NASCAR News: Fords dominate final Daytona 500 practice
Ryan Preece (pictured) led a dominant RFK Racing 1-2-3 in the final practice session for the 68th Daytona 500 on Saturday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway.
In the 50-minute session, only 18 drivers turned laps as most teams opted to sit out the optional tune-up ahead of Sunday’s green flag. Preece wheeled the No. 60 Kroger/Viva Towels Ford to the top spot at 192.819 mph, with teammates Chris Buescher (No. 17) and Brad Keselowski (No. 6) right behind in a clean Ford sweep of the top three.
Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano completed an all-Ford top five, while Ross Chastain was the fastest Chevrolet in sixth for Trackhouse Racing. Chase Elliott placed seventh for Hendrick Motorsports in the No. 9 NAPA Chevy.
Defending Daytona 500 winner William Byron ended up 13th in a backup car, and seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson was the lone Toyota on track, finishing 18th in the No. 84 Carvana Camry for Legacy Motor Club.
Final Daytona 500 Practice Results
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Speed | Behind | Gap |
| 1 | 60 | Ryan Preece | Kroger/Viva Towels Ford | 46.676 | 192.819 | —.— | —.— |
| 2 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Body Guard Ford | 46.684 | 192.786 | -0.008 | -0.008 |
| 3 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | Castrol Ford | 46.733 | 192.583 | -0.057 | -0.049 |
| 4 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Menards/Peak Ford | 46.758 | 192.480 | -0.082 | -0.025 |
| 5 | 22 | Joey Logano | Shell Pennzoil Ford | 46.760 | 192.472 | -0.084 | -0.002 |
| 6 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Busch Light Chevrolet | 46.791 | 192.345 | -0.115 | -0.031 |
| 7 | 9 | Chase Elliott | NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet | 46.830 | 192.184 | -0.154 | -0.039 |
| 8 | 16 | AJ Allmendinger | Celsius Chevrolet | 47.141 | 190.917 | -0.465 | -0.311 |
| 9 | *78 | BJ McLeod | Superior Logistics Chevrolet | 47.150 | 190.880 | -0.474 | -0.009 |
| 10 | 51 | Cody Ware | Jacob Construction Chevrolet | 47.185 | 190.739 | -0.509 | -0.035 |
| 11 | 41 | Cole Custer | HaasTooling.com Chevrolet | 47.287 | 190.327 | -0.611 | -0.102 |
| 12 | 10 | Ty Dillon | Grizzly Nicotine Pouches Chevrolet | 47.297 | 190.287 | -0.621 | -0.010 |
| 13 | 24 | William Byron | Raptor Chevrolet | 47.976 | 187.594 | -1.300 | -0.679 |
| 14 | 21 | Josh Berry | Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford | 49.120 | 183.225 | -2.444 | -1.144 |
| 15 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Discount Tire Ford | 49.263 | 182.693 | -2.587 | -0.143 |
| 16 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Ally Chevrolet | 49.326 | 182.460 | -2.650 | -0.063 |
| 17 | *66 | Casey Mears | SI Yachts/Gracie Foundation Ford | 49.403 | 182.175 | -2.727 | -0.077 |
| 18 | *84 | Jimmie Johnson | Carvana Toyota | 49.524 | 181.730 | -2.848 | -0.121 |
| 19 | 4 | Noah Gragson | Rush Truck Centers Ford | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 |