Jayski's® Silly Season Site - 2005 Cup Testing News

2005 CUP TESTING NEWS

TESTING NOTES: what you see posted here is all I know about testing
I do not know of any other sites that have testing news or I'd post the link
Some teams test and there is no report on it, some tracks do not release speeds

How many tests can each team have?

2005
As far as I know, the same rules as in 2004:
Each team (consisting of a car #) are allowed five two-day private-car tests and four single-day tests (14 total days).
A team with a rookie driver (#'s 5,23?,36,77) are permitted seven two-day tests and five single-day tests (19 total days) at a Cup track.
Teams can test unlimted amount at non Cup tracks such as:
Kentucky Speedway, Greensville-Pickens Speedway, USA Intl Speedway in Lakeland FL, Nashville Superspeedway
Texas World Speedway, Virginia Intl Raceway, plus proving grounds such as General Motors facility in Mesa, AZ, Ford's in Yucca, AZ and Dodge uses Chrysler's Chelsea Proving Grounds in Michigan.
ALL teams get charged a two-day test date for the Daytona 500.
West Coast Testing at California/Las Vegas in Jan/Feb will count as one two-day test.
AND - For new Cup and Busch teams or those not among the top 45 in the 2003 owner points and/or in the top 45 in the current season’s owner points will receive one two-day test and one single-day test (total of three days) until they attempt to qualify for a race. Each time a qualification attempt is made, teams will receive an additional two-day/single-day allotment, up to the maximum amount.

Raceweather.net - testing weather

2005 Testing News, Schedules, Results

2006 Testing, including Daytona 500 testing on my 2006 Testing page.

Kentucky Testing: #43-Bobby Labonte was scheduled to test at Kentucky Speedway, Thursday, Dec 15th, but weather cancelled the test session, Labonte is now scheduled to test on Tuesday, Dec 20th, with #18-J.J. Yeley and #5-Kyle Busch scheduled to test next Wednesday [12/21] and Thursday [12/22]. Fans can watch from the Turn 3 Fan Center at no charge. Schedule subject to change daily. Test times vary.(Kentucky Speedway)(12-15-205)
UPDATE: Crew chief Todd Parrott and driver Bobby Labonte ushered in a new era for the storied Petty Enterprises #43 Nextel Cup Series car with a test at Kentucky Speedway today. Labonte, the 2000 series champion who finished 24th in the 2005 standings with Joe Gibbs Racing, and Parrott, who helped Dale Jarrett win the 1999 series title with Robert Yates Racing, will join new Exec. VP of Operations Robbie Loomis, who guided Jeff Gordon to 23 wins and the 2001 championship with Hendrick Motorsports, in an attempt to rejuvenate a Petty program that hasn't scored a series race win since Loomis last worked there in 1999. Temperatures in the low to mid 20s didn't curb the enthusiasm both crew chief and driver expressed for their new project during their first test together. The new team agreed that the focus of the one-day test was to begin to establish solid team communications. "It's different," Labonte said. "I was kind of jittery at first because it's been 11 years since I've had anything like this go on. It's a little too cold here for me, but, so far, so good. I'm just real excited to work with Todd and all these guys. Hopefully, I understand Todd and when I talk, he can understand the language I'm talking. For us, today is about getting a feel for everybody and everybody getting a feel for Todd. He's the main character here that everyone will have to look up to. When I'm on the racetrack, they've got to know what to do next and he's the guy leading them."
Robert Yates Racing joined the test. Drivers Matt McCall, Steven Leicht, and Justin Diercks split time in a research and development car. Testing is scheduled to continue Dec. 21 and Dec. 22 when Kyle Busch and his #5 Hendrick Motorsports machine share track time with J.J. Yeley and his #18 Joe Gibbs Racing ride.(Kentucky Speedway)(12-21-2005)

Testing at Nashville: Clint Boyer and Jeff Burton are scheduled to be testing Monday, December 19 (weather permitting) at the Nashville Superspeedway. No sure if it is Nextel Cup or Busch Series.(PR)(12-17-2005)

Earnhardt Jr. OK to test: Dale Earnhardt Jr. says the Dec. 9 surgery he had on his left wrist will not keep him from preseason testing at Daytona. This week's edition of NASCAR Scene reports that Earnhardt Jr. said he would be able test a car approximately 10 days after the surgery, if necessary.(NASCAR Scene Daily Newsletter)(12-15-2005)

Hamilton Jr. tests at Gateway: #32 PPI Motorsports and driver Bobby Hamilton Jr., tested the #32 Tide Chevy at Gateway International Raceway on Tuesday, November 8 in preparations for this weekend’s event at PIR.(PPI Motorsports)(11-10-2005)

Testing at Homestead Scheduled: NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series testing will take place at Homestead-Miami Speedway with test sessions scheduled for Monday, October 31 - Wednesday, November 2 and Monday, November 7 - Wednesday, November 9. The teams and drivers will be preparing for the upcoming Ford Championship Weekend, the season-finales for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck Series, Nov. 18-20 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Several drivers currently in the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup are expected to participate in the test sessions at Homestead-Miami Speedway including points leader Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson (2nd place), Ryan Newman (3rd), Carl Edwards (5th), Rusty Wallace (6th) , Mark Martin (7th) Kurt Busch (8th) and Matt Kenseth (9th). Driver participation is tentative and subject to change.
The test sessions are closed to the general public until further notice due to repairs on the Speedway grandstands following Hurricane Wilma.
For more information or to order tickets to Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, please call (305) 230-RACE or log on the Speedway's official website - homesteadmiamispeedway.com.
Homestead-Miami Speedway NASCAR Testing Schedule
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Drivers/Teams
(Driver/Team Participation Tentative, Subject to Change)
Monday, October 31 - Tuesday, November 1
#39-David Stremme; #41-Casey Mears
Tuesday, November 1 - Wednesday, November 2
#97-Kurt Busch; #41-Casey Mears; #10-Joe Nemechek
Monday, November 7 - Tuesday, November 8
#07-Dave Blaney; #0-Mike Bliss; #31-Jeff Burton; #29-Kevin Harvick
Tuesday, November 8 - Wednesday, November 9
#8-Dale Earnhardt Jr.; #88-Dale Jarrett; #48-Jimmie Johnson; #9-Kasey Kahne; #45-Kyle Petty; #38-Elliott Sadler; #20-Tony Stewart; #1-Martin Truex Jr.*; #2-Rusty Wallace;
* To test NBS #8 on Tuesday, Nov. 8; NNC #1 on Wednesday, Nov. 9.
(Homestead-Miami Speedway PR)(10-28-2005)

Testing at Texas UPDATE: One of the busiest test sessions in speedway history will have drivers preparing Tuesday for the Dickies 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, Cup drivers scheduled to test include: #31-Jeff Burton, #44-Terry Labonte, #17-Matt Kenseth, #12-Ryan Newman, #18- Bobby Labonte, #6-Mark Martin, #19-Jeremy Mayfield [thought he was out of tests?], #1-Martin Truex Jr. and #77-Travis Kvapil.(TMS PR)(10-25-2005)
Tueday Testing update: #17-Matt Kenseth unofficially led Tuesday's NASCAR NEXTEL Cup speed chart with a lap of 193.548mph. Other speeds reported were #1-Martin Truex Jr., 192.308; #6-Mark Martin, 190.678; #91-Jeremy Mayfield and #12-Ryan Newman, 188.811; #18-Bobby Labonte, 188.482; #44-Terry Labonte, 188.285 and #77-Travis Kvapil, 186.207. Other NEXTEL Cup testers were #97-Kurt and #5-Kyle Busch and #31-Jeff Burton.
Speeds from Weds Testing:
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series
#44-Terry Labonte, 189.474 mph
# 5-Kyle Busch, 189.341
#31-Jeff Burton, 188.153
#91-Jeremy Mayfield, 188.153
#24-Jeff Gordon, 187.500
NASCAR Busch Series
#38-A.J. Foyt IV, 188.153
#20-Denny Hamlin, 184.932
#78-Jerry Robertson, 184.932
Test session was incident-free.(TMS)(10-27-2005)

Homestead testing cancelled for this week: While the Homestead Speedway track [surface] itself was not damaged [from Hurricane Wilma], testing was cancelled this week for several Cup teams that included championship contenders Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Rusty Wallace and Ryan Newman. Other teams, including Roush Racing's five-car operation, were scheduled to test in the next two weeks. Speedway president Curtis Gray will know soon when, and if, testing can be held. But a decision could not be made until the lighting experts arrived from Iowa-based MUSCO to access the damage and time needed to repair 12 custom-built light poles on pit road and another on the back of the grandstand. Getting the speedway ready for racing takes precedent, but Gray hopes to make a two-day test date available for all.(Miami Herald)(10-27-2005)

Testing ends at Atlanta: NEXTEL Cup cars were on the track again today testing at Atlanta Motor Speedway in preparation for the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500. Dale Earnhardt Jr. topped the speed charts today in his Budweiser Chevy, with a lap of 189.215 mph, (29.30 seconds). The #36 Chevy of Boris Said was second fastest. Accompanying Earnhardt Jr. and Said were #48-Jimmie Johnson, and #1-Martin Truex Jr. Testing their Craftsman trucks today were Joey Miller, Jack Sprague and Johnny Benson. There was one incident of note during the day-long test. Said spun exiting turn two, but did not hit anything. Below are the unofficial speeds recorded during the test:
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - #15 Chevy / NNCS = 189.215 mph
Boris Said - #36 Chevy / NNCS = 188.571 mph
Jimmie Johnson - #48 Chevy / NNCS = 187.361mph
Martin Truex, Jr. - #1 Chevy / NNCS = 187.108 mph
Great seats are still available for the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 weekend. Make sure to catch all of the weekend's festivities, including Georgia-Pacific Qualifying Night with the Atlanta Invitational Legends race on Friday, and the Crown Royal IROC race followed by the EasyCare Vehicle Service Contracts 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on Saturday. Contact the Atlanta Motor Speedway ticket office at 770-946-4211 or via www.ticketmaster.com.(AMS PR)(10-20-2005)

NASCAR at Atlanta Tests: noticed at Atlanta Motor Speedway testing on Tuesday were NASCAR's Mike Helton, Jim Hunter and Gary Nelson. They were there to check tire wear during the test. Following the race and tire problems at Lowe's Motor Speedway, they went around looking at tires and talking to drivers. Heard that tire wear at Atlanta so far has been 'normal', fast for three or four laps, then dropped off dramatically, which is normal.(10-19-2005)

Kyle Busch testing at Homestead/Texas: Busch and his #5 Kellogg's Racing team will test at Homestead, Fla., on Wednesday [Oct 19th] in preparation for the Nov. 20 NEXTEL Cup season finale. The team will also hold a two-day test Oct. 25-26 at the Texas Motor Speedway to warm up for the Nov. 6 event there.(Hendrick Motorsports PR)(10-19-2005)

Testing at Atlanta: NEXTEL Cup Series testing continued today at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Fourteen cars were on the track testing in preparation for the upcoming Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 on October 30. For the second day in a row, in his #80 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevy, J.J. Yeley was at the top of the speed charts posting a lap of 188.636mph, (29.39 seconds). #6-Mark Martin was second fastest, followed by #20-Tony Stewart. #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. recorded a lap of 184.003 mph, (30.13 seconds) [doesn't say where that placed in the mix of 14 drivers]. There were two on track incidents towards the end of the day. The first one occurred when Earnhardt, Jr. spun exiting turn four, but did not make contact with the wall and the second occurred minutes later when Yeley blew an engine entering turn one. Atlanta Motor Speedway testing will continue tomorrow [Wednesday Oct 19] as drivers prepare for the upcoming Oct. 28-30 race weekend. [no word if trsting is open to the public]
Great seats are still available for the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 weekend. Contact the Atlanta Motor Speedway ticket office at 770-946-4211 or via www.ticketmaster.com.(AMS PR)
Other drivers I heard attending the test included: #97-Kurt Busch, #16-Greg Biffle, #01-Joe Nemechek, #39-Reed Sorenson and #43-Jeff Green.(10-18-2005)

Martinsville Testing: At least a dozen drivers are expected to test this week at Martinsville, including Sterling Marlin, Jamie McMurray, Elliott Sadler, Bobby Labonte and Chasers Edwards, Greg Biffle and Jimmie Johnson.(Sporting News)(10-10-2005)

Gordon tests at Atlanta: Before heading to Kansas Speedway for this weekend's Banquet 400, #24-Jeff Gordon tested at Atlanta Motor Speedway for a test session on Wednesday. Gordon's fastest unofficial lap time was 29.87 seconds at 185.604 mph.(Gordonline.com)(10-7-2005)

Martin tests truck at Homestead: Roush Racing teammates Mark Martin and Todd Kluever spent two days this week testing their Ford F-150s at Homestead-Miami Speedway in preparation for next month's race. Martin drove a brand new truck which he will race there in November and Kluever piloted a Ford R&D truck. Both drivers felt the two days were very beneficial for their programs.(Roush Racing)(10-7-2005)

Testing at Martinsville: #25-Brian Vickers, #49-Ken Schrader and #21-Ricky Rudd took part in a Goodyear tire test at Martinsville Speedway on Monday and Tuesday.(Roanoke Times)(10-5-2005)

Wed Testing at Lowe's, Biffle and Stewart wreck again: NEXTEL Cup Series point leader Tony Stewart and championship contender Greg Biffle each crashed for the second time in less than 30 hours Wednesday at Lowe's Motor Speedway as five teams made final preparations for the Oct. 15 UAW-GM Quality 500. Neither Stewart nor Biffle were injured and both were able to drive their heavily damaged cars back to the garage area. Bouncing back from his hard crash Tuesday afternoon, Stewart was consistently quick throughout the testing session and recorded the fastest lap of the evening just moments before a cut right-front tire sent the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevy into the Turn 3 SAFER Barrier. "I had just run a 28.88," Stewart said. "I'm thinking 'this is pretty good,' and then I get to Turn 3 and I'm thinking 'this isn't good.'" Stewart's lap of 28.887 seconds, 186.935 mph, was the fastest of the two-day session but Stewart was still befuddled by the track's levigated surface.
"It's better, but I only ran three laps yesterday so I'm not really able to make a comparison," he said. "All the rubber that's being put down is helping. But what scares me is that all the rubber is being put down in one groove, and I'm not sure we are going to be able to pass."
Biffle's day ended extremely early as he crashed hard in Turn 2 less than an hour after the green flag was unfurled. Out of race cars, the #16 Roush Racing team loaded up and headed home [10 minutes from the track]. Opting to only test on Wednesday, Kyle Busch said track conditions were improving as the session progressed. "It's getting better the more people run on it. I started off today really, really tight which is probably a good thing," Busch said about his #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy. "The set-up we have for this place is dynamite. I'd like to be a little bit better but everybody always says that. I would like to be beating everybody by about two-tenths and that's what we're working toward." Busch was second fastest on the unofficial stopwatches at 185.452 mph while older brother Kurt was next at 184.237 mph in the #97 Roush Racing Ford. Scott Wimmer was clocked at 183.511 mph in the #22 Bill Davis Racing Dodge and Biffle posted a lap at 182.414 before his accident.
Tickets for all events during UAW-GM Quality 500 weekend, including round five of the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, can be purchased by calling 1-800-455-FANS or online at www.lowesmotorspeedway.com.
The unofficial speeds:
1. #20-Tony Stewart, 186.935;
2. #5-Kyle Busch, 185.452;
3. #97-Kurt Busch, 184.237;
4. #22-Scott Wimmer, 183.511
5. #16-Greg Biffle, 182.414.(LMS PR/Site)(9-22-2005)

Testing at Lowe's - Wed: hearing that #16-Greg Biffle crashed again today, testing at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Biffle also crashed Tuesday, wrecking what he considered his best car and one that was going to be used in four of the nine remaining 2005 races. Also, heard #20-Tony Stewart did not test Wednesday [so far] after wrecking Tuesday.
MORE #16-Greg Biffle’s championship chances may have taken a severe blow after crashing in successive days during testing at Lowes Motor Speedway. Tuesday night a right front tire cut down on his National Guard Ford sending him crashing into the wall between turns one and two. The tire had run 35 laps. Wednesday afternoon Biffle got loose going in the same turn and backed into the wall. As for the first crash Biffle said “It’s unfortunate…it was my best racecar I had in the fleet…the fastest racecar I’ve had ever. Data showed a 170 mile per hour impact. It was a pretty tough hit…hardest hit I’ve had in a long time.” As for crash number two…”It was a brand new car but it’s not something we were depending on. It’s tough to come here and lose two cars because someone is not using their brain. They made changes to the race track and who knows what determination was made…was it suppose to be the same grinding as it was before? If that was what they were told then there’s no reason for alarm, but that’s obviously not what happened. Maybe it’ll be okay whenever all the cars are here running we’ll have to wait and see.” Biffle’s shoulders, left arm, and neck are all sore. The car that wrecked Tuesday was virtually destroyed and was slated for Charlotte, Kansas, Texas and Homestead. Biffle said it will take a lot of work however it does look fixable in time for Kansas.(PRN's Garage Pass Radio Show)(9-21-2005)

