Denny Hamlin fastest Friday in first Bristol practice

Denny Hamlin looking for fourth Bristol pole on Friday.

Denny Hamlin laid down the fastest lap in Friday's practice session at Bristol Motor Speedway in preparation for Sunday's Food City 500. The lap at 128.666 mph makes him the favorite to win Friday's Coors Light Pole during qualifying (4:15 pm ET).

Hamlin, who won at Bristol in the fall of 2012, set the track qualifying record last fall at 131.407 mph. It was his third pole on the high-banked half-mile layout.

Second quickest at 128.399 mph was Martin Truex Jr., and he was followed by Brad Keselowski (128.374), Jimmie Johnson (128.176) and Jamie McMurray (127.767).

Rounding out the top-10 quickest drivers in the session were Kevin Harvick (127.724), Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Kyle Busch (with the identical lap speed of 127.478) recorded seventh and eighth respectively, followed by AJ Allmendinger (127.444) and Carl Edwards (127.377).

On Saturday, the teams will have two more practice sessions beginning with a early morning session from 8:30 – 9:25 am and then “Happy Hour” (final) practice from 11:00 am. – 11:55 am.

Practice 1 Speeds