Typically, Thursdays are relatively quiet on the racetrack. But today at Darlington the action has been non-stop.

The first practice session began with the Nationwide Series at 3 p.m. at Darlington Raceway. So far, former Chesterfield resident Denny Hamlin has posted the fastest practice speed (178.348 mph).

A.J. Allmendinger, who was sidelined for six weeks after he failed to qualify in the first three races of the season, continues to rebound. He toured the 1.366-mile racetrack with a Sprint Cup-best 178.679 in the first session.

The Nationwide drivers qualify tomorrow at 3:10 for the Diamond Hill Plywood 200. Sprint Cup qualifying for the Dodge Challenger 500 is scheduled for 7 p.m.

There were several crashes during practice. Scott Riggs and Steven Wallace—who was involved in a postrace altercation last Friday with Kyle Busch at Richmond International Raceway—were seen and released from the infield care center after both crashed.