Tuesday Testing at Lowe's Motor Speedway - Speeds: The pressure cooker that is the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup boiled over Tuesday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway as 13 teams kicked off testing for the UAW-GM Quality 500 on Saturday night, Oct. 15. By the time the checkered flag was waved over the six-hour session, four race cars had been wrecked and opinions about the condition of the race track, which has undergone additional levigating since the Coca-Cola 600 in May, were swirling through the garage area like a small tornado.
"I don't know if it's the track or the combination of the track with the tires," said point leader #20-Tony Stewart after slamming the Turn 2 wall just 30 minutes into the session. "I don't remember any of the drivers asking them to make the changes here. You have to give 'Humpy' [Wheeler, track president and general manager] credit though. He's trying to make it better but it's kind of made it worse. After running three laps and destroying a car, it doesn't give us much to look forward to. We've got to figure out how we can run around here and not wreck. Maybe when we come back everything will be better," Stewart continued. "They had a car show here this weekend and the track is dirty, so who knows maybe we just need more laps on the track."
Title contender Mark Martin was third fastest on the unofficial stopwatches with a lap at 184.414 mph in the Viagra Ford but, like Stewart, has reservations about the track surface. "It's pretty messed up," was Martin's summation. "This is the world's greatest race track and it was awesome the way it was. It's messed up now. 'Humpy' has tried to make it better by fixing the lower groove in one and two but they shouldn't have manipulated this race track in the first place. Did you see the race last time? The race in May was an indication of what we are going to have this time."
Veteran Ricky Rudd, who had a fastest lap of 182.420 mph in the #21 Ford, offered a completely different opinion. "The track is making good grip and the tires are great," Rudd said. "The set-ups have changed so much since we were here in May and that's getting a lot of guys in trouble. We had strayed from our May set-up when we unloaded, but we got back to it pretty quickly. I'm not sure why these guys are complaining. We're running in the 29-second bracket in the heat of the day and that was absolutely unheard of before they ground the track."
H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, president and general manager of Lowe's Motor Speedway and a former boxer, compared the atmosphere in the garage area to a heavyweight title fight. "This is the biggest pressure cooker in sports today. It's almost like you are fighting for the heavyweight championship every week," Wheeler said. "There's a lot of pressure on these guys and they are taking these things to the edge—right to the edge of the cliff, and every once in a while you will go off the cliff. The track has been very hot. The track temperature was probably over 135 today. A lot of guys got out at 3 o'clock and there was no rubber on the track. As far as the track is concerned, I really don't see any problems, we've levigated the whole front straightaway and we also levigated up toward the wall. But if you're up there, you are already wrecked anyway. Everything else is the same as it was in May."
Stewart was finished for the evening following his accident, but plans to return Wednesday evening with a different car. Mike Bliss also walked away from a crash in Turn 2 and Boris Said bounced off the Turn 3 wall just five minutes into the session. "It just got loose," Said explained. "I caught it and barely hit the wall. It only tore up the body, not the suspension. I didn't feel like as big an idiot when I saw some of the veterans were having trouble." Just before 9 p.m. Greg Biffle slammed the outside wall in Turn 2. Biffle's car was heavily damaged but he was able to drive back to the garage area.
NEXTEL Cup Series testing for the Oct. 15 UAW-GM Quality 500 continues Wednesday evening [Sept 21st]. Cars will be on the track from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Fans can watch the action from the frontstretch grandstand free of charge and should enter through Gate 5A which is located next to the ticket office in Smith Tower. Tickets for all events during UAW-GM Quality 500 weekend, including round five of the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, can be purchased by calling 1-800-455-FANS or online.
The top-10 unofficial speeds:
1. #36-Boris Said 185.376
2. #16-Greg Biffle 184.938
3. #6-Mark Martin 184.414
4. #07-Dave Blaney 183.692
5. #31-Jeff Burton 183.636
6. #21-Ricky Rudd 182.420
7. #18-Bobby Labonte 182.168
8. #00-David Reutimann 181.996
9. #97-Kurt Busch 181.366
10. #22-Scott Wimmer 180.644.(LMS PR)(9-21-2005)

Testing at Lowe's Motor Speedway this week UPDATE: NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Testing is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 20, and Wednesday, Sept. 21 in preparation for the UAW-GM Quality 500 on Saturday night, Oct. 15. Teams fielding cars for the following drivers have indicated their intention to participate with more expected: #6-Mark Martin, #16-Greg Biffle, #18-Bobby Labonte, #20-Tony Stewart, #22-Scott Wimmer, #31-Jeff Burton and #97-Kurt Busch. Fans can attend both of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series testing sessions free of charge. Lowe's Motor Speedway's frontstretch grandstand will be open both days and fans should enter through Gate 5A, located next to the main ticket office.(LMS PR)(9-15-2005)
UPDATEd driver roster:
Tuesday, Sept 20: #0-Mike Bliss; #00-David Reutimann [M Waltrip's car]; #07-Dave Blaney; #09-Johnny Sauter; #6-Mark Martin; #16-Greg Biffle; #18-Bobby Labonte; #20-Tony Stewart; #21-Ricky Rudd; #22-Scott Wimmer; #31-Jeff Burton; #36-Boris Said; #97-Kurt Busch.
Wednesday, Sept 21: #00-David Reutimann; #09-Johnny Sauter; #5-Kyle Busch: #16-Greg Biffle; #22-Scott Wimmer; #31-Jeff Burton; #97-Kurt Busch.(LMS PR)(9-19-2005)

Newman Tests at Kentucky: #12 Penske South Racing driver Ryan Newman wouldn't be surprised if the last wound up first when the 10-race "Chase for the NEXTEL Cup" ends at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20. "As far as the points go, we deserve to be 10th and 10th is what gets us in," he said. "We were a 10th place team after the 26th race and we'd like to be better than that, hopefully first team after the 36th. We have a team that's capable of being first. We'll see if we can do that." The 27-year-old driver opened his bid for his first series title with a test at Kentucky Speedway today. He said he is comfortable starting his second "Chase for the NEXTEL Cup" just 45 points behind series leader Tony Stewart. The South Bend, Ind., driver used today's track time to acquire data that may help him improve on last season's seventh-place showing in "Chase for the NEXTEL Cup." He drove to a total of three top-three finishes during the 2004 title chase including a win in Dover, Del., a second-place finish at Phoenix International Raceway and a third-place finish in Martinsville, Va.(Kentucky Speedway PR)(9-14-2005)

Burton tests at Homestead: Jeff Burton and #31 Team Cingular tested Homestead-Miami Speedway Sept. 13-14 in preparation for the November 20 season finale.(RCR PR)(9-14-2005)

Mears tests at Nashville: Nashville Superspeedway is hosting Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates #41 Target Dodge car with driver Casey Mears and crew chief on Tuesday [9/13] and Wed [9/14]. Here are some quotes from Tuesday's test: Jimmy Elledge - Crew Chief "We're here at the Nashville Superspeedway for a two-day test and we're researching the way the #41 Target Dodge reacts aerodynamically. This is a good, smooth, sensitive track so I think we'll take away some positives."(Nashville Superspeedway PR)(9-14-2005)

Testing at Dover: Many drivers Busch drivers and Cup driver #5-Kyle Busch are scheduled to be testing Tuesday and Wednesday [Sept 13-14th] at Dover International Speedway. The test is closed to the public. Kyle Busch is scheduled to test on Wednesday.(Dover Intl Speedway PR)(9-13-2005)

Riggs tests at Dover: #10-Scott Riggs tested the Valvoline Chevy and #67-Bryan Reffner tested the Smith Brothers Motorsports Busch Series car at Dover International Speedway on Tuesday, Sept 6th.(DIS PR)(9-8-2005)

Johnson to test at Texas: #48-Jimmie Johnson is scheduled to test on Tuesday, Sept. 6 at Texas Motor Speedway in prep for the Nov. 6th Dickies 500. No word on if it is open to the public.(TMS)(9-1-2005)

Testing at NHIS: #6-Mark Martin and #10-Scott Riggs are testing today [8-31]at New Hampshire International Speedway in preparation for the Sylvania 300 on Sunday, September 18, which is the first race in the "Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup 2005." This is the second day of testing for both drivers.(NHIS PR)(8-31-2005)

Blaney and Burton testing at Milwaukee: Dave Blaney and the #07 Jack Daniel’s Racing Team and Jeff Burton and #31 Team Cingular are scheduled to test at The Milwaukee Mile on Wednesday, August 31 in preparation for the upcoming Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway.(RCR PR)(8-31-2005)

Harvick tests at Milwaukee: Kevin Harvick and the #29 team tested at The Milwaukee Mile on Monday. While missing the Chase might have been a good reason to cancel the test, GM Goodwrench crew chief Todd Berrier continues to work to improve the team’s program for the final races and get a head start on next years season.(RCR PR)(8-31-2005)

Testing at Richmond: As the hours and minutes tick down to the waving of the green flag for the Chase weekend at Richmond International Raceway, several NASCAR Craftsman Truck, Busch and NEXTEL Cup Series teams have tests planned at the 3/4-mile facility. Test sessions at Richmond International Raceway are free to the public. Fans can enter the track through gate 70 on the frontstretch.
The scheduled list of dates and drivers:
Monday, August 29
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series: #15-Michael Waltrip; #17-Matt Kenseth; #19-Jeremy Mayfield; #42-Jamie McMurray; #24-David Green [testing Gordon's car]; and #5-Kyle Busch
Tuesday, August 30
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series: #15-Michael Waltrip; #17-Matt Kenseth; #19-Jeremy Mayfield; #24-Jeff Gordon; #8-Dale Earnhardt, Jr.; #88-Dale Jarrett
Wednesday, August 31
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series: #12-Ryan Newman; #22-Scott Wimmer
Tickets and information for the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Weekend are available online or by calling 1-866-455-RACE (7223).(RIR Site)(8-29-2005)

Wimmer testing at RIR: Scott Wimmer and the #22 Caterpillar team will have a one-day test at Richmond International Raceway Wednesday, Aug. 31, in preparation for the upcoming Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at RIR in September.(Bill Davis Racing)(8-25-2005)

Burton testing at NHIS: Following the race weekend at Bristol, #31-Jeff Burton and Team Cingular will head to New Hampshire International Speedway for a test session Tuesday, August 30 in preparation for the upcoming Sylvania 300 September 18.(RCR)(8-25-2005)

Testing at Dover: The following drivers are testing, Tuesday, Aug. 23 at Dover International Speedway: Jeff Green, #43, Petty Enterprises NASCAR NEXTEL Cup team Erin Crocker, #6, Evernham Motorsports NASCAR Busch Series team. These are closed test sessions and are not open to the general public.(Dover Intl Speedway PR)(8-23-2005)

Day 2 of Michigan Testing: Paul Tracy acted a bit surprised at the group of media members assembled outside the Richard Childress Racing transporter Tuesday during the break in testing at Michigan International Speedway. Even though he was all business during the two-day test, he had time to joke with reporters about all the attention he was receiving for his two-day venture into testing stock cars. "Hey guys, Jeff's transporter is over there," joked the 2003 Champ Car World Series champion, as he was referring to the transporter of four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon who normally gets plenty of attention from the media. Tracy, along with Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett and a slew of NASCAR Busch Series teams completed the second day of testing in preparation for the upcoming GFS Marketplace 400 and Domino's Pizza 250 race weekend at MIS. While Tracy completed his second day of incident-free testing, Gordon joined the test session on Tuesday, where he was looking to get back on track and make the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. After completing the test, it will be up to Richard Childress and team management to see if he will return next week to attempt to qualify for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series GFS Marketplace 400. Other drivers who completed laps on the MIS oval included Dale Jarrett in the #88 UPS Ford, Jeremy Mayfield in the #19 UAW/Dodge Dealers Dodge, Sterling Marlin in the #40 Coors Light Dodge and Carl Edwards, who tested his Busch Series car, the #60 Charter Communications Ford.
Others NASCAR Busch Series drivers included Paul Menard in the #11 Menard's Chevy, J.J. Yeley in the #18 Vigoro/Home Depot Chevy, Denny Hamlin in the #20 Rockwell Automation Chevy, Ashton Lewis Jr. in the #25 U.S. Marines Ford, Reed Sorenson in the #41 Discount Tire Dodge and Justin Labonte in the #44 U.S. Coast Guard Chevy, who was also joined by #87 Joe Nemechek on Tuesday only.
Tickets are still available for the NASCAR Busch Series Domino's Pizza 250 on Saturday, August 20, and the ARCA RE/MAX Series Hantz Group 200 on Friday, August 19. Children 12 and under admitted free to both events. Saturday's NASCAR Busch Series activities include NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series qualifying, along with a concert by the country sensation Sugarland following the Domino's Pizza 250. All tickets can be purchased now by visiting www.MISpeedway.com, or by calling the MIS ticket hotline at 1-800-354-1010.(MIS PR)(8-10-2005)

Ten test at Michigan...including..Paul Tracy: Paul Tracy might have 15 years of open-wheel experience under his belt, including 11 starts at Michigan International Speedway, but on Monday he might as well been a rookie as he made his first appearance in a stock car in a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series test at MIS in a Richard Childress Racing prepared car.
Tracy, along with 10 other NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series teams tested in preparation for the upcoming GFS Marketplace 400 and Domino's Pizza 250 race weekend at MIS. He is expected to return next weekend to attempt to qualify the #33 Chevy for the GFS Marketplace 400 on August 21. Tracy felt comfortable in the car despite his lack of experience in stock cars and performed well during the first day of the two-day test. Tracy started out the day learning from Richard Childress Racing driver Kevin Harvick, who shook down the #33 before turning the wheel over to the 2003 Champ Car World Series Champion.
"It's a lot different from what I do. To go out on fresh tires and really lean on it hard, sometimes to the point where I don't know exactly how far I can push it, is still an area to learn," said Tracy. "But that last long run was good. It was consistent and I was able to play with the line and run a consistent time the whole time and everyone was happy with it so it was a good run. Tomorrow morning we'll try to run it a little harder on fresh tires. But I'm happy. I'm just trying to take it one step at a time and not force the car past its limits."
Other drivers who completed laps on the MIS oval included Dale Jarrett in the #88 UPS Ford, Jeremy Mayfield in the #19 UAW/Dodge Dealers Dodge, Sterling Marlin in the #40 Coors Light Dodge and Carl Edwards, who tested his Busch Series car, the #60 Charter Communications Ford. The list also included NASCAR Busch Series drivers, with Paul Menard in the #11 Menard's Chevy, J.J. Yeley in the #18 Vigoro/Home Depot Chevy, Denny Hamlin in the #20 Rockwell Automation Chevy, Ashton Lewis Jr. in the #25 U.S. Marines Ford, Reed Sorenson in the #41 Discount Tire Dodge and Justin Labonte in the #44 U.S. Coast Guard Chevy. All 10 drivers will be competing in the August 19-21 event weekend, which includes the NASCAR Busch Series Domino's Pizza 250 racing on Saturday, August 20, and the GFS Marketplace 400 on Sunday, August 21.
No speeds were reported on Monday with most of the teams continuing to test Tuesday during the two-day MIS test session.
Fans can view testing by visiting the viewing area near the MIS administration building off the main U.S. 12 entrance to the track. The MIS viewing area will be open from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. and tickets for August 19-21 activities will be available for purchase in the MIS ticket office inside the administration building.
Tickets are still available for the NASCAR Busch Series Domino's Pizza 250 on Saturday, August 20, and the ARCA RE/MAX Series Hantz Group 200 on Friday, August 19. All tickets can be purchased now by visiting www.MISpeedway.com, or by calling the MIS ticket hotline at 1-800-354-1010.(MIS PR)(8-8-2005)

Testing ends at Watkins Glen: Over thirty drivers from the NASCAR Busch Series and NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series tested their skills before 9 am at Watkins Glen International Tuesday morning. The test continued until 4:30pm/et. Many NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers tested their Busch Series cars including Michael Waltrip in his #99 Michael Waltrip Racing Chevy. Carl Edwards tested both of his cars, including the Busch Series car from the Roush Racing and his NEXTEL Cup car yesterday. Ryan Newman also took to the track both days in his Penske Racing South Busch Series car. Other NEXTEL Cup drivers included Travis Kvapil, Jamie McMurray, Casey Mears, Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Jeremy Mayfield, and Matt Kenseth. NASCAR NEXTEL Cup drivers were not only testing their car set-ups but also the track improvements to the race track. Road course regular, Scott Pruett, driving the #39 for Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates shared his own feelings on the changes and improvements to the track. "I think that everything they are doing here is going to make tremendous improvements from a safety standpoint and a racing quality on the Cup side," Pruett explained. "Going down into the Inner Loop, the curves are smaller*we didn't want to get on the curves when we raced here last year and now you can use them fairly aggressively." Road course specialist, Terry Labonte was also on track testing the Joe Gibbs Racing #11 which he drove in northern California earlier this year. Other NASCAR Busch Series drivers included J.J. Yeley, Denny Hamlin, Reed Sorenson, and Martin Truex Jr. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling 866-461-RACE or by visiting TheGlen.com.(WGI)(8-3-2005)

Testing at Atlanta: NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series cars took to the track today for the first time since a tornado hit Atlanta Motor Speedway on July 6. In a closed test session, NASCAR officials took data from a Chevy Monte Carlo driven by Bobby Labonte in the morning, and in the afternoon session, Dale Jarrett was behind the wheel in the new Ford Fusion. Official speeds were not released from the test session. "The track is absolutely no different than it was before the tornado," said Labonte. "From a competitors view, there is nothing that I saw today that would keep us from coming here in October." Great seats are still available for the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 race weekend. Tickets can be obtained by calling (770) 946-4211 or online at www.atlantamotorspeedway.com.(AMS)(8-2-2005)

Watkins Glen Testing...no speeds: Almost fifty NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series cars teamed up for an open test today at Watkins Glen International in preparation for the SIRIUS Satellite Radio at The Glen and Zippo 200 events August 11-14th. Some of the driverss testing: #39-Scott Pruett (Tues. Only), #42-Jamie McMurray, #41-Casey Mears (Tues. Only), #19-Jeremy Mayfield, #5-Kyle Busch, #20-Tony Stewart, #36-Boris Said, #87-Chris Cook, #77-Travis Kvapil, #32-Ron Fellows, #29-Kevin Harvick, #31-Jeff Burton (Tues. Only), #99-Carl Edwards (Tues. Only), #17-Matt Kenseth.
#29-Kevin Harvick shared his thoughts regarding the upcoming SIRIUS Satellite Radio at The Glen. "I think if you make a mistake in turn one you're not going to lose a lap. So that's a good change. The curbs are knocked down and now you can run over them and the car won't jump around. I think the changes are for the good. Getting into the inner loop you're going to be able to pass someone whether the curb is there or not."
Ron Fellows, runner-up in last year's SIRIUS Satellite Radio at The Glen, tested his #32 PPI Motorsports NEXTEL Cup car. Fellow's, an experienced road racer, commented on the challenges of driving a Nextel Cup car at The Glen, "These cars require much more finesse and I really enjoy that part of racing. That is the part that you need to continue to work on. They go fast in a straight line but the tough part is to slow them down and get them through the corners, while still having a fast lap time. The more laps at a track like this the better you're going to get."
Unfortunately for some, the test didn't go according to plan. Joe Nemecheck spun his Busch Series [#7] car twice in the morning session, while Carl Edwards, Clint Bowyer, and Reed Sorenson all made contact with the barriers. Tomorrow will be the final day for the NASCAR Nextel Cup and Busch Series testing. Scott Pruett, Casey Mears, Michael Waltrip, and Jeff Burton will be in action, joining those testing today for one last opportunity to setup their cars in preparation for to the SIRIUS Satellite Radio at The Glen and Zippo 200 weekend, August 11-14. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling 866-461-RACE or by visiting TheGlen.com.(8-2-2005)

