While Dodge drivers may have locked out the front row of the grid for Saturday's Subway 500 at the Phoenix International Raceway NASCAR's defending manufacturers champions Chevrolet showed that they might just have the right package in race trim as three of their combined number led Friday's Happy Hour practice session at the one-mile dog-leg oval in the desert.
DEI's Mark Martin, defending series champion Jimmie Johnson and Martin's teammate Martin Truex Jr set the pace in the final hour-long thrash around the flat-banked circuit with only the Roush-Fenway Racing Ford of Greg Biffle able to break into the top five.
Casey Mears in the second of four Hendrick Chevrolet's was fifth fastest with Thursday's polewinner Ryan Newman the leading Dodge runner with sixth fastest time.
Biffle's teammate David Ragan, beginning to look like a potential race winner this season, was next up as Jack Roush's men re-assumed their traditional roles in taking the fight to the often dominant Chevrolet teams.
With Kevin Harvick's RCR Chevrolet in eighth place on the timesheets Dodge runners accounted for the remainder of the top ten with Gillett-Evernham's Kasey Kahne and Ganassi Racing's Reed Sorenson.
Triple 2008 winner Carl Edwards was 11th fastest, one spot ahead of current points leader Jeff Burton while the best placed Toyota was only 14th in the hands of Kyle Busch. Jeff Gordon's second torrid weekend in a row continued, as he could do no better than 30th quickest for the second successive practice session.
![Mark Martin - US Army Chevrolet [pic credit: image.net]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/300247.jpg)
