Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Chase Elliott is fastest in final Cup practice at ISM Raceway

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bluegreen Vacations 500 - Practice

AVONDALE, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 08: Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Autocare Center Chevrolet, hangs out in the garage during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bluegreen Vacations 500 at ISM Raceway on November 08, 2019 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Chase Elliott isn’t going down without a fight.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver, who is in a must-win situation in Sunday’s penultimate Cup playoff race if he hopes to advance to next week’s championship race in Miami, proved something in Friday’s final practice of the weekend:

His Chevrolet Camaro has speed -- and lots of it.

Elliott was the only driver to exceed 138 mph, clocking a field-best speed of 138.627 mph in the last practice, more than 1 mph faster than second-fastest Ryan Blaney (137.208 mph).

Seven of the eight remaining championship contenders were in the top 10 speed-wise in the final session.

Kevin Harvick (136.913 mph) was third-fastest, followed by Martin Truex Jr. (136.820), non-playoff driver Aric Almirola (136.121), Joey Logano (136.024), non-playoff drivers Alex Bowman (136.581) and Matt DiBenedetto (135.941), Denny Hamlin (135.921) and Kyle Busch (135.619).

The only playoff driver outside the top 10 was Kyle Larson (135.343), who was 11th-fastest.

Qualifying for Sunday’s Bluegreen Vacations 500 takes place Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. ET (televised on NBCSN). Sunday’s race will start at 2:30 p.m. ET and be televised on NBC.

Click here for the full practice results.

Follow @JerryBonkowski