Testing at Watkins Glen UPDATE / REVISED: Watkins Glen International has Nextel Cup testing scheduled on their track calander for Mon, Aug 1st and Tues Aug 2nd. No idea what teams/drivers will be testing, if I hear/see, it'll be posted. No idea if it would be open to the public. UPDATE: NASCAR fever in the Southern Tier heats up next week as nearly 50 Nextel Cup and Busch Series cars and their drivers will take part in a two-day test at Watkins Glen International. The 47 cars scheduled for the Monday and Tuesday test sessions are a record for the annual pre-race event in preparation for the Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen weekend, Aug. 11-14. Fans will have access to some of the outside perimeter grandstand seating to watch the test. Details are still being worked out as to what stands will be open. Hope is to have the new start-finish grandstand open if work on installing the former Nazareth Speedway seat-backed stands are completed this weekend.(Elmira Star Gazette)
AND - REVISED List: Watkins Glen International announced today that 45 cars are expected to test in preparation for the SIRIUS Satellite Radio at The Glen NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and Zippo 200 NASCAR BUSCH Series races, August 13 & 14. The test is scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, August 1 & 2. Several NASCAR NEXTEL Cup drivers are planning to test in a NASCAR Busch Series car perhaps to take on double duty when they come back to compete in two weeks. Among those expected to test in both cars are Greg Biffle, Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart, Elliot Sadler, Carl Edwards, Travis Kvapil, Robby Gordon and road course specialists Boris Said and Ron Fellows. Michael Waltrip, Dale Jarrett and Joe Nemechek will be testing in NASCAR Busch Series cars as well. The 45-car line-up also includes NASCAR drivers like Jeremy Mayfield, Jamie McMurray, Matt Kenseth, Martin Truex Jr., and Kyle Busch. Fans are encouraged to attend the test session on both Monday and Tuesday to watch between 8:00 am and 4:30 pm. The first 50 fans to buy tickets to the SIRIUS Satellite Radio at The Glen and/or Zippo 200 events will get a free Thunder Road Tour ($25 value) and get a chance to "drive" the same track as these NASCAR stars. Fans that already have tickets to the SIRIUS Satellite Radio at The Glen and Zippo 200 event weekend will get FREE admission to the test session otherwise admission is $5 each day and fans can enter through Gate 4 or Gate 5. Call 866-461-RACE for details or visit www.TheGlen.com.
Tickets are still available for SIRIUS Satellite Radio at The Glen, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race and the Zippo 200 NASCAR Busch Series race. This year NASCAR Busch Series joins the NEXTEL Cup Series for the first time during the annual SIRIUS Satellite Radio at The Glen weekend, August 11-14. And the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series will also make their second stop of the season at The Glen in the newly titled CompUSA 200 on Friday, August 12th.(Watkins Glen International PR)(7-28/29-2005)

Tire Testing at Kansas: #07-Dave Blaney and #19-Jeremy Mayfield were at Kanasa Speedway Tuesday for a tire test at the request of Goodyear, NASCAR’s tire supplier. This was a previously unscheduled test, one that Goodyear, NASCAR and Nextel Cup drivers hope will head off the problems that turned the July 10 race at Chicagoland Speedway into a crashfest. Chicagoland and Kansas are fairly similar tracks. Because of that, Goodyear and NASCAR had planned to use the same type of tire at the two tracks in 2005. But that plan underwent some rethinking after Chicago. In that race, car after car went into concrete retaining walls after tires went flat. Fingers pointed in all directions afterward. Some drivers pointed at the tires, and others pointed at decisions made by the teams. That group said that the tires were being abused by teams in a quest to produce more speed — either by not following recommendations on inflation pressure or by opting for chassis setups that put unhealthy pressure on the tires. Goodyear said it just wanted to get to the bottom of the problem before the race at Kansas, which is scheduled for Oct. 9.(Kansas City Star)(7-27-2005)

More on possible testing changes: NASCAR is contemplating revamping its testing procedures for 2006. Under the proposal, each manufacturer would receive six two-day tests at tracks that have Nextel Cup races. For example, the Chevy drivers would test on the same days at the same six places, the Ford drivers at presumably a slightly different six and the Dodge drivers at six. The tracks would have to be agreed upon by the owners of that brand. The current policy allows teams five two-day tests wherever they want, whenever they want. Daytona still would be mandatory for all teams. The goal of the change is twofold: to cut down on tire costs and to allow teams time to prepare for the car of the future, which is expected to make its debut in 2007. Goodyear would have engineering support on hand and sign out tires at the tests. Teams still would be allowed to test at tracks that don't have Cup races, but current tires would not be available.(Sporting News)(7-25-2005)

Kahne to test at Kentucky: #9-Kasey Kahne is scheduled to test at Kentucky Speedway on Tuesday, July 27th. Fans can watch from the Turn 3 Fan Center at no charge. Schedule subject to change daily. Test times vary.(Kentucky Speedway site)(7-25-2005)

Hamiltons 1-2 in final Indy test session: It was a family affair atop the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series testing speed charts July 19 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as the father-son tandem of Bobby Hamilton and Bobby Hamilton Jr. posted the top laps, respectively. NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series regular [and 2004 Truck Series Champ] Bobby Hamilton topped the NEXTEL Cup Series regulars on the final day of testing for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on Aug. 7 with a lap of 183.905mph in the #04 Bobby Hamilton Racing Dodge. It was the fastest lap overall over six days of testing the last three weeks at the historic 2.5-mile oval. Bobby Hamilton Jr. was second fastest today at 182.576 in the #32 Tide Chevy, which he drives full time in the NEXTEL Cup Series. “We were actually up doing some chassis stuff for my truck and ended up running good,” Bobby Hamilton said. “Obviously, if everything goes right we’ve got time to paint the car and all. It’s an in-house car. We built it ourselves; we bought the chassis from PPI (Motorsports) and then put on our front and rear clips." The top four today were faster than the previous fastest lap of the month, 181.963, by #16-Greg Biffle on July 11.
Unofficial Speeds, Tuesday, July 19
Rank) Car#-Driver, Speed (mph), Total Laps
1.) #04-Bobby Hamilton, 183.905, 53
2.) #32-Bobby Hamilton Jr., 182.576, 33
3.) #91-Bill Elliott, 182.562, 60
4.) #5-Kyle Busch, 182.450, 73
5.) #1-Martin Truex Jr., 181.668, 73
6.) #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr., 181.494, 67
7.) #6-Mark Martin, 180.760, 78
8.) #23-Mike Skinner, 180.396, 30
9.) #24-Jeff Gordon, 180.303, 65
10.) #40-Sterling Marlin180.083, 84
11.) #9-Kasey Kahne, 179.601, 107
12.) #51-Stuart Kirby, 179.293, 15
13.) #43-Jeff Green, 179.225, 33
14.) #44-Terry Labonte, 178.683, 61
15.) #20-Tony Stewart, 178.385, 82
16.) #88-Dale Jarrett, 178.177, 101
17.) #92-Tony Raines, 178.115, 18
18.) #25-Brian Vickers, 177.502, 90
Tickets: Allstate 400 at the Brickyard activities get underway at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, Aug. 5. with Chevy Day at the Brickyard, a family-friendly event sponsored by Chevy, from 9 a.m.-noon (local time) in the east lot of the Speedway’s Hall of Fame Museum in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway infield. Admission is included in the price of admission to the IMS grounds for the day’s Allstate 400 at the Brickyard activities, which is $10 per person and free for children ages 5 and younger. Activities will include appearances by Chevy-sponsored NASCAR drivers, interactive games, racing simulators, NASCAR race cars and live music. To purchase tickets, camping or parking for the 12th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, contact the IMS ticket office at (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area, (317) 492-6700 locally or log on to www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com.(IMS PR)(7-20-2005)

Skinner paces week 3, day 1 of testing at Indy: Mike Skinner put his #23 History Channel AutoManiac Dodge atop the speed charts in private NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series testing July 18 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a lap of 180.692 mph. Bobby Hamilton Jr. was second fastest in the #32 Tide Chevy at 179.565, and Martin Truex Jr. was third in the #1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Chevy at 179.460. This is the third consecutive, and final, week of testing at Indianapolis in preparation for the 12th annual Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on Aug. 7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. did not practice in the morning but turned 27 laps in the afternoon, turning a fast lap of 176.470 in the #8 Budweiser Chevy. Earnhardt said the team plans to complete a full day of testing on July 19, the final day of pre-Allstate 400 at the Brickyard private testing.
The drivers who tested Monday are scheduled to be joined by four-time race winner Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart, a resident of Columbus, Ind., and winner of three of the last four NEXTEL Cup Series events.
Fans are welcome to watch testing July 19 from the South Terrace grandstands, located in the infield between Turns 1 and 2. Admission is free.
Unofficial Speeds, Monday, July 18
Rank) Car#-Driver, Speed (mph), Total Laps
1.) #23-Mike Skinner, 180.692, 57
2.) #32-Bobby Hamilton Jr., 179.565, 40
3.) #1-Martin Truex Jr., 179.460, 90
4.) #5-Kyle Busch, 178.874, 59
5.) #04-Bobby Hamilton, 178.690, 25 [no word on what team this is]
6.) #6-Mark Martin, 178.580, 137
7.) #9-Kasey Kahne, 178.537, 113
8.) #40-Sterling Marlin, 178.495, 76
9.) #44-Terry Labonte, 178.341, 53
10.) #91-Bill Elliott, 178.304, 76
11.) #43-Jeff Green, 178.054, 51
12.) #88-Dale Jarrett, 177.703, 101
13.) #51-Stuart Kirby, 177.527, 59
14.) #25-Brian Vickers, 177.384, 65
15.) #22-Scott Wimmer, 176.918, 75
16.) #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr., 176.470, 27
17.) #92-Tony Raines, 174.518, 30
Tickets: To purchase tickets, camping or parking for the 12th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, contact the IMS ticket office at (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area, (317) 492-6700 locally or log on to www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com.(IMS PR)(7-19-2005)

Week 3 of Testing at Indy: The final tune-up for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard is taking place July 18-19 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as 20 drivers – including three past event champions – are scheduled to test on the historic 2.5-mile oval. Testing will take place from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (local time) each day, with a lunch break from noon-1 p.m. Fans are welcome to watch testing for free in the South Terrace grandstands, located inside the track between Turns 1 and 2. All drivers are testing in preparation for the 12th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on Sunday, Aug. 7 at the Speedway.
Every driver will aim to top the fastest speed posted in four days of testing so far this month, 181.963 mph July 11 by NEXTEL Cup contender Greg Biffle.
Drivers NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Testing:
#1-Martin Truex Jr. #5-Kyle Busch #6-Mark Martin #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. #9-Kasey Kahne #13-Greg Sacks #20-Tony Stewart (July 19th)
#22-Scott Wimmer
#23-Mike Skinner
#24-Jeff Gordon (July 19th)
#25-Brian Vickers #32-Bobby Hamilton Jr.
#40-Sterling Marlin
#43-Jeff Green #44-Terry Labonte #51-Stuart Kirby #88-Dale Jarrett #91-Bill Elliott
#00-Kenny Wallace
#92-Tony Raines
Tickets: To purchase tickets, camping or parking for the 12th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, contact the IMS ticket office at (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area, (317) 492-6700 locally or log on to www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com.(IMS PR)(7-18-2005)

Major Testing Changes for 2006? NASCAR is planning a major change in Nextel Cup testing for next season, limiting teams to six designated manufacturers tests. That means that all three carmakers - Ford, Chevy and Dodge - would each have to specify which six tracks they want their own teams to test at, and no other testing at any NASCAR track would be allowed. The Nextel Cup tour runs at 23 different tracks. Such a rule would keep multicar teams from testing at numerous different tracks. For example, Rick Hendrick's four primary teams can each test at seven different tracks, giving that operation a total of 28 tests, while in contrast, single-car team owners like Cal Wells can only test at seven tracks. Under the proposed new rule, which is still being debated, each manufacturer would have to pick six tracks and its teams could test at those six tracks on those six dates. NASCAR also wants to bar any testing during the final 10 races of the season. Car owner Jack Roush says he would suggest that NASCAR limit testing to the Friday before each race, at that specific track: "As we work toward impound races, which I'm in favor of, if we used each Friday as a test date at the particular track, NASCAR could supervise the tests ... and tracks could sell tickets, the media could swarm, and the guys could wreck their cars if they wanted ... and we would have people watching with some interest, which, after all, is why we do this sport. Everybody would be at the track, with hotel rooms already, with the same tires, so it's all relevant, and without us having to run all these tractor-trailers up and down the road ... it's got so much going for it I can't imagine they'd ever do it."(Winston Salem Journal)(7-17-2005)

Cumulative Test Speeds from Brickyard 400 testing, July 5-6 and July 11-12:
Car#, Driver, Speed (mph), Total Laps, Date
16-Greg Biffle, 181.963, 112, July 11
17-Matt Kenseth, 181.742, 90, July 11
49-Ken Schrader, 181.727, 68, July 11
7-Robby Gordon, 181.722, 45, July 11
38-Elliott Sadler, 181.495, 79, July 11
41-Casey Mears, 181.296, 122, July 11
10-Scott Riggs, 181.244, 116, July 12
42-Jamie McMurray, 180.810, 161, July 12
01-Joe Nemechek, 180.751, 133, July 11
36-Boris Said, 180.703, 162, July 12
29-Kevin Harvick, 180.682, 87, July 12
31-Jeff Burton, 180.402, 84, July 11
11-Jason Leffler, 180.270, 168, July 11
18-Bobby Labonte, 180.266, 162, July 12
15-Michael Waltrip, 180.260, 95, July 11
97-Kurt Busch, 180.208, 139, July 6
37-Kevin Lepage, 179.725, 45, July 11
19-Jeremy Mayfield, 179.661, 134, July 11
2-Rusty Wallace, 179.633, 76, July 11
07-Dave Blaney, 179.614, 90, July 12
77-Travis Kvapil, 179.525, 135, July 11
45-Kyle Petty, 179.431, 147, July 12
99-Carl Edwards, 179.165, 49, July 5
21-Ricky Rudd, 178.999, 164, July 6
50-Jimmy Spencer, 178.839, 21, July 5
66-Mike Garvey, 178.646, 53, July 12
4-Mike Wallace, 177.110, 84, July 11.(IMS PR)(7-13-2005)

Riggs fastest at Indy testing on Tuesday, shortened by Rain: Scott Riggs and the MBV Motorsports team led testing on a rain-shortened day July 12 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a speed of 181.244 mph in the #10 Valvoline Chevy. Riggs’ top lap ranks him as seventh-fastest to date in 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series private testing at the 2.5-mile oval. #16-Greg Biffle remains the fastest of 2005 testing so far, thanks to the lap of 181.963 he posted July 11. The top five overall in 2005 testing at Indianapolis, which includes test days on July 5-6 and 11-12, are Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Ken Schrader, Robby Gordon and Elliott Sadler. Ken Schrader was second-fastest of the day at 181.051 in the #49 Schwan’s Home Service Dodge, and Jamie McMurray was third at 180.810 in the #42 Texaco Havoline Dodge. Weather forecasts called for heavy rains July 12 in Indianapolis, thanks to the remnants of Hurricane Dennis, but the 14 teams that elected to stay in town were able to find some track time. Brief, intermittent showers tested the patience of drivers and teams until heavier midday rain showers finally ended testing.
Even though no driver has yet to approach Mears’ track record of 186.293 set in 2004 qualifying, Mears is confident that his record will be broken this year. The third and final round of private testing before the 12th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard continues July 18-19, with former race winners Dale Jarrett and Bill Elliott, scheduled to test both days along with former USAC standout Kasey Kahne and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Four-time Allstate 400 at the Brickyard winner Jeff Gordon and Indiana native Tony Stewart will test July 19 only. Fans are welcome to watch testing July 18-19 from the South Terrace grandstands, located in the infield between Turns 1 and 2. Admission is free.
Speeds from Tuesday, July 12th:
10-Scott Riggs, 181.244, 41
49-Ken Schrader, 181.051, 21
42-Jamie McMurray, 180.810. 44 36-Boris Said, 180.703, 25
29-Kevin Harvick, 180.682, 25
41-Casey Mears, 180.638, 32
18-Bobby Labonte, 180.266, 53
07-Dave Blaney, 179.614, 29
37-Kevin Lepage, 179.605, 18
45-Kyle Petty, 179.431, 49
11-Jason Leffler, 178.813, 42
2-Rusty Wallace, 178.694, 27
66-Mike Garvey, 178.646, 11
77-Travis Kvapil, 178.135, 43
See Cummulative Test Speeds for all four days on my 2005 Testing Page.
Tickets: To purchase tickets, camping or parking for the 12th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, contact the IMS ticket office at (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area, (317) 492-6700 locally or log on to www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com.(driver quotes about practice, photos and more at the IMS Site)(7-13-2005)

