpace Erik Jones, who drove a Toyota, in their qualifying race. Cindric ended up in 21st during practice. The previous year’s champion, William Byron, was 23rd, with reigning Cup Series titleholder Joey Logano in 12th. Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves utilized a controversial provisional qualifying method to ensure a full field of 41 cars, finishing 20th.
Of the 41 drivers, only 24 participated in Saturday’s practice, with many opting to avoid risking any damage ahead of NASCAR’s premier event. Notably, among those who did not take part were pole-sitter Chase Briscoe, qualifying-race victor Bubba Wallace, and three-time Daytona 500 champion Denny Hamlin, all of whom are fast Toyota drivers.
