CONCORD, N.C. — On the eve of the final race of the opening playoff round for the NASCAR XFINITY Series, not much changed towards the top of the standings as Justin Allgaier led the opening practice session at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The JR Motorsports driver has been quick throughout most of the season and Friday afternoon was no different, as he topped the charts in the No. 7 Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet with a lap of 29.721 seconds (181.690 mph).

Alex Bowman, back on track this season after a summer break, is driving in the XFINITY Series this weekend for Chip Ganassi Racing. ‘The Showman’ finished the session in second, driving the No. 42 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet (29.889/180.668).

William Byron, who on Thursday evening unveiled his 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series paint scheme, finished practice session in third (29.892/180.650).

The sensational rookie was followed by a pair of Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in Erik Jones and Matt Tifft.

Sam Hornish Jr., Daniel Hemric, Daniel Suarez, Cole Custer and Ty Dillon rounded out the rest of the top-10.

Brendan Gaughan was the lowest of the playoff contenders, slotting in at a distant 25th in the opening round.

Reed Sorenson, Elliott Sadler, Austin Dillon, Ryan Blaney and Harrison Rhodes did not post a timed lap in the opening practice.

The next on-track activity for the NASCAR XFINITY Series is final practice at 6 p.m. ET. (NBCSN, PRN, Sirius XM)

Full practice results can be viewed on the next page…