Biffle fastest in Monday's test at Indy: Roush Racing teammates Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth served notice that they will contend for victory in the 12th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard by posting the fastest laps in private testing July 11 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Biffle turned the fastest lap of the day at 181.963mph in the #16 National Guard Ford. Kenseth was just .22 of a mph slower at 181.742 in the #17 DeWalt Tools Ford. Roush Racing’s #97-Kurt Busch was fastest in two days of testing last week at 180.208. Weather forecasts call for the remnants of Hurricane Dennis to bring heavy rain to Indianapolis over the next several days, so the 23 NEXTEL Cup Series drivers and teams on hand at IMS took advantage of cloudy but dry skies – save for a few afternoon sprinkles – to turn a total of 1,988 laps on the 2.5-mile oval. Boris Said, who will attempt to qualify for his first Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, turned the most laps of any driver with 137. Unoffical speeds from Monday, July 11th:
Car No., Driver, Speed, Total Laps
#16-Greg Biffle, 181.963mph, 112 laps run
#17-Matt Kenseth, 181.742, 90
#49-Ken Schrader, 181.727, 47
#7-Robby Gordon, 181.722, 45
#38-Elliott Sadler, 181.495, 79
#41-Casey Mears, 181.296, 90
#01-Joe Nemechek, 180.751, 133
#31-Jeff Burton, 180.402, 84
#11-Jason Leffler, 180.270, 126
#15-Michael Waltrip, 180.260, 95
#29-Kevin Harvick, 180.060, 62
#37-Kevin Lepage, 179.725, 27
#42-Jamie McMurray, 179.674, 117
#19-Jeremy Mayfield, 179.661, 134
#2-Rusty Wallace, 179.633, 49
#77-Travis Kvapil, 179.525, 92
#18-Bobby Labonte, 179.506, 109
#45-Kyle Petty, 179.265, 98
#07-Dave Blaney, 178.813, 61
#10-Scott Riggs, 178.477, 75
#36-Boris Said, 177.298, 137
#4-Mike Wallace, 177.110, 84
#66-Mike Garvey, 174.795, 42
Testing is scheduled for Tuesday, July 12, with more testing July 18-19. Drivers scheduled to participate next week include former Allstate 400 at the Brickyard winners Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett and Bill Elliott, Indiana native Tony Stewart, former USAC standout Kasey Kahne, Indiana native Tony Raines and Dale Earnhardt Jr., winner of the NEXTEL Cup Series race July 10 at Chicagoland Speedway. Fans are welcome to watch testing July 12, 18 and 19 from the South Terrace grandstands, located in the infield between Turns 1 and 2. Admission is free.
Tickets: To purchase tickets, camping or parking for the 12th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, contact the IMS ticket office at (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area, (317) 492-6700 locally or log on to www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com.(driver quotes about practice, photos and more at the IMS Site)(7-12-2005)

Banning testing at some non Cup tracks? NASCAR is considering banning Cup testing at Kentucky and Nashville and possibly other tracks, according to crew chiefs, who say NASCAR may also ban any testing anywhere during the season's final 10 events.(Winston Salem Journal)(7-11-2005)

More teting at Indy next week: Testing for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard began this week at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but the real rush hours will take place July 11-12 and July 18-19. A total of 40 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series drivers are scheduled to test on those four days, with 23 on track Monday, July 11 and Tuesday, July 12 and 17 turning laps Monday, July 18 and Tuesday, July 19. Testing will take place from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (local time) each day, with a lunch break from noon-1 p.m. Fans are welcome to watch testing for free in the South Terrace grandstands, located inside the track between Turns 1 and 2. All drivers are testing in preparation for the 12th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on Sunday, Aug. 7 at the Speedway.
The large number of drivers testing at IMS contrasts with the opening week of testing. Four drivers – reigning series champion Kurt Busch, rookie sensation Carl Edwards, 1997 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard winner Ricky Rudd and 2001 pole winner Jimmy Spencer – tested July 5, with just Busch and Rudd returning July 6. Busch was the fastest driver during that two-day test, posting a top lap of 180.208 mph in the #97 Crown Royal Ford. Speeds should be higher over the next two weeks, unless there’s a drastic change in weather, due to the improved track conditions created by increased traffic. #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr., originally scheduled to test July 11-12, instead will turn laps July 18-19 along with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. teammate and reigning NASCAR Busch Series champion Martin Truex Jr.
July 11-12:
#01-Joe Nemechek
#2-Rusty Wallace
#4-Mike Wallace
#6-Mark Martin
#7-Robby Gordon
#10-Scott Riggs
#11-Jason Leffler
#15-Michael Waltrip
#16-Greg Biffle
#17-Matt Kenseth
#18-Bobby Labonte
#19-Jeremy Mayfield
#29-Kevin Harvick
#31-Jeff Burton
#36-Boris Said
#37-Kevin Lepage
#38-Elliott Sadler
#41-Casey Mears
#42-Jamie McMurray
#45-Kyle Petty
#49-Ken Schrader
#66-Mike Garvey
#77-Travis Kvapil

July 18-19:
0-Mike Bliss
1-Martin Truex Jr.
5-Kyle Busch
8-Dale Earnhardt Jr.
9-Kasey Kahne
20-Tony Stewart*
24-Jeff Gordon*
25-Brian Vickers
32-Bobby Hamilton Jr.
40-Sterling Marlin
43-Jeff Green
#44-Terry Labonte
#51-Stuart Kirby
#88-Dale Jarrett
#91-Bill Elliott
#00-Kenny Wallace;
#92-Tony Raines
Tickets: To purchase tickets, camping or parking for the 12th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, contact the IMS ticket office at (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area, (317) 492-6700 locally or log on to www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com.(PR)(7-8-2005)

Week One of Indy Testing over: NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series drivers Kurt Busch and Ricky Rudd improved upon their test speeds from July 5 during testing of race setups July 6, putting the wrap on a two-day Allstate 400 at the Brickyard test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Reigning series champion Busch set the fastest lap of the test July 6 at 180.208 mph in the #97 Crown Royal Ford. Rudd’s fastest lap of the day in the #21 Motorcraft Genuine Parts Ford was 178.999, slightly faster than his July 5 top speed of 178.937. The second day’s higher speeds came despite more sunshine and higher temperatures and humidity. Busch and 1997 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard winner Rudd took advantage of the two full days of testing at the Speedway while Busch’s Roush Racing teammate, Carl Edwards, tested only July 5. Edwards was fastest Tuesday at 179.165 in the #99 AAA Ford. Jimmy Spencer also joined the group July 5 in the #50 Arnold Motorsports Dodge, but crashed in Turn 1 in the afternoon, causing heavy rear-end damage to the only car the team brought to Indianapolis.
Unofficial Speeds:
Car No. Driver Speed (mph) Total Laps
#97-Kurt Busch 180.208, 68
#21A-Ricky Rudd 178.999, 91
Tickets: To purchase tickets, camping or parking for the 12th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, contact the IMS ticket office at (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area, (317) 492-6700 locally or log on to www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com.
Private testing continues July 11-12 at IMS, when 23 cars are scheduled to turn laps. Drivers schedule to test include current NASCAR NEXTEL Cup points leader Greg Biffle, his Roush Racing teammates Mark Martin and Matt Kenseth, Rusty Wallace, and former Allstate 400 at the Brickyard winners Bobby Labonte and Kevin Harvick.
Drivers Scheduled to test the next two weeks:
July 11-12: #0-Mike Bliss, #01-Joe Nemechek, #2-Rusty Wallace, #4-Mike Wallace, #6-Mark Martin, #7-Robby Gordon, #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #10-Scott Riggs, #11-Jason Leffler, #15-Michael Waltrip, #16-Greg Biffle, #17-Matt Kenseth, #18-Bobby Labonte, #19- Jeremy Mayfield, #25-Brian Vickers, #29-Kevin Harvick, #31-Jeff Burton, #36-Boris Said, #37-Kevin Lepage, #38-Elliott Sadler, #41- Casey Mears, #42-Jamie McMurray, #43-Jeff Green, #45-Kyle Petty, #49-Ken Schrader, #77-Travis Kvapil
More of NEXTEL Cup’s “heavy hitters” are scheduled to test July 18-19. A total of 17 teams and drivers will turn laps, including four-time Allstate 400 at the Brickyard winner Jeff Gordon, fellow former race winners Dale Jarrett and Bill Elliott, and Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Stewart and Gordon are scheduled to test only July 19.
(IMS PR)(7-7-2005)

Testing at New Hampshire: #48-Jimmie Johnson, #20-Tony Stewart, #?[34?]-Joey McCarthy, #38-Elliott Sadler, and #31-Jeff Burton are scheduled to test for the New England 300 [Sunday, July 17] on July 5 and 6th at New Hampshire International Speedway. Been told all were there but Burton and the #34 was there with no driver name on the car [probably McCarthy?]. Ryan Moore is testing an DEI #81 Chevy for the Busch race. Burton will test only on Wedm July 6th. Granstand area will be open to the public free of charge for this test.(7-6-2005)

More testing at Bondurant School: Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knaus and Brian Vickers were at the Bob Bondurant School in Phoenix, AZ, Tuesday and Wednesday working with Mike McGovern. Then this afternoon, spent time on the track with Nick Lachey, AJ Descala, Marty Smith, and some other friends, who completed a one day "Intro to Racing" class. Then they jumped into the Bondurant Superkarts that do zero to 100 in six seconds, one inch from the ground and the fastest vehicle on the property.(6-23-2005)

Robby tests at Sonoma: #7-Robby Gordon tested at Infineon Raceway this past week and said he ran faster then the track record.(MRN Radio MIS Qualifying coverage)(6-18-2005)

Daytona Testing: Testing on Monday, June 20 in preparation for the 47th annual Pepsi 400 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race and the fourth annual Winn Dixie 250 presented by Pepsico NASCAR Busch Series race. Joe Ruttman will test the #09 Phoenix Racing CHEVY [not Dodge?] along with the Busch Series teams of #81-Kerry Earnhardt [testing for Dale Jr.], #30-Scott Riggs, #2-Clint Bowyer and #76-Chad Blount testing a 2nd Braun Racing Chevy. The test sessions are free and open to the public with access to the Oldfield Grandstand through the lobby of DAYTONA USA.(DIS PR)(6-18-2005)

Testing at Chicago Tuesday: On Tuesday, June 21, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup drivers #9-Kasey Kahne, #18-Bobby Labonte and #45-Kyle Petty will be testing at Chicagoland Speedway in preparation for the July 10th USG Sheetrock 400, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event. Several Busch series teams will also test. The test is closed tp the public.(Chicagoland Speedway PR)(6-18-2005)

Testing at VIR: #07-Dave Blaney, #31-Jeff Burton, #5-Kyle Busch abd #25-Brian Vickers tested this week at Virginia International Raceway in preparation for the upcoming road-course events at Infineon Raceway and Watkins Glen.(RCR and HMS PR's)(6-16-2005)

Testing at Daytona: Testing in preparation for the 47th annual Pepsi 400 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race and the fourth annual Winn Dixie 250 presented by Pepsico NASCAR Busch Series race will be held Monday, June 13 and Tuesday, June 14, 9:00am to 5:00pm/et. Drivers scheduled to test: #33-Kerry Earnhardt [both days], #0-Mike Bliss [on Tuesday if recovered from hernia operation] and Busch driver #67-C.W. Smith [Tuesday]. The test sessions are free and open to the public with access to the Oldfield Grandstand through the lobby of DAYTONA USA.(DIS)(6-10-2005)
AND the #33 team canceled.(DIS)(6-10-2005)

Rain Cancels Second Day of Testing at Infineon Raceway: The second day of a two-day NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series test session was canceled on Wednesday at Infineon Raceway because of rain. #36-Boris Said, who has placed sixth the last two years at Infineon Raceway in the Dodge/Save Mart 350, posted the top time on Tuesday over the 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course at 1 minute, 16.50 seconds [93.647mph]. The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series will visit the Sonoma Valley, June 24-26, for the Dodge/Save Mart 350 weekend. #7-Robby Gordon was scheduled for a one-day test on Wednesday, but will return to Infineon Raceway next Tuesday (June 14). Gordon is the only driver scheduled to return to the Sonoma Valley next week. "The rain hurt us today but we'll come out here next week and get some work in," said Gordon, winner of the 2003 Dodge/Save Mart 350. "I've always performed pretty well here and we can use the work to get ready for the race." Great tickets are still available for the Dodge/Save Mart 350 by calling 800-870-RACE or visiting www.infineonraceway.com.(Infineon Raceway)(6-9-2005)

Said Fastest During First Day of Testing at Infineon Raceway: #36-Boris Said posted the fastest time on Tuesday during the first day of a two-day NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series test session at Infineon Raceway. Said, who has placed sixth the last two years at Infineon Raceway in the Dodge/Save Mart 350, turned the 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course in 1 minute, 16.50 seconds [93.647mph]. Jeff Gordon holds the track qualifying record of 1:15.968 [94.303mph], set in 2004. The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series will visit the Sonoma Valley, June 24-26, for the Dodge/Save Mart 350 weekend. Said was one of six drivers testing the course on Tuesday. #39-Scott Pruett and #42-Jamie McMurray both posted identical times of 1:16.60 [93.525], while #5-Kyle Busch clocked in at 1:17.25 [92.738]. Pruett, a road-race specialist and native of Sacramento, placed third in last year's event, while McMurray took second. #33-Brian Simo, a road-race specialist who will compete for Richard Childress Racing in Sonoma, ran a 1:17.49 [92.451]. #87-Chris Cook (NEMCO Motorsports) did not report a time.
Testing resumes on Wednesday with a full day scheduled from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (Pacific). #7-Robby Gordon is scheduled to join the group on Wednesday. Gordon, the 2003 Dodge/Save Mart 350 champion, has decided to make this a one-day test.
Great tickets are still available for the Dodge/Save Mart 350 by calling 800-870-RACE or visiting www.infineonraceway.com.(Infineon Raceway)(6-8-2005)

Eight drivers conclude testing at MIS: Eight drivers continued testing Tuesday at Michigan International Speedway, including #17-Matt Kenseth, #8-Dale Earnhardt, #91-Bill Elliott, #07-Dave Blaney, #20-Tony Stewart, #51-Stuart Kirby, Erin Crocker in the #98 Dodge ARCA car and Truck series driver Chad Chaffin in the #30 Germain Toyota with #2-Rusty Wallace making a testing appearance on Monday only. No official speeds were reported on Tuesday.
Tickets are still available for all June 17-19 activities at MIS, with children 12 and under admitted free to Friday's ARCA RE/MAX Hantz Group 200 and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck's Paramount Health Insurance 200 on Saturday. In addition, tickets are still available for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Batman Begins 400 on Sunday, June 19. All tickets can be purchased now by visiting www.MISpeedway.com, or by calling the MIS ticket hotline at 1-800-354-1010.(MIS PR)(6-7-2005)

Testing at Michigan: Several drivers participated in testing Monday to prepare for the upcoming Father's Day June 19 Batman Begins 400. Nine drivers took laps on the 2-mile MIS oval Monday, including #2-Rusty Wallace, #17-Matt Kenseth, #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #91-Bill Elliott, #07-Dave Blaney, #20-Tony Stewart, Stuart Kirby in the #51 Competitive Edge car and NASCAR Craftsman Truck series driver Chad Chaffin in the #30 Germain Toyota. Erin Crocker also visited MIS to prepare for the Hantz Group 200 ARCA RE/MAX Series event in her #98 Evernham Motorsports Dodge. All nine drivers will be competing in race activities at MIS on June 17-19. No speeds were reported on Monday with most of the teams continuing to test Tuesday during the two-day MIS test session.
Testing continues on Tuesday, June 7 with several drivers returning from Monday's session. Fans can view testing by visiting the viewing area near the MIS administration building off the main U.S. 12 entrance to the track. The viewing area will be open from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. and tickets for all of the June 17-19 events will be available for purchase in the MIS ticket office inside the administration building.
Tickets are still available for all June 17-19 activities at MIS, with children 12 and under admitted free to Friday's ARCA RE/MAX Hantz Group 200 and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck's Paramount Health Insurance 200 on Saturday. In addition, tickets are still available for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Batman Begins 400 on Sunday, June 19. All tickets can be purchased now by visiting www.MISpeedway.com, or by calling the MIS ticket hotline at 1-800-354-1010.(MIS PR)(6-7-2005)

Testing at Infineon Raceway next week: The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series will visit Infineon Raceway for a two-day test session on the 10-turn, 1.99-mile Sonoma Valley road course June 7-8th. This test is in advance of the Dodge/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway, June 24-26, one of only two road courses on the 36-race schedule for 2005. NEXTEL Cup drivers scheduled to participate in the test are: #39-Scott Pruett, #42-Jamie McMurray, #36-Boris Said, #11-Jason Leffler, #5-Kyle Busch, #7-Robby Gordon and #33-Brian Simo [for RCR].(Infineon Raceway)(6-2-2005)

Testing at Dover: The following drivers will be testing at Dover International Speedway the next two weeks, in preparation for the races at Dover on June 3-5:
May 16: #99-Carl Edwards (Cup)
May 17: #99-Carl Edwards (Cup); #77-Travis Kvapil (Cup); #41-Reed Sorenson (Busch)
May 23: #29-Kevin Harvick (Cup); #17-Matt Kennseth (Cup); #10-Michele Jourdain, Jr.(Busch); #8-Debra Renshaw (Trucks)
May 24:#17-Matt Kennseth (Cup); #10-Michele Jourdain, Jr.(Busch).
These are closed test sessions and are not open to the general public.
Tickets are still available for all three races, see doverspeedway.com for more info.(5-16-2005)

Leffler testing at Kentucky: #11-Jason Leffler is scheduled to test the Joe Gibbs Racing Fed-Ex Chevy's at Kentucky Speedway Monday, May 9th and Tues, May 10th. Fans can watch from the Turn 3 Fan Center at no charge. Schedule subject to change daily. Test times vary.(Kentucky Speedway)(5-9-2005)

