NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
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CUP: Martin Sets Pace Again
Mark Martin was fastest in today’s opening round of practice...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted June 08, 2012   Long Pond, PA
Mark Martin continues to be fast at Pocono Raceway. (Photo: Getty Images)
After two full days of “testing” at the new Pocono Raceway, the NASCAR Sprint Cup teams returned to the 2.5-mile Tricky Triangle for the first of two practice sessions Friday.

And once again, it was the ageless Mark Martin who showed the way, running a best lap of 179.379 miles per hour in his No. 55 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota.

Jamie McMurray’s Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Chevrolet was fast right off the trailer, with McMurray jumping to the top of the speed charts early with a lap of 178.930 mph, which held up as second-fast on the session.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was in top form, too, wheeling the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy to a lap of 178.809 mph. That put him just ahead of teammate Jimmie Johnson’s 178. 178.678 mph.

AJ Allmendinger’s Penske Racing Dodge completed the top five, with Ryan Newman sixth. Then it was Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and Regan Smith.

The final Happy Hour session is from 3:30-5 p.m. ET and will be televised live on SPEED.

Qualifying, which will also be on SPEED, begins at 11:10 a.m. Saturday.

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100.
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