Spire Motorsports Shine: McDowell and Haley Lead Cup Series Practice at Darlington
In Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series practice at Darlington Raceway, Spire Motorsports teammates Michael McDowell and Justin Haley showcased impressive performance, securing the top two positions on the practice leaderboard.
McDowell clocked a lap at 169.531 mph, completing the distance in 29.007 seconds, while Haley followed closely with a best lap of 168.856 mph. Ty Gibbs placed third, notching 168.850 mph, ahead of Carson Hocevar in fourth at 168.394 mph, and Noah Gragson in fifth at 168.135 mph. Todd Gilliland and AJ Allmendinger rounded out the top seven with times of 168.002 mph and 167.653 mph, respectively.
Bubba Wallace was the fastest playoff driver, finishing eighth at 167.243 mph. He was the only playoff contender to break into the top ten during practice. Kyle Busch and John Hunter Nemechek secured ninth and tenth positions, clocking in at 167.203 mph and 166.902 mph.
Among the playoff drivers, Ross Chastain finished 13th, followed by William Byron in 16th, Chase Briscoe in 18th, and Denny Hamlin in 19th. Notably, Briscoe is the defending champion of the Southern 500.
Several notable drivers struggled, with Austin Cindric in 21st, Tyler Reddick in 22nd, and Kyle Larson in 23rd. Chase Elliott ended the session in 34th.
Two minor incidents occurred during practice but did not result in caution flags. Ryan Preece made contact with the wall, while Zane Smith spun without hitting anything as he approached pit road. Both incidents are typical on Darlington’s challenging circuit.
As the series looks ahead to the race, McDowell and Haley’s performance sets a promising tone for Spire Motorsports.