Testing at Lowe's Motor Speedway Ends: #24-Jeff Gordon took to Lowe's Motor Speedway's renovated racing surface like the proverbial duck took to water Wednesday night as 17 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series teams made final preparations for the May 29 NASCAR All-Star Challenge and the May 29 Coca-Cola 600. The unofficial stopwatches caught Gordon's #24 DuPont Chevy with a lap at 189.056 mph around the 1.5-mile superspeedway. The 28.563-second lap was a tick of the watch faster than the track record of 28.590 seconds, 188.877 mph, set last year by #12-Ryan Newman. Gordon's lap came as teams concentrated on long runs, searching for the proper chassis setup to complement the harder right-side tires Goodyear has manufactured for the track's May events. The tires performed flawlessly Wednesday and one veteran crew chief said tire issues that developed during Tuesday's testing were the result of teams "getting greedy with tire pressures and camber." #16-Greg Biffle posted the third fastest unofficial lap at 186.047 mph in the #16 National Guard/Subway Ford. "I was so disappointed when they ground the track. I was like 'man that was a great race track, they shouldn't t have messed with it'. The bumps gave it character," Biffle said. "But now I'm just shocked. I've never seen grinding a race track do what it did here. It's just so fast. I'm driving in the second groove, or even the third groove," Biffle continued. "I'm not running on the bottom, so that tells you there will be side-by-side racing. This is going to be one of the best shows out of all 36 races." 1988 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup champion Bill Elliott participated in Wednesday's session and plans to compete in the Coca-Cola 600 as he runs a limited schedule in Ray Evernham's #91 Stanley Tools Dodge. "The track is quite a bit smoother and it has a lot of grip," Elliott said. "I think I'm in better shape because I haven't missed anything from not being here the last year. Now everyone has a clean slate with the changes to the race track. It was always hard to run a high groove here, but now you can run a higher line and still have a good time." The six-hour testing session was run without incident. The only caution flags were for debris and oil from Mears' blown engine late in the session.
Testing for the May events continues Monday and Tuesday when NASCAR Busch Series teams hit the track in preparation for the inaugural nighttime running of the CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 on Saturday, May 28. Fans can attend the NASCAR Busch Series testing sessions free of charge. Lowe's Motor Speedway's frontstretch grandstand will be open and fans should enter through Gate 5A, located next to the main ticket office.
Tickets for all May events at Lowe's Motor Speedway, including the May 21 NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge and the May 29 Coca-Cola 600, can be purchased by calling 1-800-455-FANS or online at www.lowesmotorspeedway.com.
The top-10 unofficial speeds:
Showing driver, car #and speed:
1. Jeff Gordon, 24, 189.056; 2. Martin Truex Jr., 1, 186.464; 3. Greg Biffle, 16, 186.047; 4. Mike Bliss, 0, 185.637; 5. Casey Mears, 41, 185.631; 6. Ken Schrader, 185.478; 7. Elliott Sadler, 38, 185.287; 8. Kyle Busch, 5, 185.172; 9. Bobby Hamilton Jr., 32, 185.084; 10. Mike Skinner, 23, 184.906.(LMS PR)(5-5-2005)

Testing dates set at Lowe's Motor Speedway UPDATE - Speeds: Lowe's Motor Speedway has scheduled 35 hours of open testing for NASCAR Craftsman Truck, Busch and NEXTEL Cup Series teams in preparation for the track's slate of May races, including the May 21 NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge and the May 29 Coca-Cola 600.
The testing schedule:
May 3-4, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.
May 9-10, NASCAR Busch Series, 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Many of the bumps in the track's racing surface were removed recently during an asphalt grinding process and the testing sessions mark the first, and only, opportunity for teams to experiment with the new surface prior to the May events. Lowe's Motor Speedway's frontstretch grandstand will be open free of charge during each testing session. Fans should enter through Gate 5A next to the ticket office on the second floor of Smith Tower.(LMS)(3-22/5-2-2005)
DRIVERS: #01-Joe Nemechek, #0-Mike Bliss, #5-Kyle Busch, #6-Mark Martin, #16-Greg Biffle, #18-Bobby Labonte, #19-Jeremy Mayfield, #24-Jeff Gordon, #25-Brian Vickers, #32-Bobby Hamilton Jr., #36-Boris Said, #41-Casey Mears, #44-Terry Labonte, #45-Kyle Petty, #77-Travis Kvapil, #18-Dale Jarrett, #91-Bill Elliott, #08-Shane Hmiel, #1-Martin Truex Jr., #4-Mike Wallace, #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #15-Michael Waltrip, #23-Mike Skinner, #29-Kevin Harvick, #38-Elliott Sadler and #49-Ken Schrader.(LMS)(5-3-2005)

UPDATE Vickers fastest, and crashes: Lowe’s Motor Speedway’s renovated racing surface continued to receive rave reviews Tuesday night as 22 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup teams prepared for the May 21 NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge and the May 29 Coca-Cola 600. With teams focusing on long runs and race set-ups, several drivers consistently posted laps in the mid-180 mph range, just shy of Ryan Newman’s 188-mph track record. Brian Vickers was fastest on the unofficial stopwatches with a lap at 186.130mph in the #25 GMAC/ditech.com Chevy fielded by Hendrick Motorsports, but his night ended against the outside wall. With just one minute left in the session, a flat right-front tire sent Vickers’ Chevy into the turn-two wall. The car was heavily damaged, but Vickers was not injured. The only other incidents during the six-hour testing session came just before the dinner break when #41-Casey Mears hit the wall in turn two and #88-Dale Jarrett bounced off the SAFER barrier in turns three and four on the same lap. Both were able to drive to the garage area and Mears was able to continue testing. Jarrett, however, was finished for the evening. NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series testing continues Wednesday evening, May 4, with the cars once again on the track from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Fans can attend the final night of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series testing free of charge. Lowe’s Motor Speedway’s frontstretch grandstand will be open and fans should enter through Gate 5A, located next to the main ticket office.
Showing driver, car #and speed:
1. #25-Brian Vickers, 186.130
2. #18-Bobby Labonte, 185.592
3. #24-Jeff Gordon, 185.554
4. #6-Mark Martin, 185.491
5. #19-Jeremy Mayfield, 185.312
6. #41-Casey Mears, 185.039
7. #01-Joe Nemechek, 184.982
8. #5-Kyle Busch, 184.603
9. #1-Martin Truex Jr., 184.300
10. #29-Kevin Harvick, 184.281.(LMS)(5-4-2005)

Testing at Richmond: The following drivers are scheduled to test in preparation for the FUNAI 250 and Chevy American Revolution 400 at Richmond International Raceway on Tuesday, May 3:
#2-Rusty Wallace, #31-Jeff Burton, #16-Greg Biffle, #9-Kasey Kahne, #21-Ricky Rudd, #40-Sterling Marlin, #10-Scott Riggs, #42-Jamie McMurray, #43-Jeff Green and #66-Hermie Sadler will test their NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series cars, and Elliott Sadler, Martin Truex Jr., Carl Edwards, Dave Blaney, Reed Sorenson, Tim Fedewa, Clint Bowyer, Jon Wood and Bobby East will test their NASCAR Busch Series cars. The grandstands will be open free to the public 9:00am to 5:00pm/et.(RIR)(5-3-2005)

Petty to test at the Rock: #45-Kyle Petty is scheduled to test his Darlington car at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham, NC on Monday, May 2nd. While the track is not holding any races, it still is open for testing and the Buck Baker Racing School still holds classes there.(4-27/5-2-2005)

Jeff Gordon, Newman and Kenseth to test at Indy UPDATE: #24-Jeff Gordon is scheduled to begin preparations today for what could be a historic victory in August at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The four-time Brickyard 400 champion is representing Chevy in a closed two-day tire test at the Speedway. He'll be joined by Ryan Newman (Dodge) and Matt Kenseth (Ford) as Goodyear checks to see how its new, softer tire compounds fare on Indy's newly paved surface. All the teams can be expected to test at the Speedway either before or after the Nextel Cup race July 10 at Chicagoland Speedway. The sessions are scheduled July 5-6 and 11-12. Rain is in the forecast for today, which could disrupt a test already postponed once. It was pushed back to allow for grinding of the track after a Firestone test in preparation for the Indianapolis 500 produced unusual tire wear. A subsequent Firestone test indicated the grinding had done its job.(Indianapolis Star)(4-26-2005)
UPDATE: Goodyear will attempt -- again -- to hold its NASCAR tire test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway today after Tuesday's session was rained out. The tire manufacturer postponed a similar session earlier this month when the track's surface was being grinded. Today's test is closed to the public.(Indianapolis Star)(4-27-2005)

Testing at Darlington Tuesday UPDATE: Testing in preparation for the Darlington Busch and Cup races next Friday and Saturday nights [May 6 and 7th] is scheduled for 2:00 to 10:pm/et on Tuesday, April 26th. The following drivers are scheduled to test: Cup - #9-Kasey Kahne, #40-Sterling Marlin and #13-Greg Sacks. Bsuch - #8-Martin Truex Jr., #4-Ryan Hemphill, #90-Dale Jarrett, #58-Brent Sherman and #46-Robert Pressley. No word if the testing is open to the public.(Darlington Raceway)(4-25-2005)
UPDATE: Due to today's inclement weather, testing at Darlington Raceway has been pushed back until Wednesday and will run from 9:00am - 5:00pm/et.(Darlington Raceway)(4-26-2005)

Kahne Fastest Again at Infineon testing: #9-Kasey Kahne (Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge) posted the fastest time during a two-day NASCAR NEXTEL Cup test session at Infineon Raceway. Kahne, one of three NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series regulars at the session, toured the 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course in 1 minute, 16.32 seconds [93.868mph] on Wednesday. #99-Carl Edwards (Office Depot Ford) was second at 1:17.10 [92.918], with Travis Kvapil (Kodak EasyShare Dodge) third at 1:20.00 [89.550]. Kvapil tested the road course in a NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series stock car. He will compete in both the Blue Lizard Australian Suncream Southwest Series 200, as well as the Dodge/Save Mart 350 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup event when NASCAR visits the Sonoma Valley, June 24-26. Infineon Raceway will host a second NASCAR test session, June 7-8, in advance of the Dodge/Save Mart 350. Great tickets are still available for the race weekend by calling 800-870-RACE or visiting www.infineonraceway.com.(Infineon Raceway)(4-21-2005)

Testing at Talladega: Richard Childress Racing drivers Kerry Earnhardt and Brandon Miller, Frank Cicci Racing with Jim Kelly driver Randy LaJoie and Dale Earnhardt, Inc. driver Paul Menard shared track time at Talladega Superspeedway on Tuesday, and each took time to provide their thoughts on the day’s test as well as their anticipation of the upcoming Aaron’s Dream Weekend April 28 – May 1 at Talladega Superspeedway.(Talladega Superspeedway), no speeds were reported. Evernham Motorsports #91-Bill Elliott and #23-Tom Hubert [testing for Mike Skinner who will run the race] and Busch Series driver #56-Tim Sauter will test today, Wednesday, April 20th.(4-20-2005)

Kahne Fastest During First Day at Infineon Raceway: #9-Kasey Kahne (Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge) posted the fastest time on Tuesday during a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup test session at Infineon Raceway. Kahne, who placed 31st in his first visit to Infineon Raceway in 2004, turned the 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course in 1 minute, 17.25 seconds [92.738mph]. Jeff Gordon (DuPont Chevy) holds the track qualifying record of 1:15.968 [94.303], set in 2004. The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series will visit the Sonoma Valley, June 24-26, for the Dodge/Save Mart 350 weekend. Kahne was one of three NASCAR NEXTEL Cup drivers testing the course on Tuesday. #99-Carl Edwards (Office Depot Ford) was second-fast at 1:17.50 [92.439], with #52-Jose Luis Ramirez (Pro30.com) third at 1:20.54 [88.950]. #77-Travis Kvapil (Kodak EasyShare Dodge) is scheduled to test on Wednesday and Todd Souza also tested, no speeds announounced. Ramirez was involved in a single-car accident late in the day at Turn 4 on the raceway and was transported to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek for precautionary reasons, according to a family member. Testing resumes on Wednesday with a full day scheduled from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (PDT). Great tickets are still available for the Dodge/Save Mart 350 by calling 800-870-RACE or visiting www.infineonraceway.com.(Infineon Raceway)(4-20-2005)
UPDATE: Jose Luis Ramirez was released from John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek on Wednesday, one day after being involved in a late-day accident during a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup test session at Infineon Raceway. Ramirez said he sustained minor injuries to his right foot, right eye and back. He was held overnight on Tuesday at John Muir Medical Center for observation. The #52 Pro30.com car Ramirez was driving impacted the foam barriers at Turn 4 on the 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course in a single-car accident late in the day. "I'm a little sore but I'll be OK," Ramirez said. "It could have been worse but the fire safety team did a great job. I'm hoping they will clear me to race on Thursday." Ramirez is scheduled to compete on Thursday in a NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series race, at Phoenix International Raceway.(Infineon Raceway)(4-20-2005)

Testing at Infineon: The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series will visit Infineon Raceway for a two-day test session, April 19-20, on the 10-turn, 1.99-mile Sonoma Valley road course. This test allows NEXTEL Cup drivers to prepare for the Dodge/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway, June 24-26, which is one of only two road courses on the 36-race 2005 schedule. Drivers schedule to participate in the test are #9-Kasey Kahne ; #99-Carl Edwards; and #77-Travis Kvapil. Gates open at 8 a.m., with cars scheduled to take the track from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. each day. This will be the first of two test sessions planned at Infineon Raceway in advance of the Dodge/Save Mart 350. The other test will take place June 7-8. On Wednesday, April 20, Infineon Raceway will make an announcement regarding the Dodge/Save Mart 350 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series weekend.(Infineon Raceway PR)(4-19-2005)

Burton tests at Phoenix UPDATE: Jeff Burton and the #31 Team Cingular tested at Phoenix International Raceway on Tuesday, April 12th and will again on Wednesday, April 13 in preparation for the Subway Fresh 500 April 23.(RCR)(4-13-2005)
AND also #77-Travis Kvapil, #33-Clint Bowyer and #2-Rusty Wallace.(4-14-2005)

Testing at Talladega today: #43-Jeff Green is scheduled to test at Talladega Superspeedway on Tuesday, April 12th. No word if any other drivers will test.(Talladega Superspeedway)
AND #41-Casey Mears is testing at Talladega today and Wed. April 13th, and Richard Childress Racing [April 18-19th] and Evernham Motorsports [April 20th] will test with unknown cars/drivers.(4-12-2005)

Indy Goodyear test pushed back over asphalt concerns: The new pavement at Indianapolis Motor Speedway - its first repave since 1995 - has presented unexpected problems. Firestone abruptly cancelled its Indy 500 tire test after one day when drivers ran into trouble last Tuesday, and track officials asked Goodyear to postpone this week's scheduled Brickyard 400 tire test while the problems are addressed. Indy officials say they plan to grind the asphalt to make it smoother. According to sources, the track was too bumpy at the entrance to the corners, creating excessive tire wear in the turns. Firestone is the sole tire supplier for the Indy 500; Goodyear is the sole supplier for the Brickyard 400. Dodge's #12-Ryan Newman, Chevy's #24-Jeff Gordon and Ford's #170Matt Kenseth are scheduled to run the Goodyear test, which has been rescheduled for the last week of April. However, that will be cutting it close for the NASCAR drivers, because Indy 500 rookie testing is also scheduled then.(Winston Salem Journal)(4-11-2005)

Atlanta Dyno 'results': Dodge's #42-Jamie McMurray has surprised everyone by winning NASCAR's post-race chassis dyno testing at Atlanta two weeks ago. The test is designed to compare engine power at the rear wheels, using cars fresh from the track. Among the highlights: McMurray's car topped the charts, #38-Elliott Sadler's Ford was better than winner #99-Carl Edwards' Ford, and #48-Jimmie Johnson's Chevy was noticeably off from last year's dyno testing at Michigan.(Winston Salem Journal)(4-11-2005)

Jarrett to test at Kentucky: Dale Jarrett is scheduled to test his #88 UPS Ford at the Kentucky Speedway on Tuesday, April 19. Fans can view testing from the designated area outside the Fan Center in Turn 3 at no charge.(Kentucky Speedway)(4-12-2005)

More testing in Asheboro: At least five Cup teams and eight truck teams visited Caraway Speedway [Asheboro, NC] as part of their preparation for this weekend's races at Martinsville Speedway. #29-Kevin Harvick, #43-Jeff Green, #77-Travis Kvapil and the Evernham Motorsports duo of #9-Kasey Kahne and #19-Jeremy Mayfield were Cup drivers who tested at the Randolph County track getting ready for Sunday's 500-lap race.(High Point Enterprise)(4-7-2005)

Testing at Sonoma coming up: Three NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series drivers are scheduled to attend a two-day test session at Infineon Raceway, April 19-20. This will be the first of two test sessions planned for the Sonoma Valley road course in advance of the Dodge/Save Mart 350 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup weekend, June 24-26. The other test will take place June 7-8. Drivers schedule to participate in the April test are Kasey Kahne (#9-Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge); Carl Edwards (#99-Office Depot Ford); and Travis Kvapil (#77-Kodak/Jasper Engines Dodge). Kahne is the only driver attending the test with prior NASCAR NEXTEL Cup experience on the 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course, having taken 31st last year as a rookie. It will be the first visit to the Sonoma Valley for Edwards and Kvapil. The test session will span from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (Pacific) each day.(Infineon Raceway), testing it is free and open to the public.(4-7-2005)

Testing at Darlington: The following drivers are currently scheduled to test at Darlington Raceway. Please remember that the testing schedule is tentative and subject to change.
#77-Travis Kvapil on Wednesday, April 6th
and on Tuesday, April 26th #9-Kasey Kahne, #25-Brian Vickers, #38-Elliott Sadler and #4 Morgan McClure Motorsports.(Darlington Raceway)(4-6-2005)

Kvapil tests at the Rock: #77-Travis Kvapil spent Tuesday, April 5th testing at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham, NC.(PRN's Garage Pass Radio Show)(4-6-2005)

Motorsports Day and testing at Richmond: Join Richmond International Raceway at the Capitol to celebrate Motorsports Day at the Capitol. Governor Mark R. Warner and Richmond International Raceway president, Doug Fritz, will speak on behalf of Virginians Racing for The Hall of Fame. Then folks can go out to the track as NASCAR Busch Series teams make the first laps of 2005 around Richmond International Raceway. The public is invited to watch testing from the grandstands. Admission is free. #44-Justin Labonte, #10-Michel Jourdain, #22-Kenny Wallace and #32-Shane Hmiel will test their Busch Series cars.(Richmond International Raceway)(4-6-2005)

