Byron, who secured the pole position for this race a year prior, showcased his prowess by clinching the fastest average lap speed of the day at 94.415 mph, despite being one of the last cars to complete laps after 1½ hours of practice, with time already expired.
To accommodate the uniqueness of the first road course race of the season with NASCAR’s new aero package, teams were divided into two groups, and each allocated a pair of 20-minute sessions on the track.
Byron’s stellar performance emerged from Group B, where he soared past Ty Gibbs’ top lap speed of 94.681 mph from Group A’s second session. In the second of Group B’s 20-minute sessions, Byron’s late flyer lap clocked in at 94.703 mph, comfortably claiming the top spot on the speed chart.
Teammate Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports secured the second-fastest time (94.415 mph), followed by Christopher Bell in third (94.226 mph). Ross Chastain and Kamui Kobayashi rounded off the top five.
However, the practice sessions were not without incidents. In the first Group B session, Chastain experienced a spin, while several drivers, including Michael McDowell, Austin Dillon, and Josh Berry, had their lap times invalidated for shortcutting the course.
McDowell also encountered a spin in the second Group B session, managing to resume without necessitating a caution. Similarly, Chastain and Justin Haley faced invalidated lap times in the second session due to course shortcutting.
In Group A, Gibbs demonstrated a formidable pace across both sessions, improving his time in the second 40-minute practice to claim the lead with an average lap speed of 94.681 mph. Bubba Wallace secured the second spot (94.260 mph), followed by Kyle Busch in third. Shane van Gisbergen and Corey LaJoie completed the top five.
Reflecting on his team’s performance, Wallace expressed satisfaction, noting, “Proud of the effort of everyone at 23XI Racing.” However, he acknowledged differences in tire choices among competitors, emphasizing the focus on preparation for the race ahead.
The practice sessions also saw their share of interruptions and penalties. Tyler Reddick’s spin at Turn 7 around 10 minutes into the first Group A session resulted in a brief halt by NASCAR. Several drivers, including LaJoie, Denny Hamlin, A.J. Allmendinger, Todd Gilliland, Ryan Blaney, and Chase Briscoe, had their lap times disallowed in Group A for course shortcutting.
| CLA | DRIVER | # | MANUFACTURER | LAPS | TIME | INTERVAL | MPH | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | W. Byron
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS |
24 | Chevrolet | 14 |
2’09.626 |
94.703 | ||
| 2 |
T. Gibbs
JOE GIBBS RACING
|
54 | Toyota | 16 |
+0.030 2’09.656 |
0.030 | 94.681 | |
| 3 | A. Bowman
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS |
48 | Chevrolet | 13 |
+0.395 2’10.021 |
0.365 | 94.416 | |
| 4 | B. Wallace
23XI RACING |
23 | Toyota | 13 |
+0.609 2’10.235 |
0.214 | 94.260 | |
| 5 | C. Bell
JOE GIBBS RACING |
20 | Toyota | 15 |
+0.656 2’10.282 |
0.047 | 94.226 | |
| 6 | K. Busch
RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING |
8 | Chevrolet | 14 |
+0.787 2’10.413 |
0.131 | 94.132 | |
| 7 | R. Chastain
