Defending champ McDowell leads Ford’s fast start at Daytona
By DAN GELSTON
AP Sports Writer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Michael McDowell opened the first Daytona 500 practice session with a top speed of 192.736 mph. McDowell helped Ford dominate the top five spots in two draft-heavy sessions at Daytona International Speedway. McDowell was last season’s surprise Daytona 500 champion. NASCAR got another look at the Next Gen, a new car years in development that could level the playing field to some degree. The stakes are raised Wednesday night for qualifying. Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney hit 192.588 to lead a top-10 sweep in the second practice for Ford. The manufacturer scored 11 of the 12 spots overall in the second session.