NASCAR XFINITY Series teams practiced twice Thursday at Bristol Motor Speedway in preparation for Friday's Food City 300.
Series regular Justin Allgaier was fastest in the first practice with a lap of 125.363 mph in the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Kyle Busch was second in that session then led final practice with a lap of 124.315 mph in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing machine. Allgaier posted the fastest 10-lap average in final practice.
Qualifying for the Food City 300 is scheduled at 3:40 p.m. Friday with the race set to start at 7:30 p.m.
Including Busch, there are seven NASCAR Cup Series regulars on the entry list. Defending race winner Austin Dillon is one of them. He was fifth fastest in opening practice Thursday and 13th in final practice.
In addition to Busch and Dillon, Joey Logano and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are Cup Series regulars with XFINITY Series victories at Bristol on their resumes.
Logano in the No. 22 Team Penske car was second fastest in final practice. He won in 2012 and 2015. Earnhardt is making his first XFINITY Series start at Bristol in five years. He swept the track's Cup and XFINITY races in August 2004.
Busch is attempting to sweep the Camping World Truck, XFINITY and Cup series races on the same weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway for the second time in his career.
A come-from-behind victory in Wednesday's UNOH 200 means the sweep remains possible. Busch is an 18-time winner in NASCAR national series competition at Bristol, including eight victories in the XFINITY Series.
Other full-time Cup drivers entered are Ty Dillon, Daniel Suarez and Aric Almirola.
Erik Jones won the April race in the JGR No. 20 but is not entered in the Food City 300. Instead, Suarez will be driving the car.
Series points leader Elliott Sadler is one of five JR Motorsports drivers entered in the Food City 300. The others: Michael Annett, William Byron, Allgaier and Earnhardt.
Sadler is a two-time Bristol winner. In his past two XFINITY Series starts at the track, the Emporia, Virginia native has finished fourth. He was eighth in final practice and fourth in the first practice Thursday.
Byron owns three XFINITY Series victories this season and will drive for Hendrick Motorsports in the Cup Series next season. He was fourth fastest in final practice.
Allgaier is third in points behind Sadler and Byron with one victory this season.
