Brad Keselowski has turned the fastest lap in final practice for the Aaron’s 499 at the Talladega Superspeedway.
In the wake of the Penske team’s unsuccessful initial protest following the Texas rear-end irregularities, Keselowski gave the team reason to smile by clocking 195.896mph around the infamous Alabama track.
The speeds were noticeably slower in final practice after Carl Edwards managed to clock a 199.675mph tour in the opening session, a speed good enough for pole in any other year from the last couple of decades.
The closest to Keselowski was David Stremme who clocked 195.544mph in the #30 Toyota with Kasey Kahne, Aric Almirola and Travis Kvapil next quickest.
Denny Hamlin, who has been given medical clearance to make his comeback, turned his first laps in the opening practice but did not go out in the final run. Hamlin has been sidelined since March with a back injury.
Marcos Ambrose was 16th in the Stanley Ford after turning a best lap of 190.408mph while the Sprint Cup points leader Jimmie Johnson was 19th in the Lowe’s Chevrolet in 189.962mph.
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