AVONDALE, Ariz. - All week long, William Byron and members of the No. 24 Chevrolet team stressed the importance of unloading fast in NASCAR Cup Series practice on Friday at Phoenix Raceway.
The team checked off its first box.
Byron turned in the fourth-fastest lap during the 50-minute extended session with a time of 27.27 seconds, second among the Championship 4 drivers that will contend for a title on Sunday. The green flag for Sunday's main event is slated to fall just after 3 p.m. and the race will air on NBC.
As the lone Hendrick Motorsports driver remaining in title contention, Byron has been the main focus this week. But Byron's performance in practice was part of a solid effort for the organization. Kyle Larson posted a time slightly quicker than his teammate, using a lap of 27.233 seconds to post the third-best single circuit. Alex Bowman had the 13th-best lap with Chase Elliott rounding out the group in 16th.
Single-lap speed is one thing, but races at the 1-mile tri-oval tend to include long runs and Byron was among the fastest cars as the laps wore on. The No. 24 car was fifth-best in 10-lap average and third in 15-lap average.
“I think we’ve been getting ready for Phoenix as a company for probably three months and this car has been prepped like we were going to make the Championship 4 for six weeks,” crew chief Rudy Fugle. “The difference is we just had everybody’s attention this week for a little bit more with the other three teams not making it.”
Over the course of the practice, Byron ducked onto pit road several times for minor changes as did his Hendrick teammates. The added time afforded crew chiefs the ability to experiment and for teams to simulate race situations such as firing off on scuffed tires as well as short runs and long runs.
At least in terms of lap time, Byron's car was nearly as good as any.
Qualifying is set for Saturday afternoon at 5:05 p.m. and will air on USA Network.
NASCAR Cup Series practice results (single lap)
- Ryan Blaney, No. 12
- Martin Truex Jr., No. 19
- Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
- William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
- Austin Cindric, No. 2
- Corey LaJoie, No. 51
- Ty Gibbs, No. 54
- Denny Hamlin, No. 11
- Joey Logano, No. 22
- Chase Briscoe, No. 14
- Bubba Wallace, No. 23
- Harrison Burton, No. 21
- Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
- Zane Smith, No. 71
- Christopher Bell, No. 20
- Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
- Carson Hocevar, No. 77
- Erik Jones, No. 43
- Daniel Suarez, No. 99
- Brad Keselowski, No. 6
- Tyler Reddick, No. 45
- Josh Berry, No. 4
- Kyle Busch, No. 8
- Chris Buescher, No. 17
- Michael McDowell, No. 34
- Justin Haley, No. 7
- Ricky Stenhouse, No. 47
- Noah Gragson, No. 10
- Ross Chastain, No. 1
- Todd Gilliland, No. 38
- Daniel Hemric, No. 31
- Ryan Preece, No. 41
- Austin Dillon, No. 3
- John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42
- Jimmie Johnson, No. 84
- Derek Kraus, No. 16
- Kaz Grala, No. 15
- JJ Yeley, No. 44
- Chad Finchum, No. 66
- Jeb Burton, No. 50
NASCAR 10-lap average
- Ryan Blaney, No. 12
- Joey Logano, No. 22
- Denny Hamlin, No. 11
- Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
- William Byron, No. 24, Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
- Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
- Austin Cindric, No. 2
- Martin Truex Jr., No. 19
- Bubba Wallace, No. 23
- Tyler Reddick, No. 45
NASCAR TV schedule
Saturday, Nov. 9: Cup Series qualifying, 5:05 p.m. ET (USA Network)
Sunday, Nov. 10: Cup Series race, 3 p.m. ET (NBC)