P1racenews AI automatic summary:
William Byron paced a weather-shortened Daytona 500 practice session Friday evening with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott in tow. Byron, the defending Daytona 500 champion, was fastest w…
William Byron set the pace in a rain-shortened Daytona 500 practice, with Chase Elliott close behind in second. Byron, the reigning Daytona 500 champion, recorded the fastest lap at 194.923mph, while Elliott was second with 194.763mph. The practice session was abruptly halted due to rain after only 31 minutes on track, out of the scheduled 50-minute session. Despite the shortened session, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kyle Busch, and Austin Dillon also showed competitive speeds in the top five. The practice showed varied strategies among teams, with Toyota drivers focusing on drafting in small packs and Ford and Chevrolet drivers engaging in an 11-car draft. The final Cup Series practice session for the Daytona 500 is set for 3:05 p.m. ET on Saturday.
