AJ Allmendinger Leads Practice Session at Sonoma Raceway
AJ Allmendinger of Kaulig Racing showcased impressive speed in the Cup Series practice session at Sonoma Raceway, recording the fastest lap with a time of 1m15.95s at an average speed of 94.325 mph. This performance puts Allmendinger in a strong position as he seeks playoff qualification.
Ty Gibbs followed closely, clocking a lap of 1m16.05s (94.024 mph), with Shane van Gisbergen rounding out the top three at 93.965 mph. The top five was completed by Ross Chastain (93.782 mph) and Kyle Larson (93.711 mph). Notable top ten finishers included Christopher Bell (93.710 mph) and Ryan Blaney (93.680 mph).
Allmendinger also secured the best five-lap average in the session, demonstrating consistent pace, while van Gisbergen led the 10-lap average. William Byron excelled in the opening group, achieving the highest averages across both five and ten laps.
The practice session was largely incident-free, with Spire Motorsports encountering minor spins. Michael McDowell and teammate Justin Haley both went off track but avoided damage. Brad Keselowski experienced a similar scenario, spinning on the racing surface without consequence. In contrast, the second group saw Chase Briscoe and Ty Gibbs briefly go off course, yet the session concluded caution-free.
All 37 cars on track participated, with Katherine Legge completing the fewest laps (8) and ranking slowest overall. Chastain and Tyler Reddick finished the session with a session-high of 18 laps.
As the teams prepare for the race, Allmendinger’s strong practice performance could signal a competitive weekend ahead at Sonoma.
