Group A
Gibbs led the way overall and among Group A drivers, running a fast lap at 190.510mph. He was followed by Brad Keselowski in second, who had a bit of a moment early in the session.
Ross Chastain was third, Alex Bowman fourth, and Ryan Blaney fifth. Chastain, who finished second at Texas last year, told his team that he was loose into Turn 1 and on the exit of Turn 2, while fighting a tight condition through Turns 3 and 4.
Gibbs was one of just four drivers who ran 30+ laps, with the others being Reddick, Chase Elliott and Christopher Bell.
Practicing his pit entry, Tyler Reddick had a very close call with Austin Cindric after the session ended.
There were no red flags.
Group B
Kyle Larson led the way among Group B drivers and was third overall at 189.076mph. He was trailed by Chris Buescher, Martin Truex Jr., Josh Berry, and Michael McDowell.
Byron, coming off a special victory for Hendrick Motorsports at Martinsville and returning to TMS as the defending winner, described “a little tightness” in Turns 1 and 2, but said Turns 3 and 4 were “good” for him.
It was a difficult session for Friday’s NASCAR Truck Series race winner Kyle Busch, clocking in 27th overall. He spun at the exit of Turn 2, slamming the outside wall with the rear of the car. “These (expletive) cars suck,” lamented Busch over the radio. He will go to a backup car.
Soon after, seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson slid sideways and tagged the outside wall in Turns 1 and 2 as well. The session remained green and he limped back to the pits.
"It is a bit different – there is no doubt," said Johnson. "I felt like we did a nice job trying to get me ready in the simulator. Unfortunately, I just got a little loose in turn one – I caught it – but it is such a narrow lane, that once I caught the car I was in the wall, and I was kind of along with the ride then. We’ve got the car in the garage area – there is no doubt the AdventHealth Toyota won’t make qualifying, but it’s unclear if it’s a back-up car or just fixing the body and the right rear corner.”
Reddick and Larson appeared to be the strongest on longer runs with Reddick leading the 10 and 20-lap averages. Larson led the way in five and 15-lap averages.