Harvick goes testing....after winning Busch race: Just how glamorous is big time auto racing? Well, as soon as Kevin Harvick was finished in victory lane Monday afternoon [after winning the Busch race] he took a helicopter to Asheboro, NC [Caraway Speedway] to test his cup car until dark for this weekend’s upcoming race at Martinsville. Crew Chief Todd Barrier, who is serving a four race suspension, joined his driver at the half-mile non-NASCAR [non Cup/Busch track] short track.(PRN's Garage Pass Radio Show)(4-4-2005)

Testing at Kentucky this week: Several NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series teams are scheduled to test at the speedway this week. The Tuesday, April 5 schedule includes Petty Enterprises drivers #45-Kyle Petty and #43-Jeff Green along with Morgan McClure driver #4-Mike Wallace. Evernham Motorsports driver #19-Jeremy Mayfield and Hendrick Motorsports rookie #5-Kyle Busch are scheduled to test on Wednesday, April 6. They will be joined by the Chip Ganassi Racing R&D [#39?] Team. The Thursday, April 7 schedule features Biagi Brothers NASCAR Busch Series driver #4-Ryan Hemphill and Michael Waltrip Racing [#99].(Kentucky Speed PR(4-4-2005)

Testing at Texas: Eight NASCAR teams tested Tuesday and Wednesday at Texas Motor Speedway, preparing for the upcoming Samsung/RadioShack 500 race week. The flurry of testing activity marks the second straight week NASCAR teams trekked to Texas in search of speed. Drivers putting their NEXTEL Cup machinery through the paces were #91-Bill Elliott, #9-Kasey Kahne, #36-Boris Said and #7-Robby Gordon. Busch Series teams included defending champion #8-Martin Truex Jr.; #87-Joe Nemechek; #11-Paul Menard and #21-Brandon Miller.
Wednesday's speeds: NEXTEL Cup: Elliott, 188.416 mph; Said, 187.500 mph; Kahne, 186.657 mph. Busch: Nemechek, 185.886 mph; Menard, 182.432 mph, Truex and Miller, no speed reported. Miller was uninjured after late afternoon contact with the turn four wall.
Tuesday's speeds: NEXTEL Cup: Gordon, 189.474 mph; Kahne, 186.981 mph; Said, 186.207 mph; Elliott, 185.440 mph. Busch: Truex, 185.249 mph; Nemechek, 184.300 mph; Miller, 183.175 mph; Menard, 182.432 mph. Kahne was not injured after making contact with the second turn wall in the morning.
Testing continueson Tuesday, April 5 with #2-Rusty Wallace, #38-Elliott Sadler and #21-Ricky Rudd, NASCAR Busch Series testing with #66-Greg Biffle. Tickets are on sale daily at the speedway ticket office, by calling (817) 215-8500, online at www.texasmotorspeedway.com and at Ticketmaster locations.(TMS)(3-31-2005)

#77 Testing: The #77 Kodak Racing team and driver Travis Kvapil spent Tuesday, March 29, at Caraway Speedway in preparation for the upcoming Food City 500. The team will also test at North Carolina Speedway on April 5th and Darlington Raceway on April 6th.(Penske Racing)(3-30-2005)

Testing at Texas: Texas Motor Speedway says Bill Elliott, Kasey Kahne, and Boris Said are scheduled to test their Nextel Cup entries there on Tuesday, and Rusty Wallace is expected on Wednesday. Busch Series drivers planning tests this week include Joe Nemechk, Martin Truex Jr., Paul Menard and Brandon Miller on Tuesday and Greg Biffle on Wednesday. The tests are not open to the public.NASCAR Scene Daily Newsletter)(3-29-2005)

Testing at Bristol: #31-Jeff Burton, in his first full Nextel Cup season with RCR, tested at Bristol Motor Speedway Tuesday. Meanwhile, #29-Kevin Harvick was among a large group of Busch and Nextel Cup drivers at BMS Thursday. #14-John Andretti tested Wednesday.Bristol Herald Courier)(3-25-2005)

Mayfield, Labonte test at Kentucky: Aerodynamic changes that helped #19-Jeremy Mayfield to a season-best 13th-place NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series finish in Atlanta last week led to a possible season-changing breakthrough during a test at Kentucky Speedway Thursday. After closing out last season 10th in the 10-race Chase for the NEXTEL Cup, the #19 team averaged a 23rd -place finish through the first three races of the season while working with the new Dodge Charger body and adjusted spoiler height mandated by NASCAR. When changes made for the Atlanta race led to improved results, Mayfield and his team made a commitment to further explore those changes by testing during the series off week. "We started the season with a lot of new Chargers and, with the new rules, we got a couple of races into it and thought, whoa, we need to rethink this whole thing," Mayfield said. "We were trying to do something a little bit different." Joe Gibbs Racing Driver #18-Bobby Labonte also tested in an attempt to rebound from the poor luck that has plagued him in three of the four series races. After losing an engine in the Daytona 500, Labonte rebounded with a 12th-place finish in the second race of the season in California. His resurgence was stopped cold when his involvement in early-race accidents in Las Vegas and Atlanta caused his plummet to 37th in the series standings.(Kentucky Speedway)(3-25-2005)

Testing at Texas, Labonte fastest: #44-Terry Labonte posted the fastest lap during NASCAR Nextel Cup testing at Texas Motor Speedway on Wednesday. Labonte, a two-time Cup champion and winner of the 1999 race at TMS, toured the 1.5-mile quadoval at 189.474 mph in the #44 Chevy Monte Carlo he is driving in a limited 10-race schedule this season. Also testing in anticipation of the Samsung/Radio Shack 500 weekend April 14-17 were Cup regulars #45-Kyle Petty (189.208 mph), #15-Michael Waltrip (188.811 mph), #40-Sterling Marlin (188.153 mph) and #07-Dave Blaney (187.240 mph). "This place is wicked-fast," said Petty, driver of the #45 Dodge Charger. "Hopefully, with some of the new aero rules, it will be more of a multigroove racetrack. It was getting that way last year."(Fort Worth Star Telegram)(3-24-2005)

Testing dates set at Lowe's Motor Speedway: Lowe's Motor Speedway has scheduled 35 hours of open testing for NASCAR Craftsman Truck, Busch and NEXTEL Cup Series teams in preparation for the track's slate of May races, including the May 21 NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge and the May 29 Coca-Cola 600.
The testing schedule:
April 26, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.
May 3-4, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.
May 9-10, NASCAR Busch Series, 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Many of the bumps in the track's racing surface were removed recently during an asphalt grinding process and the testing sessions mark the first, and only, opportunity for teams to experiment with the new surface prior to the May events. Lowe's Motor Speedway's frontstretch grandstand will be open free of charge during each testing session. Fans should enter through Gate 5A next to the ticket office on the second floor of Smith Tower.(LMS)(3-22-2005)

Hamilton Jr. tests at Martinsville: #32-Bobby Hamilton's team was the only NEXTEL Cup team testing at Martinsville Tuesday, joining almost a half-dozen NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series teams. Hamilton won't be back for a second day of testing on Wednesday, but several NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series drivers will be testing, including Ricky Craven, Todd Kluever and Justin Allgaier, all coming back for a second day, and Bill Lester, Shieage Hattori, Johnny Benson, Mike Skinner and Brandon Whitt will join them. Because of the possibility of rain, Darrell Waltrip, David Reutimann and Robert Huffman have moved their Truck Series tests to Thursday, joining David Starr, Bobby Labonte, Regan Smith, Tam Topin, Alex Yontz, Bill Lester, Johnny Benson, Mike Skinner, Todd Bodine, Steve Park and Brendan Gaughan. Tickets for both the Advance Auto Parts 500 on Sunday, April 10, and the Kroger 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, on Saturday, April 9, may be purchased by calling 1.877.RACE.TIX from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets for both events also may be purchased online at www.martinsvillespeedway.com.(Martinsville Speedway)(3-23-2005)

Goodyear Tire Testing at Lowe's Motor Speedway UPDATE: Joe Nemechek and the #01 U.S. Army team will participate in a Goodyear tire test Monday, March 21st at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Nemechek will be the first NEXTEL Cup driver to circle the speedway since engineers used a combination of Global Positioning System technology and three-dimensional laser mapping to smooth the 1.5-mile racing surface.(LMS)(3-19-2005)
UPDATE: After several laps at Lowe's Motor Speedway during a Goodyear tire test Monday, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series veteran Joe Nemechek believes track officials have achieved their goal of creating more side-by-side racing at the legendary 1.5-mile superspeedway. In preparation for the May races including the May 29 Coca-Cola 600 and May 21 NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge, engineers recently used a combination of Global Positioning System technology and three-dimensional laser mapping to smooth the track's asphalt surface. "It's going to make for more side-by-side racing," Nemechek said after climbing from his #01 U.S. Army Chevy. "The grinding has added so much more grip, and it's not just around the bottom. It's from the bottom to the wall, and that's a very good thing when you are trying to race around the high groove. I've been running right around the bottom, trying to do the same thing every lap to give Goodyear some feedback," Nemechek continued. "But I've slid up a little bit and there is still a lot of grip. It might even be faster up high." With his Chevy in race trim, Nemechek consistently ran lap times close to Ryan Newman's 188.877-mph track qualifying record.(LMS)(3-22-2005)

Dyno Testing at Atlanta: NASCAR got its first good look at chassis dyno numbers of engines under the new RPM-limiting rules. The Jimmie Johnson, Dave Blaney, Michael Waltrip, Mark Martin, Carl Edwards, Elliott Sadler, Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman and Jamie McMurray cars were tested.(Winston Salem Journal), no results or who was the best mentioned.(3-22-2005)

Testing at Kentucky: NEXTEL Cup teams from Evernham Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing are scheduled to test March 23 and 24 at Kentucky Speedway. Evernham teams will be on the track on March 23. Bobby Labonte will turn laps in his Joe Gibbs Racing #18 Interstate Batteries Chevy on March 24. Fans can view testing from the designated area near the Fan Center at no charge. Testing begins at approximately 9:00 a.m. and ends at approximately 5:00 p.m.(Kentucky Speedway)(3-21-2005)

Testing at Martinsville: Advance Auto Parts 500/Kroger 200 Test Schedule
March 22: #32-Bobby Hamilton Jr.
March 23: Lots of Truck Series drivers including Darrell Waltrip
March 24: Lots of Truck Series drivers
March 25: Some Truck Series drivers
March 28: #14-John Andretti, #4-Mike Wallace, #01-Joe Nemechek, #0-Mike Bliss.
March 29: #25-Brian Vickers, #5-Kyle Busch, #11-Jason Leffler, #21-Ricky Rudd, #14-John Andretti.
March 30: #25-Brian Vickers, #5-Kyle Busch, #21-Ricky Rudd.(Martinsville Speedway)(3-21-2005)

Testing at Texas: Texas Motor Speedway will be the center of testing activity the next three weeks as NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series teams prepare for the Samsung/RadioShack 500 weekend April 14-17. The quest for Victory Lane in the April 16 O'Reilly 300 NASCAR Busch Series race and the April 17 Samsung/RadioShack 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event will result in six days of testing as teams prepare for race weekend.
Drivers scheduled to test at Texas Motor Speedway include #44-Terry Labonte, #45-Kyle Petty, #5-Kyle Busch, Mark Martin (Busch car) on March 22; #40-Sterling Marlin, #12-Ryan Newman, #07-Dave Blaney, #44-Labonte, #45-Petty, #5-Busch, Martin (Busch) and Reed Sorenson (Busch) on March 23; #07-Blaney, #40-Marlin, #12-Newman on March 24; #91-Bill Elliott, #36-Boris Said on March 29 and 30; and #2-Rusty Wallace on April 5. All test sessions are closed to the public.(TMS)(3-16-2005)

Kerry tests for DEI: Kerry Earnhardt tested for Dale Earnhardt Inc. last Wednesday at Kentucky Speedway and will return again this week to gather additional engine and chassis data. DEI's Michael Waltrip did not finish the first two races this season, once because of component problems, the other time because of an oil system problem. Vice president Richie Gilmore says development continues on DEI's in-house chassis. Four cars with the new chassis should be in the organization's rotation soon.(FoxSports/Sporting News)(3-14-2005)

Testing at Martinsville: Advance Auto Parts 500/Kroger 200 Test Schedule
3/22: Cup Series: #32-Bobby Hamilton Jr.; Truck Series: Ricky Craven, Todd Kluever, Brad Keselowski, Justin Allgaier.
3/23: Truck Series: Todd Kluever, Darrell Waltrip, Robert Huffman, Bill Lester, Brandon Whitt, Justin Allgaier.
3/24: Truck Series: Darrell Waltrip, Robert Huffman, Bill Lester, Brandon Whitt, Alex Yontz, Steve Park, Dennis Setzer, Todd Bodine, Chad Chaffin.
3/25: Truck Series: Darrell Waltrip, Robert Huffman, Bill Lester, Brandon Whitt, Alex Yontz , Steve Park.
3/28: Cup Series: #14-John Andretti, #4-Mike Wallace, #01-Joe Nemechek, #0-Mike Bliss.
3/29: Cup Series: #25-Brian Vickers, #5-Kyle Busch, #11-Jason Leffler, #21-Ricky Rudd, #14-John Andretti.
3/30: Cup Series: #25-Brian Vickers, #5-Kyle Busch, #21-Ricky Rudd.(Martinsville Speedway PR)(3-12-2005)

More testing at Atlanta: Ron Hornaday was at Atlanta preparing for next Friday's World Financial Group 200, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck race that will kick off an action-packed weekend of racing. The March 18-20 Golden Corral 500 weekend will be the first time all three of NASCAR's national touring series - Craftsman Truck, Busch and NEXTEL Cup - will compete in Atlanta on the same weekend. With a handful of NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series races under his belt at Atlanta, plus one previous Craftsman Truck test many years ago, Hornaday said he thought he had the fast track figured out. Now, he's glad he spent the day testing. "We're fast," he said with a gleam in his eye. "We've got the track to ourselves, and there were a lot of trucks testing the last couple days that laid down a lot of rubber. The weather is perfect, and we're going to test both day and night, so I think we're going to have a very good feel for what we'll need next weekend." Hornaday's fastest lap of the day session was 31.25 seconds (177.408 mph); he was expected to continue testing until 10 p.m. "With all the banking here and the new rules NASCAR has made, this will be a good show," Hornaday said. "Fans thought last year's racing was good, wait until this year."
Tickets are still available for the March 18 World Financial Group 200, which will take the green flag at the conclusion of Georgia Power Qualifying Night, and the rest of the Golden Corral 500 weekend. For more information call the Atlanta Motor Speedway ticket office at (877) 9-AMS-TIX (877-926-7849) or www.AtlantaMotorSpeedway.com.(AMS PR)(3-11-2005)

Vickers to test Bristol next week: #25 GMAC Racing Chevy and Brian Vickers are scheduled to test at Bristol Motor Speedway on Tuesday, March 15. The team already has completed tests at California, Daytona and Las Vegas this season..(Hendrick Motorsports PR)(3-10-2005)

Hmiel fastest in Atlanta testing...in a Cup car, doing the triple: Before last week, Shane Hmiel was just driving in the NASCAR Busch Series. But during Wednesday's test at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hmiel was preparing to run all three races during next weekend's Golden Corral 500 weekend. Hmiel will start the weekend in the World Financial Group 200 Craftsman Truck race on Friday (March 18), then compete in the Aaron's 312 Busch race on Saturday (March 19) and finish up with the Golden Corral 500 on Sunday (March 20). Hmiel was testing his #08 NEXTEL Cup car on Wednesday and turning the fastest laps of 2005, as he circled the 1.54-mile fast track in 29.26 seconds (189.424 mph). "We've got a really good car right now," Hmiel said. "If we come back next weekend and it drives like this, then we'll be looking for a top-10 qualifying spot. We've got a good car, and that's all we can ask for." Hmiel was expected to test his Busch Series car Wednesday but instead showed up with the #08 Win Fuel NEXTEL Cup car. Hmiel said he felt he needed the extra practice in the Cup car, which he will have to qualify on speed to make the Golden Corral 500. "Atlanta isn't a place I struggle with, so we don't want to burn the test in Busch," Hmiel said. "And we tested the truck last week, so we feel like we're in a good position for next weekend." It will be his second time competing in all three NASCAR series in one weekend; he also did triple duty last season at Homestead. Hmiel was joined at Wednesday's test session by fellow NEXTEL Cup driver Mike Wallace and Craftsman Truck Series drivers Bill Lester, Johnny Benson, Chad Chaffin, Mike Skinner, Todd Bodine, Regan Smith, Jack Sprague, Robert Huffman, Brandon Whitt, and Shigeaki Hattori.
Tickets are still available for the entire weekend of racing. Tickets start at $30 and three-day packages are $65 and can be purchased at (877) 9-AMS-TIX (877-926-7849), or by visiting www.AtlantaMotorSpeedway.com.
Driver, Series, Time
#08 Shane Hmiel, NEXTEL Cup, 189.474
#4 Mike Wallace, NEXTEL Cup, 185.791
#5 Mike Skinner, Craftsman Truck, 181.414
#22 Bill Lester, Craftsman Truck, 179
#38 Brandon Whitt, Craftsman Truck, 178.723
#12 Robert Huffman, Craftsman Truck, 178.666
#16 Jack Sprague, Craftsman Truck, 178.321
#23 Johnny Benson, Craftsman Truck, 177.238
#9 Shigeaki Hattori, Craftsman Truck, 176.729
#66 Todd Bodine, Craftsman Truck, 176.673
#19 Regan Smith, Craftsman Truck, 176.280
#30 Chad Chaffin, Craftsman Truck, 170.867.(AMS PR)(3-10-2005)

Evernham Motorsports tests at Kentucky: the Kentucky Speedway site has Evernham Motorsports scheduled to test at track today, no drivers listed. Fans can watch from the Turn 3 Fan Center at no charge. Schedule subject to change daily. Test times vary.(Kentucky Speedway site)(3-9-2005)
UPDATE: hearing it was the #98 Dodge and that Erin Crocker was doing some of the testing.(3-10-2005)

