McDowell, who remains in the battle to make the 16-driver playoff field, ended up with the fastest average lap speed of both sessions at 98.515 mph.
Kyle Larson ended up second quick (98.436 mph) while McDowell’s FRM team-mate, Todd Gilliland, was third fastest (98.402 mph).
Gilliland, on the other hand, veered off track with less than three minutes left in the second 20-minute session and became trapped in the gravel. It seems that his No. 38 Ford did not sustain any notable harm.
Eight out of the top ten fastest speeds were achieved by Group B, with the top three positions also being dominated by this group.
Among those drivers who ran at least 10 consecutive laps, McDowell had the top average speed (98.025 mph). Martin Truex Jr. and Alex Bowman were second and third, respectively, in that category.
Group A
Bell was the frontrunner in the initial 20-minute session, maintaining an average lap speed of 98.258 mph. However, he made contact with the wall while navigating Turn 14 during his last attempt on the track.
It was unclear what – if any – damage Bell sustained to his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
Suarez achieved the second-highest speed at 98.232 mph, followed by Briscoe in third place with a speed of 97.951 mph. Ross Chastain secured the fourth position, while Tyler Reddick completed the top five.
During the session, Bubba Wallace missed the mark at Turn 1 and had to complete a stop-and-go penalty before resuming his run.
Jensen Button, a former world champion in Formula 1, finished in 14th place. Kamui Kobayashi, a renowned sports car driver from Japan, came in 15th, while Mike Rockenfeller, a former champion of LeMans 24 Hours, secured the 19th fastest time.
Group B
McDowell quickly went to the top of the second session with an average speed of 98.515 mph.
Larson achieved the second fastest speed at 98.436 mph, while Gilliland secured the third position with a speed of 98.402 mph.
Ty Gibbs and Bowman rounded out the top five.
Three-time Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen, who won the inaugural Cup Series Street race at Chicago last month, ended up 12th-fastest in the second session.
Fellow Supercars star Brodie Kostecki stalled on the track on his first lap before eventually making it back to pit road so his No. 33 Richard Childress Racing team could address the problem.
The officials of the team suspect that there was a problem with the throttle pedal in Kostecki’s car. Eventually, he managed to get back on the track but ended up being the 38th fastest.
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