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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Harrison Burton topped the leaderboard in Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series practice at Daytona International Speedway, leading a 1-2-3 sweep for Team Penske’s affiliates in the final tune-up for Sunday’s Daytona 500.
Burton paced the session at 188.355 mph in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford. Right behind him were Penske teammates Joey Logano (188.324 mph) and Austin Cindric (188.265 mph) in the Nos. 22 and 2 Fords.
RELATED: Full practice results | At-track photos
Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe and Kevin Harvick placed fourth and fifth respectively on the speed chart. Fords swept the top eight spots.
The 50-minute session had only light participation to sort out their entries, with just 19 of the 40 starters registering laps, opting to avoid any practice peril on the eve of the season opener. A handful of teams chose to learn more about drafting with the new Next Gen car that debuts this year, while others practiced their pit-road entries.
Former Formula 1 champion Jacques Villeneuve was not among those participating in practice, and he told FOX Sports that the engine in his No. 27 Team Hezeberg Ford had dropped a valve. Villeneuve’s car was beset by mechanical issues in Thursday’s Duel qualifying races and he indicated that his team would change the engine before the 500.
The No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team of Daytona 500 pole winner and reigning Cup champion Kyle Larson also opted to skip final practice.
The next on-track activity for Cup Series cars is Sunday’s Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio).
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