CONCORD, N.C. — Report by Race Chaser Online Correspondent James Pike — Robert Laberge/Getty Images North America photo —

Kurt Busch took a step towards improving his 11th-place finish in the 2014 Bank of America 500 by being fastest in second practice for this year’s running of the event, turning in a time of 28.606 seconds (188.772 mph). Busch is also one of the 12 drivers that qualified for the Contender round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup with a 17th-place finish last weekend at Dover.

Busch was followed by Carl Edwards, winner of the Coca-Cola 600 in May. Edwards posted the second-quickest time at 28.629 seconds (188.620 mph), and was the fastest Toyota.

Rounding out the top five were the Caterpillar Chevrolet of Ryan Newman (28.780 seconds; 187.630 mph), the Furniture Row/ Visser Precision Chevrolet of Martin Truex Jr. (28.789 seconds; 187.572 mph), and the Shell/ Pennzoil Ford of Joey Logano  (28.802 seconds; 187.487 mph).

Brad Keselowski continued the trend of Chase drivers in the top 10 with the sixth-fastest time, right behind his Penske Racing teammate (28.838 seconds; 187.253 mph). He was followed by Denny Hamlin, who was seventh-quickest with a time of 28.850 seconds (187.175 mph). Dale Earnhardt Jr. led the Hendrick Motorsports contingent with the eighth-fastest time (28.857 seconds, 187.130 mph) and was the last car in the 187 mph bracket, while his teammate Jimmie Johnson was the lone non-Chase driver in top 10 with the ninth-fastest time (28.908 seconds; 186.800 mph). Kyle Busch was the third of four Joe Gibbs Racing cars to crack the top 10 with a time of 28.966 seconds (186.425 mph).

Three Chase drivers were unable to post times in the top 20 — Matt Kenseth, who was 22nd fastest in his Dollar General Toyota (29.260 seconds; 184.552 mph), Kevin Harvick, who was 26th fastest after topping the charts in the opening practice session (29.297 seconds, 184.319 mph), and Jeff Gordon, who was 32nd fastest (29.482 seconds, 183.163 mph).

The Sprint Cup Series will return to the track for final practice at 6:30 P.M.

RESULTS: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series; Bank of America 500 Practice; Charlotte Motor Speedway; October 9, 2015

1. Kurt Busch
2. Carl Edwards
3. Ryan Newman
4. Martin Truex Jr.
5. Joey Logano
6. Brad Keselowski
7. Denny Hamlin
8. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
9. Jimmie Johnson
10. Kyle Busch
11. Jamie McMurray
12. Kasey Kahne
13. Kyle Larson
14. Greg Biffle
15. Ryan Blaney
16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
17. David Ragan
18. Casey Mears
19. Clint Bowyer
20. Paul Menard
21. Danica Patrick
22. Matt Kenseth
23. Austin Dillon
24. Aric Almirola
25. A.J. Allmendinger
26. Kevin Harvick
27. David Gilliland
28. Sam Hornish Jr.
29. Justin Allgaier
30. Alex Bowman
31. Tony Stewart
32. Jeff Gordon
33. Trevor Bayne
34. Michael McDowell
35. Michael Annett
36. J.J. Yeley
37. Brett Moffitt
38. Jeb Burton
39. Landon Cassill
40. Matt DiBenedetto
41. Cole Whitt
42. Reed Sorenson
43. Alex Kennedy