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Michael McDowell leads opening Daytona 500 practice

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Reigning Daytona 500 champion Michael McDowell posted the fastest lap in the first of two Cup practice sessions Tuesday night at Daytona International Speedway.

McDowell topped the field with a lap of 192.736 mph around the 2.5-mile speedway for Front Row Motorsports. Top speeds came in drafts, as teams ran in small packs during the 50-minute session. Fords took the top five spots.

McDowell was followed by David Ragan (192.666 mph) for Rick Ware Racing. Todd Gilliland was next at 192.649 mph. Brad Keselowski was fourth at 192.600 mph. Chris Buescher was fifth at 192.571 mph.

The next five were Toyotas, all coming in a draft. Those were Martin Truex Jr. (191.184 mph), Bubba Wallace (191.160), Denny Hamlin (191.152), Kurt Busch (191.144) and Kyle Busch (191.127).

Daytona Cup practice 1 results

Cars went out in small packs within the same manufacturer. All 42 cars were on track.

The second practice goes from 6:35 - 7:25 p.m. ET.