TRACKHOUSE RACING |
1 | Chevrolet | 15 |
+0.791 2’10.417 |
0.004 | 94.129 | |
| 8 | K. Kobayashi
23XI RACING |
50 | Toyota | 10 |
+0.941 2’10.567 |
0.150 | 94.021 | |
| 9 | K. Larson
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS |
5 | Chevrolet | 14 |
+0.997 2’10.623 |
0.056 | 93.980 | |
| 10 | S. van Gisbergen
KAULIG RACING |
16 | Chevrolet | 15 |
+1.043 2’10.669 |
0.046 | 93.947 | |
| 11 | C. Lajoie
SPIRE MOTORSPORTS |
7 | Chevrolet | 14 |
+1.051 2’10.677 |
0.008 | 93.942 | |
| 12 | T. Reddick
23XI RACING |
45 | Toyota | 11 |
+1.262 2’10.888 |
0.211 | 93.790 | |
| 13 | A. Cindric
TEAM PENSKE |
2 | Ford | 13 |
+1.289 2’10.915 |
0.027 | 93.771 | |
| 14 | C. Briscoe
STEWART-HAAS RACING |
14 | Ford | 15 |
+1.391 2’11.017 |
0.102 | 93.698 | |
| 15 | M. Truex Jr
JOE GIBBS RACING |
19 | Toyota | 17 |
+1.443 2’11.069 |
0.052 | 93.661 | |
| 16 | R. Blaney
TEAM PENSKE |
12 | Ford | 18 |
+1.450 2’11.076 |
0.007 | 93.656 | |
| 17 | A. Allmendinger
KAULIG RACING |
13 | Chevrolet | 12 |
+1.553 2’11.179 |
0.103 | 93.582 | |
| 18 | C. Buescher
RFK RACING |
17 | Ford | 16 |
+1.613 2’11.239 |
0.060 | 93.539 | |
| 19 | J. Logano
TEAM PENSKE |
22 | Ford | 15 |
+1.666 2’11.292 |
0.053 | 93.502 | |
| 20 | C. Elliott
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS |
9 | Chevrolet | 15 |
+1.668 2’11.294 |
0.002 | 93.500 | |
| 21 | J. Haley
RICK WARE RACING |
51 | Ford | 13 |
+1.701 2’11.327 |
0.033 | 93.477 | |
| 22 | R. Preece
STEWART-HAAS RACING |
41 | Ford | 13 |
+1.716 2’11.342 |
0.015 | 93.466 | |
| 23 | N. Gragson
STEWART-HAAS RACING |
10 | Ford | 17 |
+1.727 2’11.353 |
0.011 | 93.458 | |
| 24 | D. Suarez
TRACKHOUSE RACING |
99 | Chevrolet | 16 |
+1.784 2’11.410 |
0.057 | 93.418 | |
| 25 | A. Dillon
RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING |
3 | Chevrolet | 15 |
+1.818 2’11.444 |
0.034 | 93.393 | |
| 26 | M. McDowell
FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS |
34 | Ford | 16 |
+1.876 2’11.502 |
0.058 | 93.352 | |
| 27 | T. Gilliland
FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS |
38 | Ford | 17 |
+2.059 2’11.685 |
0.183 | 93.222 | |
| 28 | R. Stenhouse Jr
JTG DAUGHERTY RACING |
47 | Chevrolet | 11 |
+2.111 2’11.737 |
0.052 | 93.186 | |
| 29 |
C. Hocevar
SPIRE MOTORSPORTS
|
77 | Chevrolet | 15 |
+2.121 2’11.747 |
0.010 | 93.179 | |
| 30 | B. Keselowski
RFK RACING |
6 | Ford | 15 |
+2.166 2’11.792 |
0.045 | 93.147 | |
| 31 | J. Nemechek
LEGACY MOTOR CLUB |
42 | Toyota | 17 |
+2.238 2’11.864 |
0.072 | 93.096 | |
| 32 |
Z. Smith
SPIRE MOTORSPORTS
|
71 | Chevrolet | 16 |
+2.297 2’11.923 |
0.059 | 93.054 | |
| 33 | D. Hamlin
JOE GIBBS RACING |
11 | Toyota | 17 |
+2.506 2’12.132 |
0.209 | 92.907 | |
| 34 | K. Grala
RICK WARE RACING |
15 | Ford | 11 |
+2.511 2’12.137 |
0.005 | 92.904 | |
| 35 | H. Burton
WOOD BROTHERS RACING |
21 | Ford | 12 |
+2.562 2’12.188 |
0.051 | 92.868 | |
| 36 | J. Berry
STEWART-HAAS RACING |
4 | Ford | 15 |
+2.864 2’12.490 |
0.302 | 92.656 | |
| 37 | E. Jones
LEGACY MOTOR CLUB |
43 | Toyota | 12 |
+3.280 2’12.906 |
0.416 | 92.366 | |
| 38 | D. Hemric
KAULIG RACING |
31 | Chevrolet | 13 |
+3.330 2’12.956 |
0.050 | 92.331 | |
| 39 | T. Hill
MBM |
66 | Ford | 4 |
+8.292 2’17.918 |
4.962 | 89.009 |
