NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
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CUP: Multi-Car Crash Ends First Practice
Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch tangle during first Budweiser Shootout practice at Daytona…
Mike Hembree  |  Posted February 17, 2012   Daytona Beach, FL
It took only one practice for NASCAR’s new world to turn a bit sour.

A multi-car crash, sparked when Tony Stewart hit Kurt Busch in a tight pack of traffic, ended Friday afternoon’s first NASCAR practice of the season. Twenty-five cars were running laps in preparation for Saturday night’s Budweiser Shootout when Stewart hit the rear of Busch’s car, causing a five-car crash.

Other drivers involved were Penske Racing teammates AJ Allmendinger and Brad Keselowski and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch.

Several teams were expected to go to backup cars for Saturday’s race, a 75-lap non-points event that opens the NASCAR season.

The scheduled 45-minute practice (a second session is scheduled from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.) was the first using NASCAR’s new rules package. It was designed to limit tandem drafting, and much of the practice saw drivers running in a big pack, although there was some double-drafting.

The accident appeared to happen when Stewart, near the front of a pack of cars, pulled up on Kurt Busch in an attempt to form a double draft. Slight contact sent Busch’s car into a slide, causing cars to wreck behind them.

“It seemed like everybody was good and calm the first big run,” said Kyle Busch, whose team went to a backup car. “Then it seemed like everybody started getting a little antsy, wondering where can we go and how hard can we push.”

Matt Kenseth led the practice with a speed of 201.762 miles per hour. Following in the top five were David Ragan, Jamie McMurray and Ryan Newman.

The slowest driver in the practice session was Jimmie Johnson, who had a fast lap of only 190.706.

Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 30 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
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