Kyle Busch leads field in first of two Friday Nationwide practices at Bristol - MotorSportsTalk

Thus far Friday, it’s been a Busch brothers beatdown at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Kurt Busch was the fastest in Friday’s solo Sprint Cup practice session.

And in the first of two Nationwide Series practice sessions this afternoon, Kyle Busch picked up where older brother Kurt left off, leading all 39 drivers that took part in practice.

Busch’s Toyota Camry covered the .533-mile high-banked track at 123.079 mph, followed by three other Sprint Cup regulars: Matt Kenseth (122.318), Kyle Larson (122.007) and Kevin Harvick (121.798).

The fastest and first true Nationwide competitor was Cale Conley, who got around BMS at 121.582 mph.

Needing to really pick up speed was the slowest driver out there, Ryan Sieg, whose best lap was a mere 98.415 mph.

See how your driver did in the first practice chart below:

1 Kyle Busch 123.079 mph

2 Matt Kenseth 122.318

3 Kyle Larson 122.007

4 Kevin Harvick 121.798

5 Cale Conley 121.582

6 Chase Elliott 121.558

7 Brian Scott 121.451

8 James Buescher 121.389

9 Ty Dillon 121.228

10 Regan Smith 121.221

11 Ryan Blaney 121.205

12 Trevor Bayne 121.198

13 Elliott Sadler 120.626

14 Mike Bliss 120.422

15 Brendan Gaughan 120.068

16 Chris Buescher 119.985

17 Landon Cassill 119.72

18 Matt DiBenedetto 119.611

19 Dylan Kwasniewski 119.522

20 Jeffrey Earnhardt 119.254

21 Ryan Reed 119.239

22 Kevin LePage 119.151

23 Will Kimmell III 119.010

24 Joe Nemechek 118.833

25 Mike Wallace 118.503

26 Josh Wise 118.466

27 Carl Long 118.452

28 Jeremy Clements 117.805

29 Jamie Dick 117.617

30 Kelly Admiraal 117.559

31 Timmy Hill 117.387

32 Tanner Berryhill 117.121

33 Dakoda Armstrong 116.993

34 Blake Koch 116.957

35 Derrike Cope 115.947

36 Matt Carter 115.611

37 Joey Gase 114.555

38 Eric McClure 108.850

39 Ryan Sieg 98.415

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The biggest race of the NTT IndyCar Series season (and in the world) is over, and NBC Sports’ power rankings look very similar to the finishing results in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

Pole-sitter Alex Palou entered the Indy 500 at the top and remains there after his impressive rebound to a fourth after a midway crash in the pits. Top two Indianapolis 500 finishers Josef Newgarden and Marcus Ericsson also improved multiple spots in the power rankings just as they gained ground during the course of the 500-mile race on the 2.5-mile oval. Though Alexander Rossi dropped a position, he still shined at the Brickyard with a fifth place finish.

Santino Ferrucci, the other driver in the top five at Indy, made his first appearance in the 2023 power rankings this year and now will be tasked with keeping his A.J. Foyt Racing team toward the front as the IndyCar circuit makes its debut on a new layout..

Heading into the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix on the streets of downtown, here’s NBC Sports’ assessment of the current top 10 drivers through six of 17 races this year (with previous ranking in parenthesis):

Alex Palou (1): Three consecutive top 10 finishes at the Indy 500, and yet the 2021 IndyCar champion still seems slightly snake-bitten at the Brickyard. A few different circumstances and a dash of experience, and Palou could have three Indy 500 wins. But he at least has the points lead.
Marcus Ericsson (4): Some want to say the Indy 500 runner-up’s unhappiness with IndyCar race control was sour grapes, but the Swede had a legitimate gripe about the consistency of red flag protocols. Still a magnificent May for Ericsson, especially while the questions swirl about his future.
Josef Newgarden (7): Strategist Tim Cindric and team did a fantastic job catapulting Newgarden from 17^th into contention, and the two-time series champion did the rest. Particularly on a late three-wide pass for the lead, it can’t be overstated how brilliant the Team Penske driver was in his finest hour.
Alexander Rossi (3): He winds up being the best Arrow McLaren finisher in a mostly disappointing Indy 500 for a team that seemed poised to become dominant. With a third in the GMR GP and a fifth in the Indy 500, this easily was Rossi’s best May since his second place in 2019.
Pato O’Ward (2): Unlike last year, the Arrow McLaren star sent it this time against Ericsson and came out on the wrong side (and with lingering bitterness toward his Chip Ganassi Racing rival). The lead mostly was the wrong place to be at Indy, but O’Ward managed to be in first for a race-high 39 laps.
Scott Dixon (5): He overcame brutal handling issues from a wicked set of tires during his first stint, and then the team struggled with a clutch problem while posting a typical Dixon-esque finish on “a very tough day.” The six-time champion hopes things are cleaner the rest of the season after the first three months.
Santino Ferrucci (NR): Pound for pound, he and A.J. Foyt Racing had the best two weeks at Indianapolis. Ferrucci said Wednesday he still believes he had “by far the best car at the end” and if not for the timing of the final yellow and red, he would have won the Indy 500. Now the goal is maintaining into Detroit.
Colton Herta (NR): He was the best in a mostly forgettable month for Andretti Autosport and now is facing a pivotal weekend. Andretti has reigned on street courses so far this season, and few have been better on new circuits than Herta. A major chance for his first victory since last year’s big-money extension.
Scott McLaughlin (6): Ran in the top 10 at Indy after a strong opening stint but then lost positions while getting caught out on several restarts. A penalty for unintentionally rear-ending Simon Pagenaud in O’Ward’s crash then sent him to the rear, but McLaughlin still rallied for 14th. Detroit will be a fresh start.
Rinus VeeKay (10): Crashing into Palou in the pits was less than ideal. But a front row start and 10^th-place finish in the Indy 500 still were 2023 highlights for VeeKay in what’s been the toughest season of his career. The Ed Carpenter Racing cars have been slow on road and street courses, so Detroit is another test.

Falling out: Will Power (8), Felix Rosenqvist (9), Romain Grosjean (10)

PAST NBC SPORTS INDYCAR POWER RANKINGS

PRESEASON: Josef Newgarden is a favorite to win third championship

RACE 1: Pato O’Ward to first; Newgarden drops out after St. Pete

RACE 2: O’Ward stays firmly on top of standings after Texas

RACE 3: Marcus Ericsson leads powerhouses at the top

RACE 4: Grosjean, Palou flex in bids for first victory

RACE 5: Alex Palou carrying all the momentum into Indy 500