Denny Hamlin set the fastest lap in opening practice for the 2015 Brickyard 400. [Father Dale Grubba photo]
Speedway, IN., July 24—The NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers took to the track for the first time with the new high drag aerodynamic rules package as practice began for the Crown Royal Presents the Jeff Kyle 400 at the Brickyard, the event commonly known as the Brickyard 400 and Denny Hamlin topped the speed charts with a lap of 49.394 seconds at an average speed of 182.208 mph.
The new rules put in place for this event include a highly visible taller rear spoiler, now set at nine inches with a one inch wicker attached to it, and the result after the first session was lap speeds 4-5 mph slower than last year’s top speed. The teams were also allowed to install data acquisition systems on the cars to collect on track data. One noticeable difference the new spoilers presented to the drivers was limited visibility out the rear window as well as the ability to drive harder into the corners and while some drivers reported feeling less grip in the turns, others also did not notice a significant difference in the closing rate to cars ahead of them.
Hamlin set his fast lap early in the session in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and he was followed by a string of Hendrick Motorsports and Stewart-Haas Chevrolets in the top five. Hendrick driver Jimmie Johnson was second on the charts with a lap at 181.796 mph (49.506 seconds) while defending Sprint Cup champion Kevin Harvick was third in his Stewart-Haas Chevrolet at 181.756 (49.517 seconds). Last year’s Brickyard 400 winner Jeff Gordon timed in fourth in his Hendrick Chevrolet at 181.444 mph (49.602 seconds) and Tony Stewart was fifth at 181.214 (49.665 seconds).
Matt Kenseth had the sixth fastest lap in his Toyota just ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr. in his Chevrolet and Jamie McMurray in his Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. Chevrolet drivers Kurt Busch and Martin Truex Jr. completed the top ten. Kyle Busch, the winner of the last two NASCAR Sprint Cup races was 11th fastest while Brad Keselowski was the top Ford driver in the session in 14th.
The session was halted briefly about halfway through when Jimmie Johnson’s car stopped near the entrance to pit road when Johnson reported a possible issue with the fuel pump. Johnson’s car received a push back to the garage from Tony Stewart and was able to return to the track later in the session. There were no serious incidents in the session with the only wall contact occurring when Paul Menard scraped the outside barrier causing some minor damage to the right side wheel wells on his car. Menard also was able to return to the track later in the session after his crew completed repairs on the car.