Final Daytona 500 practice is paced by Keselowski as Fords dominate session 17 drivers skipped

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Brad Keselowski relaxes in his garage before a practice for the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

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Alex Bowman stands next to his car in his garage during a practice session for the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

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Cole Custer watches as his crew works on the car during a practice for the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race Friday, Feb. 14, 2025, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

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William Byron climbs in his car during a practice session for the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, July 15, 2025, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

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Jimmie Johnson climbs into his car during a practice for the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

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Jimmie Johnson puts on his firesuit before a practice for the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

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Car owner and former driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., right, talks to Justin Allgaier, left, and a crew member before a practice for the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

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Joey Logano walks to his garage during a practice session for the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, July 15, 2025, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

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Zane Smith waves to fans as he walks through the garages after a practice session for the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, July 15, 2025, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

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Austin Cindric leaves his garage after a practice session for the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, July 15, 2025, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

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Helio Castroneves, of Brazil, gets his helmet ready during a practice for the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

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Corey LaJoie throws a rugby ball before a practice for the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

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Corey LaJoie signs an autograph for a fan before practice for the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

By JENNA FRYER

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Ford led the final Daytona 500 practice with Brad Keselowski pacing the field as he attempts to snap a 15-year winless drought Sunday in “The Great American Race.”

Keselowski has long struggled at Daytona International Speedway, where he’s typically a contender but gets caught in the carnage that is common. The field is jam-packed at 41 cars, the most entries in a decade, and if the Daytona 500 is anything like Saturday’s crash-filled ARCA Series race, it might get messy.

That could be tough for Keselowski, who has failed to finish in nine Daytona 500s.

He co-owns Roush Fenway Keselowski, which built him a Ford that went 193.307 mph in Saturday’s 55-minute final tune-up session.

He was followed by Alex Bowman in a Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, and then Cole Custer, back in the Cup Series after a demotion to the Xfinity Series, in a Ford fielded as Haas Factory now that Stewart-Haas Racing has closed.

Justin Allgaier was fourth for the feel-good story of the Daytona 500. His Chevrolet is owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and is making its Cup Series debut in the Daytona 500 in a car sponsored by singer Chris Stapleton’s whiskey label. Earnhardt has been on an emotional journey with this endeavor and was a wreck the day Allgaier raced his way into the field.

Not PARSE.LY: Brad Keselowski

William Byron celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

William Byron avoids late wrecks to win 2nd straight Daytona 500 for Hendrick Motorsports

Kyle Larson smiles prior to a qualifying heat for a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Bowman Gray Stadium, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025, in Winston-Salem, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

NASCAR star Kyle Larson is on a tear in 2025. Can he keep it going with a Daytona 500 win?

Austin Cindric (2) and Joey Logano (22) lead the field to start the second of two NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying auto races at Daytona International Speedway, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

Here’s a crash course — a cheat sheet, really — for the 67th running of the Daytona 500

Kyle Larson, the 2021 champion who has never won the Daytona 500, was fifth in a Chevy and gave Hendrick two drivers in the top-five of the session.

Corey Lajoie, who used his kids’ college fund to pay for the seat he raced into the Daytona 500, was sixth in a Ford fielded by Rick Ware Racing.

Ryan Preece was seventh in an Ford from RFK, Justin Haley was eighth in a Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports and Chris Buescher put all three RFK cars inside the top nine. Zane Smith rounded out the top 10 with another Ford, this one from Front Row Motorsports.

Ford is the only manufacturer so far that has shown it can keep up with Toyota, which won the pole with Chase Briscoe, qualified Jimmie Johnson and Martin Truex Jr. for the race on speed, and then won the first of Thursday’s two qualifying races. But Toyota was not as fast in final practice with Ty Gibbs of Joe Gibbs Racing 13th on the speed chart.

Ford showed speed when Austin Cindric qualified second for the Daytona 500 and then beat Erik Jones, who was in a Toyota, at the finish of their qualifying race. Cindric was 21st on Saturday.

Defending race winner William Byron was 23rd in final practice, while reigning Cup Series champion Joey Logano was 12th. Helio Castroneves, the four-time Indianapolis 500 winner who used a controversial new “world-class driver” provisional to push the field to 41 cars, was 20th.

Only 24 of the 41 drivers practiced Saturday, with many choosing not to risk damaging their car ahead of NASCAR’s version of the Super Bowl. Among those who didn’t practice Saturday were pole-sitter Chase Briscoe, qualifying-race winner Bubba Wallace, and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, all among the fast Toyotas.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing