Kyle Busch, Ambrose Top NASCAR Sprint Cup Practice at the Glen

Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images

A highlight weekend for American road racing, the Watkins Glen track comes alive with the competition of the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series as well as the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series for 2011. A busy weekend at the 2.46-mile Watkins Glen road course in lower New York state, the track time for the top-level NASCAR Sprint Cup Series gave the teams only two practices for Sunday's Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen. Both occurring on Friday, 46 NASCAR Sprint Cup machines are set to compete for 43 spots in Saturday qualifying.

Despite the rich contingent of road racers making limited series starts, Kyle Busch conquered the lead position in practice session 1 at Watkins Glen. Piloting his Joe Gibbs Racing #18 Toyota Camry, Kyle Busch flew to a 1 minute, 1.24 second top time. Recently resigning with to drive the 2012 season in the #42 Chevrolet for Earnhardt/Ganassi Racing, Juan Pablo Montoya grabbed second fastest time. Montoya returns to the Watkins Glen race as the reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup race winner of the 2010 event. 

Third through fifth in the initial NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice at the Watkins Glen track were stock cars driven by AJ Allmendinger, Ryan Newman and Brad Keselowski. Honourable mentions for fast times in the session also goes to Jeff Gordon who's 7th fastest, Dale Earnhardt Jr capturing the 11th quickest time and Andy Lally who drove his #71 TRG Motorsports Ford to a 15th fastest time.  

In the second practice session, Tasmania's Marcos Ambrose reached for the top of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series time charts. The #9 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford Fusion was guided around the 2.46-mile Watkins Glen track in 1 minute, 9.67 seconds. Winning Saturday's NASCAR Nationwide Series event for the past 3 years, Ambrose is still hunting for his first Sprint Cup Series victory. In 3 previous Sprint Cup Series races at the Watkins Glen road course, Marcos Ambrose owns 3 top-five finishes.  

Following Ambrose's fastest time in the second and final practice for Sunday's Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr collected top-5 speeds. Committed to drive the #2 Miller Lite Dodge for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen, Brad Keselowski is still nursing a angle injury suffered two weeks ago testing at Road Atlanta. Likely to go the distance in the 90-lap Sunday event, Keselowski is giving up his #22 Dodge in the NASCAR Nationwide Series to Penske Racing teammate Kurt Busch.  

After setting top time in the first Watkins Glen practice, Kyle Busch's #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was found in 16th place. Other drivers who showed a larger drop-off on the practice standings sheet between the two sessions were Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr and Matt Kenseth. It should be alluded stock cars dialing in race setups rather than for top qualifying speed.  

Qualifying for the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen race will start at 11:40 am Saturday. 

Practice 1

1. 18 Kyle Busch M&M's Toyota
2. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
3. 43 A J Allmendinger Best Buy Ford
4. 39 Ryan Newman U.S. ARMY Chevrolet
5. 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Dodge
6. 16 Greg Biffle Valvoline Ford
7. 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet
8. 5 Mark Martin GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
9. 29 Kevin Harvick Budweiser Chevrolet
10. 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald's Chevrolet
11. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet
12. 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Ford
13. 9 Marcos Ambrose Stanley Ford
14. 4 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Toyota
15. 71 Andy Lally Interstate Moving Services Ford
16. 99 Carl Edwards Ortho Home Defense Max Ford
17. 22 Kurt Busch Shell/Pennzoil Dodge
18. 14 Tony Stewart Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet
19. 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
20. 33 Clint Bowyer Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet
21. 27 Paul Menard Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Chevrolet
22. 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Ground Toyota
23. 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet
24. 6 David Ragan UPS Ford
25. 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota
26. 20 Joey Logano Home Depot Toyota
27. 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
28. 51 Boris Said PhoenixConstruction/ThankATeacher Chevrolet
29. 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Chevrolet
30. 47 Bobby Labonte CapitalDPO Toyota
31. 34 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford
32. 32 Andrew Ranger Bully Hill Vineyards Ford
33. 0 David Reutimann Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
34. 36 Ron Fellows Golden Corral Chevrolet
35. 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota
36. 46 Brian Simo Fisher Nuts Ford
37. 55 JJ Yeley Front Row Motorsports Ford
38. 7 Robby Gordon SPEED Energy Dodge
39. 13 Casey Mears GEICO Toyota
40. 38 Terry Labonte Long John Silver's Ford
41. 35 Dave Blaney Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
42. 77 PJ Jones GNC/SPEED Energy Dodge
43. 66 Michael McDowell HP Racing, LLC Toyota
44. 50 T J Bell Green Smoke Chevrolet
45. 37 Scott Speed Green Stuff Absorbent Ford
46. 60 Mike Skinner Big Red Toyota

Final Practice

1. 9 Marcos Ambrose Stanley Ford
2. 22 Kurt Busch Shell/Pennzoil Dodge
3. 99 Carl Edwards Ortho Home Defense Max Ford
4. 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Dodge
5. 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
6. 20 Joey Logano Home Depot Toyota
7. 33 Clint Bowyer Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet
8. 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet
9. 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
10. 13 Casey Mears GEICO Toyota
11. 71 Andy Lally Interstate Moving Services Ford
12. 43 A J Allmendinger Best Buy Ford
13. 27 Paul Menard Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Chevrolet
14. 37 Scott Speed Green Stuff Absorbent Ford
15. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
16. 18 Kyle Busch M&M's Toyota
17. 47 Bobby Labonte CapitalDPO Toyota
18. 7 Robby Gordon SPEED Energy Dodge
19. 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Ground Toyota
20. 16 Greg Biffle Valvoline Ford
21. 34 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford
22. 55 JJ Yeley Front Row Motorsports Ford
23. 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet
24. 4 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Toyota
25. 0 David Reutimann Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
26. 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald's Chevrolet
27. 66 Michael McDowell HP Racing, LLC Toyota
28. 29 Kevin Harvick Budweiser Chevrolet
29. 51 Boris Said Phoenix Construction/Thank A Teacher
30. 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota
31. 39 Ryan Newman U.S. ARMY Chevrolet
32. 14 Tony Stewart Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet
33. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet
34. 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Chevrolet
35. 35 Dave Blaney Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
36. 77 PJ Jones GNC/SPEED Energy Dodge
37. 6 David Ragan UPS Ford
38. 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota
39. 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Ford
40. 36 Ron Fellows Golden Corral Chevrolet
41. 5 Mark Martin GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
42. 46 Brian Simo Fisher Nuts Ford
43. 50 T J Bell Green Smoke Chevrolet
44. 38 Terry Labonte Long John Silver's Ford
45. 32 Andrew Ranger Bully Hill Vineyards Ford
46. 60 Mike Skinner Big Red Toyota