NNS: Stenhouse Sets Happy Hour Pace At CMS

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. led all drivers in final Nationwide Series practice at Charlotte Motor Speedway...

SPEED Staff | Posted October 11, 2012 Concord, NC

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. prepares to take the track for practice at Charlotte Motor Speedway. (Photo: Getty Images)

Mile-and-a-half tracks have been the bread and butter of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. this season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

Call it no surprise, then, that Stenhouse — the reigning series champion — paced Thursday's final round of Nationwide practice at 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Stenhouse, bidding to chase down points leader Elliott Sadler as the season enters its final stretch, topped "Happy Hour" for Friday's Dollar General 300 with a lap of 183.076 mph in his Roush Fenway Racing Ford.

Kyle Busch, driving his own No. 54 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota, was second at 181.977. Sadler, who holds a nine-point edge over Stenhouse in the standings, was third at 181.763, followed by full-time Sprint Cup Series drivers Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano.

Danica Patrick was ninth out of the 47 drivers who posted speeds.

Qualifying for the Dollar General 300 begins at 4:05 p.m. ET Friday, followed by racing at 7:30.