Marlin tests at Bristol: With snow flurries swirling, Sterling Marlin turned laps in his #40 Dodge Charger at Bristol Motor Speedway on Tuesday afternoon to prepare for April’s NASCAR race. For the first time in his 29-year NASCAR career, Marlin tested the settings on his car in the snow. "It takes a lap or two for the tires to come in," Marlin said about driving in the freezing temperatures. "When it’s 25 degrees, it takes a little time to get some heat in the tires to get some more grip. After three or four laps, you are back where you normally are."(Bristol Herald Courier)(3-9-2005)

Newman still fastest in testing at Atlanta: The garages at Atlanta Motor Speedway were crowded Tuesday as 14 NASCAR teams prepared for the new tires, new impound rules and new spoiler heights that will be in effect for the March 18-20 Golden Corral 500. NASCAR NEXTEL Cup drivers #99-Carl Edwards, #43-Jeff Green, #29-Kevin Harvick, #17-Matt Kenseth (testing a Busch car), #77-Travis Kvapil, #18-Bobby Labonte, #11-Jason Leffler, #19-Jeremy Mayfield, #12-Ryan Newman, #10-Scott Riggs and #22-Scott Wimmer; Busch drivers #21-Brandon Miller and #20-Denny Hamlin; and Craftsman Truck driver Jack Sprague all tested Tuesday at NASCAR's fastest track. As expected, four-time Atlanta pole winner #12-Ryan Newman was fastest again on Tuesday, topping the unofficial speed chart with a lap of 29.57 seconds (187.487 mph). The 2003 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup champion, Matt Kenseth, was also on hand for Tuesday's test, but he wasn't driving his NEXTEL Cup car. He was actually preparing his #17 Waste Management Ford for the Aaron's 312 on Saturday, March 19.
Testing will continue for the remainder of the week as teams prepare for the upcoming March 18-20 Golden Corral 500 weekend. Drivers expected for Wednesday's test are NASCAR NEXTEL Cup driver #4-Mike Wallace; Busch driver #32-Shane Hmiel; and Craftsman Truck drivers #23-Johnny Benson, #66-Todd Bodine, #30-Chad Chaffin, #9-Shige Hattori, #12-Robert Huffman, #22-Bill Lester, #5-Mike Skinner, #16/19-Jack Sprague, #38-Brandon Whitt. Tests are closed to the public. Tickets are still available starting at $30 and weekend packages are just $65. Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-877-9-AMS-TIX or by visiting www.AtlantaMotorSpeedway.com..
Driver Series Speed #12 Ryan Newman NEXTEL Cup 29.57 sec/ 187.487 mph
#10 Scott Riggs NEXTEL Cup 29.79 sec/ 186.03 mph
#22 Scott Wimmer NEXTEL Cup 29.93 sec/ 185.232 mph
#99 Carl Edwards NEXTEL Cup 30.09 sec/ 184.246 mph
#77 Travis Kvapil NEXTEL Cup 30.12 sec/ 184.064 mph
#11 Jason Leffler NEXTEL Cup 30.29 sec/ 183.041 mph
#18 Bobby Labonte NEXTEL Cup 30.32 sec/ 182.850 mph
#17 Matt Kenseth Busch 30.32 sec/ 182.850 mph
#29 Kevin Harvick NEXTEL Cup 30.40 sec/ 182.368 mph
#43 Jeff Green NEXTEL Cup 30.51 sec/ 181.710 mph
#21 Brandon Miller Busch 30.62 sec/ 181.058 mph
#19 Jeremy Mayfield NEXTEL Cup 30.62 sec/ 181.058 mph
#20 Denny Hamlin Busch 31.52 sec/ 175.888 mph
#19 Jack Sprague Craftsman Truck 31.95 sec/ 173.521 mph.(Atlanta Motor Speedway PR)(3-8-2005)

Testing at Kentucky: Joe Gibbs Racing teammates #20-Tony Stewart and ?#11-Jason Leffler [is in Atlanta] are scheduled to test at Kentucky Speedway on Tuesday, March 8. Fans can view testing out side Turn 3 at no charge. Tests begin at approximately 9:00 a.m. and end at approximately 5:00 p.m. The test schedule is subject to change.(Kentucky Speedway PR)(3-8-2005)

Testing at Atlanta: #12-Ryan Newman was in Atlanta for the first day of a two-day test for the March 18-20 Golden Corral 500. Also testing were #22-Scott Wimmer, #77-Travis Kvapil, #11-Jason Leffler and Busch driver Brandon Miller. Newman topped the unofficial speed charts. He circled his #12 Alltel Dodge around Atlanta's 1.54-mile quad-oval at 29.48 seconds (186.060 mph). Second fastest was Jason Leffler in the #11 FedEx Chevy, turning a lap in 29.84 seconds (185.790 mph). NEXTEL Cup rookie Travis Kvapil was third fastest for the day with a lap time of 29.95 seconds (185.109 mph). Wimmer was the slowest among the Cup drivers for the day, turning in a time of 30.16 seconds (183.820 mph). Busch driver #21 Brandon Miller was also on hand for Monday's test, turning a top lap time of 30.53 seconds (181.592 mph). Testing will continue throughout the week as drivers prepare for the March 18-20 Golden Corral 500 weekend. All testing is closed to the public. Those expected to test are Bobby Labonte, Matt Kenseth, Jeremy Mayfield, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Green, Bill Elliott and Carl Edwards.(AMS PR)(3-8-2005)

Wimmer testing at Atlanta: The #22 Caterpillar team and Scott Wimmer will head to Atlanta Motor Speedway to do a two-day test session March 7 and 8.(BDR)(2-23-2005)

Roush Racing testing at Kentucky UPDATE: Kentucky Speedway's weekly calendar shows that Roush Racing has scheduled a Nextel Cup test for Tuesday. The track says the team is scheduled to test a research-and-development car with a driver to be named. Spectators are permitted to watch from the track's Fan Center, but the track cautions that schedules are subject to change.(NASCAR Scene Daily Newsletter)(2-22-2005)
UPDATE: Roush Racing NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series testing scheduled for February 22 and 23 has been cancelled. No further testing is scheduled this week.(Kentucky Speedway PR) Joe Gibbs Racing is scheduled to test at the track next week.(2-22-2005)

Nine cars to the Dyno: NASCAR took nine cars to the engine dyno following the Daytona 500: the top five finishers — #24-Jeff Gordon, #97-Kurt Busch, #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #10-Scott Riggs and #48-Jimmie Johnson, #07-Dave Blaney, #37-Kevin Lepage, #2-Rusty Wallace and #6-Mark Martin. The engine dyno, which NASCAR uses to measure rpms to find out who is generating the most horsepower, is used a few times a year at bigger tracks such as Daytona, Talladega and Michigan.(FoxSports/Sporting News)(2-21-2005)

Jarrett testing: mentioned during FOX's Daytona 500 qualifying, #88-Dale Jarrett [the pole sitter] will test a short track car at USA International Speedway in Lakeland, FL on Monday and Tuesday.(2-14-2005)

Testing at Talladega: The first events of the season for NASCAR's top three series as well as the ARCA RE/MAX Series are less than two weeks away, and teams representing all four of the series were on hand Saturday and Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway making final preparations. Among teams testing over the weekend were Ken Schrader Racing's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series #52 team, three NASCAR Busch Series teams including Sadler Racing's #95, GIC-Mixon's #24 with driver Kim Crosby, and Day Enterprises' #16 with driver John Hayden, the #66 Peak Performance NEXTEL Cup Series team with driver Hermie Sadler, the NEXTEL Cup Series #00 [Waltrip] team with test driver Hank Parker, Jr., the #32 PPI Motorsports Tide Chevy with Bobby Hamilton Jr. and two ARCA RE/MAX Series teams - the Day Enterprises #6 with driver Justin Ashburn and the RSR #00 with driver Ed Kennedy. Also in the mix Saturday was 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion Bobby Hamilton, who was on hand to assist Nashville-based Sadler Racing [Busch car]. Tickets to the Aaron's Dream Weekend April 28 - May 1 featuring the Aaron's 312 NASCAR Busch Series race on April 30 and the Aaron's 499 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race on May 1 are available by calling the Talladega Superspeedway Ticket Office at 1-877-Go2-DEGA (1-877-462-3342) or online at www.talladegasuperspeedway.com.(Talladega Superspeedway PR)(2-8-2005)

California Testing - Day 2 - over, no speeds: Thursday marked the final day of NASCAR Preseason Thunder, the annual preseason test sessions that began Jan. 11 at Daytona. Both the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and the NASCAR Busch Series have spent the week engaged in the West Coast portion; on Monday and Tuesday, the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series tested at Las Vegas while the NASCAR Busch Series tested at California Speedway. The series switched tracks for Wednesday’s and Thursday’s sessions. Still California breezin’ ... Strong Santa Ana winds continued to blast California Speedway on Thursday, frustrating teams and playing havoc with testing data. “This is by far the windiest I have ever tested anywhere, anytime,” said Mark Martin (#6 Viagra Ford), who’s retiring from fulltime competition after the 2005 season and has his share of tests under his belt. Turns three and four took the brunt of gusty northeast winds, and high wind warnings were posted for inland areas through mid-Thursday afternoon. “(Turns) one and two are where you’re doing most of your testing,” Kevin Harvick said. “(Turns) three and four, there’s a lot of wind blowing, and it’s hard to get anything done. But you can still get a lot accomplished and get your car handling well.” Teammates and admirers … Roush Racing teammates Mark Martin and Kurt Busch (#97 IRWIN Industrial Tools/Sharpie Ford) both visited the California media center during Thursday’s lunch break and both waxed eloquent about teammates and chemistry. Martin is anticipating his final fulltime season while Busch will try to defend his 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series title. Busch paid tribute to Martin. “With Mark creating the identity for Roush Racing, it enabled me to jump into a competitive car and win races right away,” said the 27-year-old Busch. “The same thing for Matt Kenseth (#17 DeWalt Tools Ford). Mark is the essential ingredient that built Roush Racing. To look at Mark and see what he’s done. He’s a true competitor. He inspires us to look at him and want to be like him.” And Martin doesn’t want the commitment of his #6 crew to be lost in the hubbub of his final season. "We're focused pretty intensely on 2005, the whole team,” Martin said. “They paid me a great compliment and honor. It will be the first time that I've had such a successful season, that I can remember and not lost team members to other races teams, and it wasn't because people didn't try to get them. It was because they knew that we had a championship caliber team and they wanted to give me a shot."(NASCAR PR) No official speeds were kept during the test sessions on the West Coast.(2-4-2005)

Two Thursday Fontana testing notes: Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s #8 car blew a motor about two hours prior to the end of the session. Eariler in the day #31-Jeff Burton scrubbed the wall in turn four after his car got too tight.(PRN's Garage Pass Radio Show)(2-3-2005)

Some California Notes: #9-Kasey Kahne ran over some debris and crashed between turns three and four. He was able to drive back to the garage. He was not injured. Kahne resumed testing in a back up car. "I was going into turn one and ran over a chuck of something. I thought I had the car saved about four times, but I finally lost it and the right rear went into the wall. It's not hurt too bad considering. There was a little hole in the tire, but I'm not sure what I ran over. It was our B car, and the A car was better at our test in Las Vegas.(PRN's Garage Pass Radio Show)(2-3-2005)

California Testing: Test sessions are for shaking down new cars, adjusting to new rules and building season-long data bases. Battling Mother Nature usually doesn’t make the to-do list, but Wednesday at California Speedway, many NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series teams had to figure wind resistance into their test plans. Strong Santa Ana winds – seasonal gusts that whip thru West Coast mountains and desert – sent garbage cans flying in the garage. They also played havoc with spoilers, bumpers and handling as the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series embarked on the next-to-last day of NASCAR Preseason Thunder.
The annual preseason test sessions that began Jan. 11 at Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR Preseason Thunder moved west this week for the final four days. On Monday and Tuesday, the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series tested at Las Vegas while the NASCAR Busch Series tested at California Speedway. The series switched tracks for Wednesday’s and Thursday’s sessions, and what was the occasional nuisance gust in Las Vegas became a steady gale in Fontana. “The wind’s very tough today,” said Elliott Sadler (#38 M&M’s Ford), who visited the California media center during Wednesday’s lunch break. “How much are we going to learn? Because chances are it’s not going to be like that when we come back.” Wind or not, California native – El Cajon, to be exact – Jimmie Johnson (#48 Lowe’s Chevy) was just happy to be back in the Golden State. As far as he’s concerned, the Santa Ana blew a welcome his way. “What I like most is being in my home state,” Johnson said. “I like coming home. I’m excited NASCAR is in California and excited that it has come to west coast.”
When the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series does comes back to California, it will do so Sunday, Feb. 27 for the second race of the season. The Auto Club 500 is one week after the season-opening Daytona 500. The defending race champion is Jeff Gordon (#24 DuPont Chevy), another Wednesday visitor to the media center, and although he’d love to repeat – plus win a third career Daytona 500 – he admitted his immediate attention is on the on-track knowledge he and his team are accumulating this week. “Right now we’re just focused on here and Las Vegas and seeing what we have at the downforce tracks,” said Gordon, referring to Las Vegas’ 1.5-mile and California’s 2-mile lengths. And he acknowledged Mother Nature’s challenge. “We are really struggling right now with the wind,” Gordon said. “I don’t know how much valuable information we are going to get out of this test if the wind keeps up like this and I think it is supposed to.” Still, the #24 team has a considerable bank of knowledge it can withdraw from should the wind skew test results. Gordon is a three-time winner at California, and comfort factors can’t be overestimated.
“I don’t know why we have had such good success here,” he said Wednesday. “I mean I think it is like anywhere else. I think it is a combination of just really well prepared race cars, good horsepower and giving me a comfort. On the first lap on the track today, I did, I felt really comfortable. Is that the cars or me? It’s hard to say. We are always looking for good results and we continue to get them out here and we want to keep that going.” So does Sadler, who won last year’s Labor Day weekend event at California and would like a second consecutive victory at the track – wind or not. “It’s great to come back to a track you won at because your confidence is unbelievable,” Sadler said. “We’re kind of picking up where we left off. We’re comfortable. I feel like I could pack it up, come back here and have a good shot at winning.”(NASCAR PR), no speeds reported.(2-3-2005)

NEXT - TODAY.....California Testing - Fans Invited: As part of NASCAR's Preseason Thunder, several NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series teams will participate in a test session at California Speedway from January 31 - February 3, 2005. As of early January, nine NASCAR Busch Series drivers have confirmed for the first two days of the test and 32 NEXTEL Cup Series drivers have confirmed for the remaining two days of the test. The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series test dates, February 2 - 3, will be open to the general public, free of charge from 10:00am to 4:00pm. Guests will be invited to park inside the oval in the Suite Parking Lots and view the test session from above the Terrace Suites on Pit Road to get up close to the action. A few additional entertainment-type opportunities are also being worked on for guests who attend the test, including a Terrace Suite opening, which will allow guests to experience how the NASCAR weekend's Suite Action puts them right on top of the action in one of the Speedway's well-appointed luxury suites. A three-day Suite Action package for February 25-27 is $1,100 and a two-day for February 26-27 is $950. Individual tickets for the upcoming race weekend will also be on sale, and guests who purchase tickets at the test to any one of the three February 25-27 race dates will receive a free license plate frame. Those that have already purchased tickets and bring a friend to the test who purchases a race ticket will receive a free license plate frame as well as the ticket purchaser. Party Zone passes, featuring driver question and answer sessions on race weekend, are also on sale. This fan hospitality area is located inside the Infield and every Party Zone pass includes a pit pass for the day purchased. Saturday's pass is $85, Sunday's pass is $125 and a combined two-day pass is $175. A weekend pit pass, which will allow guests to tour pit road prior to each day's race, is also available. For ticket and event information, call 800-944-RACE [7223] or visit www.californiaspeedway.com.
A tentative list of drivers confirmed as of January 13 for the NASCAR test at California Speedway follows:
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Drivers (2/2-3):
#01-Joe Nemechek, #07-Dave Blaney, #0-Mike Bliss, #2-Rusty Wallace, #4-Mike Wallace, #5-Kyle Busch, #6-Mark Martin, #7-Robby Gordon, #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr, #9-Kasey Kahne, #10-Scott Riggs, #11-Jason Leffler, #12-Ryan Newman, #14-John Andretti, #15-Michael Waltrip, #16-Greg Biffle, #17-Matt Kenseth, #18-Bobby Labonte, #19-Jeremy Mayfield, #20-Tony Stewart, #21-Ricky Rudd, #22-Scott Wimmer, #24-Jeff Gordon, #25-Brian Vickers, #29-Kevin Harvick, #31-Jeff Burton, #32-Bobby Hamilton Jr., #38-Elliott Sadler, #40-Sterling Marlin, #41-Casey Mears, #42-Jamie McMurray, #43-Jeff Green, #44-Terry Labonte, #45-Kyle Petty, #48-Jimmie Johnson, #49-Ken Schrader, #50-Jeff Fuller, #66-Hermie Sadler, #73-Eric McClure, #77-Travis Kvapil, #88-Dale Jarrett #91-Bill Elliott, #97-Kurt Busch and #99-Carl Edwards.(California Speedway PR)(1-14-2005)
AND A question and answer session featuring Casey Mears, Jamie McMurray, Scott Riggs and Joe Nemechek will be conducted in the Speedway's "Party Zone" tent in Suite Lot C. Race fans can submit questions prior to the forum for the drivers upon entering the tent. Gates open to the public on Wednesday at 10:00am and guests are invited to watch the cars on-track from above the Terrace Suites along Pit Road. After the cars have finished testing for the day, guests are invited to attend the fan forum, which will be limited to the first 1,500 guests in the standing-room-only tent (guests will be admitted in the tent beginning at 4:30 p.m.). Guests can also attend the test on Thursday, February 3rd from 10:00am - 4:00pm.(2-2/3-2005)

Some testing notes from Las Vegas: Racecars testing at Las Vegas are not equipped with timing transponders, however it's clear to many which cars are the quickest. Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin, Jeremy Mayfield, Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch are the top cars according to garage insiders. During Tuesday's lunch break Kahne said, "Las Vegas is a good track to test at because it changes and you need to figure out what your car does. We're way different than the 19 (Mayfield) and the 48 (Johnson) is probably the dominate car here that I've seen so far...maybe the 19 is up there...but...the 48 is defiantly better that we are. My car feels good...I tested this package at Atlanta and it was a really loose package but here it feels real good...we'll see how it feels at California the next two days."(PRN's Garage Pass Radio Show)(2-2-2005)

