New aero package or old, Stewart-Haas Racing appears in good position at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend.
SHR teammates Clint Bowyer and Aric Almirola topped Friday’s only Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, the first utilizing most elements of NASCAR’s new aero package.
Bowyer’s average lap speed of 180.152 mph just topped Almirola (179.988 mph). Austin Dillon ended up third (179.772 mph).
Kurt Busch was fourth-fastest and Daytona 500 Denny Hamlin ended up fifth.
Rounding out the Top 10 were Martin Truex Jr., Erik Jones, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and Daniel Suarez.
Virtually the entire session consisted of single-car runs, with teams having little interest in running together in packs.
“Well, everybody’s got their opinion on what we’re going see, but only time will paint that picture,” Bowyer said. “I think it could be drastically different than what we have ever seen. My opinion is, it’s going to be different.
“I don’t know how much different, I don’t know what kind of different, I just know it’s going to be different than what we know as the norm on a mile-and-a-half. Um, will they be drafting? I think. How much drafting? I don’t know.”
Qualifying is scheduled for 5:10 p.m. ET.
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