Could Dale Earnhardt Jr. go out with a win at Homestead?
While practice is never an indicator of how things will go during a race, Dale Jr. certainly raised eyebrows. He posted the second fastest time, piloting his No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at 170.681 mph. He trailed only Denny Hamlin, who's No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing ran the track at 171.130 miles per hour.
A fast car bodes well for Junior, and his fans will wish for something better -- a storybook ending.
Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota ran third at 170.020 mph; Kurt Busch in the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford fourth at 169.545 mph and Kasey Kahne in the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet fifh at 168.972 mph.
The other Championship 4 drivers -- Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick -- were 10th, 16th and 17th, respectively.