Rain forced NASCAR to abandon the scheduled qualifying round at North Wilkesboro Speedway, pushing the series into a wet‑track practice instead.
When the track finally dried, the drivers took to the asphalt for a competitive session, with Christopher Bell posting the fastest lap at 18.222 seconds, setting the pace for the field.
Practice Session Results
Denny Hamlin narrowly missed the top spot, finishing second with a lap of 18.236 seconds, while Ross Chastain claimed third at 18.283 seconds. William Byron, Chase Elliott, Ty Gibbs, Kyle Larson, Josh Berry, Joey Logano, and Chris Buescher rounded out the top ten, each posting times between 18.320 and 18.364 seconds.
The remainder of the field saw a tight cluster of laps, with Ryan Blaney, Austin Cindric, Connor Zilisch, Riley Herbst, Carson Hocevar, Alex Bowman, Shane van Gisbergen, Bubba Wallace, Daniel Suarez, Todd Gilliland, Ryan Preece, Austin Dillon, Zane Smith, John Hunter Nemechek, Cole Custer, Erik Jones, Michael McDowell, Chase Briscoe, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., AJ Allmendinger, Tyler Reddick, Noah Gragson, Brad Keselowski, Austin Hill, Ty Dillon, Cody Ware, and Chad Finchum completing the order.
Although the session was originally intended as a qualifying effort, the practice will inform crew chiefs and drivers as they fine‑tune setups for the upcoming race weekend. The data collected at North Wilkesboro, a historic half‑mile track, offers valuable insight into tire behavior and aerodynamic balance under drying conditions, adding an extra layer of strategy for the teams.