JRM Rookies Lead The Way In Rockingham Xfinity Practice

Carson Kvapil was fastest in NASCAR Xfinity Series practice at Rockingham Speedway. (Jacob Seelman/Race Face Digital photo)

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. – They’d never seen Rockingham Speedway before Friday afternoon, but that didn’t stop a pair of JR Motorsports rookies from leading the way in NASCAR Xfinity Series practice.

With a full 50-minute session to work with at the .94-mile oval, Carson Kvapil topped the time sheets in the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Clarience Chevrolet, posting a best lap of 22.899 seconds (147.779 mph) at the end of his mock qualifying run.

Kvapil turned 26 laps overall, while two of his teammates – Sammy Smith and Justin Allgaier – made 72 and 66 circuits, respectively, during practice.

While most of the Xfinity Series field saw Rockingham’s repaved surface for the first time during a January organizational test, Kvapil said Friday’s warmer conditions meant that most of the feel he picked up during testing didn’t end up mattering in the heat of the day.

“There are definitely a few things I feel like I’m fighting now that I wasn’t fighting at the test,” Kvapil said after practice. “A lot of what I took away from January was fighting loose in turn one, and it was actually the opposite for me when I got out there this time. I felt like I was mainly snug rolling into the corner and a little bit free everywhere else.

“The track is definitely a lot hotter this weekend and I feel like some aspects of that changed things,” he added. “There was a lot of rubber laid down even before we got on track [for practice]. It definitely drove differently … and it was pretty hard to pass.”

Fellow Sunoco rookie-of-the-year contender Connor Zilisch was second-quick overall at 23.052 seconds (146.799 mph) in the No. 88 WeatherTech Chevrolet, with Haas Factory Team’s Sheldon Creed third (23.061/146.741) in the No. 00 Road Ranger Ford.

Connor Zilisch (left) and Carson Kvapil speak to the media at Rockingham Speedway. (Jacob Seelman/Race Face Digital photo)

Zilisch noted that though the groove looked like it widened out to the naked eye, he didn’t feel as much of a difference from the driver’s seat in terms of an ability to make moves around other cars.

“Honestly, even though we made it look darker, I didn’t think there was much of a change throughout practice,” Zilisch explained. “I feel like maybe it got a little wider … but I don’t think anybody really moved an entire groove. I saw some guys entering [the corners] higher at the beginning where there was a little variance in lines, but for the most part I felt we were all glued to the bottom and running around the white line.

“We did lay a lot of rubber down, though, so hopefully if we can do that again tomorrow … then the track will widen out and we’ll be able to get up above it and run the top as well.”

Six more Chevrolet drivers followed Creed in the rundown. Jordan Anderson Racing’s Jeb Burton and Richard Childress Racing’s Jesse Love filled out the top five, followed by JRM’s Justin Allgaier, RCR’s Austin Hill, Alpha Prime Racing’s Parker Retzlaff, and JRM’s Sammy Smith.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Taylor Gray was the only Toyota driver to end practice inside the top 10, going 10th overall at 23.192 seconds ( mph).

In his NASCAR return, Kasey Kahne placed the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing-prepared Chevrolet 18th.

Indy car and sports car regular Katherine Legge ranked 36th of 40 drivers on single-lap practice speeds, in her first time driving the No. 32 Chevrolet for Jordan Anderson Racing.

With 40 drivers entered, two will fail to qualify when time trials hit the racetrack Saturday at 11:30 a.m. ET. The North Carolina Education Lottery 250 will follow at 4 p.m. ET, live on The CW, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.