Earnhardt Jr. leads opening Nationwide practice

Hendrick Motorsports’ Dale Earnhardt Jr. led the opening NASCAR Nationwide Series practice at Daytona International Speedway Wednesday. Earnhardt Jr. is driving the JR Motorsports No. 5 Chevrolet, a product of an alignment between his company and Hendrick Motorsports. Earnhardt Jr. led the session with a lap of 185.770 mph. Richard Childress Racing’s Clint Bowyer was second-fastest with a top lap of 185.151 mph. Kevin Harvick Inc.’s Kevin Harvick, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch and Roush Fenway Racing’s Greg Biffle rounded out the top five.

RESULTS: Practice 1 (Top-10)
1. #5 Dale Earnhardt Jr 48.447
2. #2 Clint Bowyer 48.609
3. #33 Kevin Harvick 48.619
4. #18 Kyle Busch 48.679
5. #16 Greg Biffle 48.723
6. #59 Marcos Ambrose 48.763
7. #22 Mike Bliss 48.797
8. #99 David Reutimann 48.819
9. #25 Bobby Hamilton Jr 48.829
10. #38 Jason Leffler 48.891