Martin Truex fastest during first Talladega practice session

Dale Earnhardt was 42nd fastest during the first practice session

Speeds reached over 200 mph Friday afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway during the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Aaron’s 499 practice session with Martin Truex Jr. posting the fastest lap speed of 200.721 mph among the 47 drivers turning a lap.

The action on the track looked like a race with drivers often going three-wide. There were 29 drivers that ran at least 10-consecutive laps, which means very little on this beast of a track with restrictor-plates on.

Rookie of the Year candidate, Justin Allgaier posted the second fastest lap (200.666) followed by David Ragan (200.599), Marcos Ambrose (200.540) and ROTY candidate Kyle Larson (200.372).

Rounding out the top-ten fastest drivers in the session were Carl Edwards (199.921), Michael Waltrip (199.875), David Gilliland (199.666), Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (199.654) and Danica Patrick (199.625). speed.

The teams will have their “Happy Hour” (final) practice session today from 3:30 pm – 4:25 pm (ET) before returning Saturday at 1:10 pm (ET) for qualifying to determine the starting lineup for Sunday’s race.

The 45th annual Aaron’s 499 is scheduled to start at approximately 1:20 pm (ET) Sunday afternoon, and FOX will provide television coverage beginning with their 12:30 pm (ET) pre-race show.

Whatever you do, take these practices at Talladega with a grain of salt. They mean nothing. 38 drivers had a shot of winning the race before the practice started and 38 still have a chance. Don't rush out to buy Truex Jr. because he was fastest and don't lower your Junior rating just because he was 42nd fastest.

Practice 1 Speeds

Practice 2 Speeds (only 29 drivers participate)