Las Vegas Testing - Day 2 - no speeds: Kurt and Kyle Busch have won races all over the United States, but the Las Vegas natives have one major void in their trophy case - a trophy from Las Vegas Motor Speedway. While the two have won many times at the speedway's Bullring, the big prize would be a win in the March 13 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. "We raced here last year together in our first Cup start ever for Kyle in Vegas," said Kurt Busch, the reigning Nextel Cup Series champion. "It was reminiscent of what we used to do at the Bullring for so many years. It's a good time. I know that this time around we can be more competitive. I know that Kyle is going to have more experience under his belt and there is a chance for us to run side by side for position. That's something that we're always looking forward to and we know that there are 41 other competitors out there so we can't get too wrapped up in it but yet it is fun because it's Vegas." Kurt and Kyle were among 43 NASCAR Nextel Cup teams and eight NASCAR Busch Series teams who participated in Tuesday's Preseason Thunder Las Vegas.
"Yeah it's definitely going to be great," said Kyle, who will compete for rookie of the year honors in the Kellogg's Chevy. "I mean obviously coming out here to race in Las Vegas again; I mean we've grown up here. Just over there at the Bullring but now to race on the big speedway. It's only my fourth start on a big track so it's going to be a lot of fun. Just trying to basically get the feel for the cars for myself and gain the experience that I need to in order to get the comfort level up to run up front. If there is just a slight chance that I can keep up with the 97 car, then that would be great." Kurt has had moderate success at LVMS recording just one top-10 finish in four Nextel Cup starts. Kyle completed only 11 laps in last year's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400, but had strong runs in the Sam's Town 300 Busch race as well as a Craftsman Truck Series event in 2001. Despite the comforts of home that Las Vegas brings, there is pressure to perform for the hometown fans as well. "I have noticed we've been out here every year testing," Kurt said. "Every year we come out to Vegas to kick off right after Daytona. It's a great place to come and test, to get things back into motion and that always gets me pumped up for Vegas. It is a race that I put a bit more emphasis on. This is an equivalent race to me such as the Daytona 500 or the Brickyard 400. I rank it in my top five races that I want to win throughout my career. But this is large. What our dad helped us do in our early stages of our careers, to understand race cars from the ground up whether it was setting them up or knowing how to buy specific parts. It's just the management that our dad taught us about race cars and the fun that we're going to be able to have."
The Nextel Cup teams completed their two-day test Tuesday, while 20 Busch Series teams are expected to arrive for Wednesday and Thursday. The only incidents in Tuesday's test was a spin late in the session by #17-Matt Kenseth, a blown engine in the morning session by #07-Dave Blaney and slight contact with the wall by Busch Series driver #38-Tyler Walker.(LVMS.com)(2-2-2005)

Las Vegas Testing - Day 1 - no speeds: As soon as NASCAR announced it would reduce the size of rear spoilers and soften tire compounds, many race teams were complaining about how hard the cars would be to drive. After one full day of testing the new rules at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, most drivers feel the concerns were overblown. “There has been a lot of hysteria around the changes this year,” said Mark Martin, driver of the #6 Viagra Ford. “It was a year ago since I was here, and my car feels just like it did a year ago.” Martin was one of 43 NASCAR Nextel Cup teams who took part in NASCAR Preseason Thunder Las Vegas. The drivers tested Monday and will return to LVMS on Tuesday to prepare for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 on March 13. While Martin noticed no difference in his car, some drivers felt their cars were a little looser than in the past. “There is a lot of movement in the car, but I think with my background and driving style, it’s not going to hurt me as much as some of the other guys,” said Jimmie Johnson, driver of the Lowe’s Chevy. “The car has been great though. I haven’t had a chance to race with anyone else to see what the car will act like in traffic though.” Four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon was surprised at how well his car handled. “We are noticing that there is not as big a difference as what we expected,” Gordon said. “We expected the cars to be a lot looser, so we came here really tight. I’m pretty happy so far.” No official testing times were recorded, but most teams felt their lap times were comparable to past years. Testing resumes Tuesday, and the speedway’s grandstands will be open to the public free of charge. The stars of the NASCAR Busch Series will arrive Wednesday for a two-day test.(LVMS.com)(2-1-2005)

Testing at Las Vegas 1-31 and 2-1, starts TODAY: NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas is still six weeks away, but it will certainly look like race weekend when the stars of the NASCAR Nextel Cup and Busch Series invade Las Vegas Motor Speedway for next week's Preseason Thunder Las Vegas. A record 43 Nextel Cup teams have filed testing vouchers, including all 10 drivers in last year's Chase for the Cup. The Cup teams are scheduled to test on Monday, Jan. 31 and Tuesday, Feb. 1. On Wednesday and Thursday, 20 NASCAR Busch Series teams are scheduled to test including 2004 champion Martin Truex Jr. and former Champ Car star Michel Jourdain Jr. Nextel Cup teams will be preparing for the March 13 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400, while the Busch teams will be making the preparations for the Sam's Town 300 on Saturday. March 12. The speedway's grandstands will be open to the public free of charge all four days. The testing starts at 9 a.m. and will conclude at 5 p.m. each day. LVMS recently announced the addition of bleacher seating in Turn 3 for the NASCAR Weekend. These $99 Triple Play seats will give race fans a bleacher seat for the UAW-DaimlerChryslet 400, a reserved seat in the main grandstand for the Sam's Town 300 and a general admission ticket to the Las Vegas Double Down on Sept. 24 featuring the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and Champ Car World Series. Race fans can call 1-800-644-4444 or log on to www.lvms.com for tickets.
Following is a complete list of the drivers scheduled to test.
Nextel Cup drivers (Jan. 31-Feb. 1): John Andretti, Stanton Barrett, Greg Biffle, Dave Blaney, Mike Bliss, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Jeff Fuller, Jeff Gordon, Robby Gordon, Jeff Green, Bobby Hamilton Jr., Kevin Harvick, Dale Jarrett, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Travis Kvapil, Bobby Labonte, Jason Leffler, Sterling Marlin, Mark Martin, Jeremy Mayfield, Eric McClure, Jamie McMurray, Casey Mears, Joe Nemechek, Ryan Newman, Kyle Petty, Scott Riggs, Ricky Rudd, Elliott Sadler, Hermie Sadler, Johnny Sauter, Ken Schrader, Tony Stewart, Brian Vickers, Mike Wallace, Rusty Wallace, Michael Waltrip and Scott Wimmer.
Busch Series drivers (Feb. 2-3): Johnny Borneman, Clint Bowyer, Stacy Compton, Tim Fedewa, Denny Hamlin, Shane Hmiel, Michel Jourdain Jr., Justin Labonte, Paul Menard, Johnny Sauter, Brent Sherman, Reed Sorensen, Martin Truex Jr., Tyler Walker, Kenny Wallace, Paul Wolfe, Jon Wood and J.J. Yeley. Elliott Sadler and Joe Nemechek will be testing both Cup and Busch cars on Monday and Tuesday.(Las Vegas Motor SpeedwayPR)(1-28/31-2005)

Testing at Nashville: Sterling Marlin and David Stremme are testing at the Nashville Superspeedway on Wednesday. Stremme tested the #40 Coors Light Dodge Charger on Tuesday while Marlin was out of town. Both drivers are on track Wednesday testing out the new Dodge Charger. Marlin's new crew chief, Steve Boyer, is in town and stated he's looking forward to his first season as Marlin's crew chief and they have high expectations of visiting Victory Circle in the very near future.(Nashville Superspeedway PR)(1-27-2005)

Schrader to test at Talladega: Afterward racing at this year's six-race Early Thaw circuit at Central Arizona Speedway in Arizona, #49-Ken Schrader, will hit the highway toward Talladega, Ala., where his team will drop him off for testing early next week. A few days later, he'll return to the Valley for the Copper World Classic, where he will drive in two of the four scheduled races (NASCAR West and Southwest Series). Then, it's off to Las Vegas Motor Speedway and California Speedway for more testing.(Arizona Republic)
PLUS he WINS: One of the nation's busiest dirt late model racers during the short winter break that he gets from his NASCAR Nextel Cup schedule and the owner of his own dirt track, Missouri's Ken Schrader led the final 28 laps Thursday night as he scored a $3000 win in round four of the six race, $140,000 Early Thaw Speedweek at Central Arizona Raceway.(latemodelracer.com)(1-21-2005)

Sadler and Stewart test at Texas: #38-Elliott Sadler and #20-Tony Stewart completed two days of Goodyear tire testing preparing for the Samsung/RadioShack 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Sadler is the defending champion of the race. "This is one of my favorite tracks," said Sadler. "It is like an old jacket you put on, it just feels comfortable when you come here, drive up on pit road to go out on the track." The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series will make its first of two 2005 appearances at Texas in the Samsung/RadioShack 500. Tickets are still available at the speedway ticket office, by calling (817) 215-8500, online at www.texasmotorspeedway.com and at Ticketmaster locations.(TMS PR)(1-20-2005)

More on the Goodyear tire test at Atlanta: Goodyear Tire testing continued Wednesday at Atlanta Motor Speedway as Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson ran an array of tire compounds in preparation for the March 18-20 Golden Corral 500. Mark Keto, lead engineer for Goodyear's stock car tire development group, said the second day of testing really helped to narrow the field of potential tire compounds for the upcoming Atlanta race weekend. "Today went really well," Keto said, "There are four new tires we've been working with, plus several from yesterday that are giving the drivers some extra grip and confidence." Engineers also found that even with the new NASCAR rule changes, such as the reduced spoiler height, Kahne and Johnson were running speeds comparable to last fall's Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500. Goodyear Tire experts will analyze data from the two-day test before finalizing which compound drivers will run during the Golden Corral 500.(AMS PR)(1-15-2005)

NASCAR teams testing at Talladega UPDATE 2: doesn't say what teams or series but three drivers, on Tuesday & Wednesday, Jan. 11-12, 2005, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, Busch Series and ARCA RE/MAX Series Drivers Test at Talladega Superspeedway. NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Teams Including drivers Joe Ruttman, Eric McClure and Keith Segars; NASCAR Busch Series Driver Johnny Sauter and ARCA RE/MAX Series Teams Including Drivers Chad Blount, Mike Guerity, Chris Serio, Jeff Spraker, Doug Reid III, Tim Steele and Terry Jones.(Talladega Superspeedway PR)(1-11-2005)
UPDATE: A couple teams might have been warming up for upcoming Preseason Thunder sessions with a test Tuesday and Wednesday at Talladega Superspeedway. Joe Ruttman tested a Phoenix Racing Nextel Cup car for owner James Finch, while Johnny Sauter tested Phoenix's Busch ride -- which is his full season gig. Former ARCA RE/MAX Series driver Keith Segars tested a Cup car for Morgan-McClure Motorsports.(NASCAR.com)(1-12-2005)
UPDATE 2: Three NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series teams, a NASCAR Busch Series team and three ARCA RE/MAX Series teams participated in testing this week at Talladega Superspeedway in preparation for the 2005 series season opener at Daytona next month. Phoenix Racing brought its #1 Busch Series team with driver Johnny Sauter as well as its #09 NEXTEL Cup Series team with test driver Joe Ruttman. Morgan McClure Motorsports brought its #4 and #73 teams with test driver Keith Segars and Eric McClure respectively. The ARCA RE/MAX Series ML Motorsports #67 and #30 teams with drivers Chad Blount and Terry Jones respectively, Cunningham Motorsports #4 team with drivers Mike Guerity and Chris Serio, 3D Motorsports #78 team with driver Doug Reid III, HS Motorsports team with driver Tim Steele, Kentucky Motorsports #07 team with driver Jeff Spraker were also on hand to work primarily on picking up extra speed at Talladega Superspeedway prior to making finishing touches in handling adjustments for the 2005 racing season’s opening events at Daytona next month. Prior to hitting the track today, drivers Ruttman, Sauter, Segars and McClure weighed in on what they had accomplished the day prior and shared their thoughts on the legendary 2.66-mile Alabama superspeedway.(Talladega Superspeedway PR)(1-14-2005)

More on Burton testing in Mexico: NASCAR says Jeff Burton averaged laps at almost 100 mph in the first test of a Busch Series car on the Mexico City road course that will host the series' first race outside the United States on March 6. The Richard Childress Racing Nextel Cup driver averaged laps in the 91.9-second range around the 2.518-mile Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit in a car prepared by RCR's #21 Busch Series team. NASCAR officials who watched the test included Vice President of Research and Development Gary Nelson, Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton and Busch Series Director Joe Balash. The test, originally scheduled for one day, will continue today. Balash said data gathered from the test will be shared with all teams.(NASCAR Scene Daily Newsletter)(1-13-2005)

35 Cup drivers to test at Las Vegas: Just how important is Preseason Thunder Las Vegas? All 10 drivers in last year's Chase for the Nextel Cup have indicated they will visit LVMS Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 to prepare for the March 13 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. In 2004, eight of the 10 drivers who made the Chase for the Championship tested in Las Vegas. The top-10 drivers from 2004 are part of a record list of 35 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series drivers who will attend the two-day test on the 1.5-mile superspeedway. The testing list includes Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Ryan Newman - two drivers who didn't test in 2004 and struggled during the race. The Las Vegas test will mark the first full test for most of the teams with the shorter spoilers and new tire compounds instituted by NASCAR and Goodyear for the 2005 season. In addition, 14 NASCAR Busch Series drivers are scheduled to test Feb. 2 and 3. Defending series champion Martin Truex Jr., former Champ Car star Michel Jourdain Jr. and Shane Hmiel, who won the Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race in 2004, are among the drivers scheduled for the two-day Busch test. The speedway's grandstands will be open to the public free of charge all four days. The testing starts at 9:00am and will conclude at 5:00pm each day.
Following is a complete list of the drivers scheduled to test.
Nextel Cup drivers (Jan. 31-Feb. 1): John Andretti, Greg Biffle, Dave Blaney, Mike Bliss, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Jeff Green, Kevin Harvick, Dale Jarrett, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Travis Kvapil, Bobby Labonte, Jason Leffler, Sterling Marlin, Mark Martin, Jeremy Mayfield, Jamie McMurray, Casey Mears, Joe Nemechek, Ryan Newman, Kyle Petty, Scott Riggs, Ricky Rudd, Elliott Sadler, Johnny Sauter, Ken Schrader, Tony Stewart, Brian Vickers, Rusty Wallace and Michael Waltrip.(LVMS PR)(1-12-2005)

Tire Testing at Atlanta Jan 11-12th UPDATE: A Goodyear Tire test is scheduled for January 11-12 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. 2004 Rookie of the Year #9-Kasey Kahne and #48-Jimmie Johnson will test the brand new Goodyear compound at NASCAR's fastest track next week as they prepare for the March 18-20 Golden Corral 500 weekend. The test session will be closed to both the media and the public. The test will be the first with the new Atlanta Goodyear tire, which is a different compound than any for any other speedway. Mark Keto, lead engineer for Goodyear's stock car tire development group, said the session will be used to gauge how well the new compound works with the 2005 NASCAR rule changes, such as the reduced spoiler height. NASCAR officials are expected to be on hand to analyze the results. Additional NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck Series teams are scheduled to test throughout February and March for the spring race weekend. For more information on the Golden Corral 500 weekend, contact the Atlanta Motor Speedway ticket office at (770) 946-4211 or visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com.(AMS PR)(1-9-2005)
UPDATE: Atlanta Motor Speedway's 2005 racing season officially started Tuesday at 10:45am/et, as Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne sprinted around the 1.54-mile quad-oval at near-qualifying speeds during a two-day Goodyear Tire test. Rookie of the Year Kasey Kahne and recent AMS Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 winner Jimmie Johnson will continue to test the new Goodyear compounds Wednesday as they prepare for the March 18-20 Golden Corral 500 weekend. Mark Keto, lead engineer for Goodyear's stock car tire development group, said this week's test will help Goodyear establish which tire compound is best for the lightning-fast Atlanta track, the fastest in NASCAR, with the new spoiler rules. "We're going through different tire compounds, but we really just want to know what the driver thinks," Keto said, "And also if the tires which run well on the shorter runs will run well on the longer runs." As the day progressed, Johnson and Kahne made short runs and relayed pertinent information to Goodyear engineers. "Going through the different tires, we're finding the cars are more on the loose side. It's the tires with softer grip that the drivers seem to like and also perform well," Keto said. "We have several that we're carrying over to tomorrow's long-run test." Kahne said he also used Tuesday to think about not only tires, but also the redesigned body of his Dodge Charger. "It's great for us to get this track time with the new design," Kahne said. "Hopefully this will put us ahead of the game to have an even more consistent season."(AMS PR)(1-12-2005)

NASCAR teams testing at Talladea: doesn't say what teams or series but three drivers, on Tuesday & Wednesday, Jan. 11-12, 2005, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, Busch Series and ARCA RE/MAX Series Drivers Test at Talladega Superspeedway. NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Teams Including drivers Joe Ruttman, Eric McClure and Keith Segars; NASCAR Busch Series Driver Johnny Sauter and ARCA RE/MAX Series Teams Including Drivers Chad Blount, Mike Guerity, Chris Serio, Jeff Spraker, Doug Reid III, Tim Steele and Terry Jones.(Talladega Superspeedway PR)(1-11-2005)

Hung Jury? John Andretti and #14 ppc Racing were supposed to take part in the first Speedweek '05 Nextel Cup practice at Daytona starting this Tuesday. They have, however, had to swap with another team [not sure which team] that was scheduled for the second Cup session, which gets underway on January 18th. The reason...Andretti has jury duty.(PRN's Garage Pass Radio Show)(1-7-2005)

Bliss tests at Lakeland: hearing Mike Bliss tested the #0 NetZero Chevy at Lakeland, FL on Tuesday.(12-22-2004)

Kvapil tests at Lakeland: New Penske Racing rookie Travis Kvapil tested with the #77 Kodak team at Lakeland, FL.(FoxSports/Sporting News)(12-20-2004)

Testing at Kentucky: Kentucky Speedway was host to 10 teams, including Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Bobby Labonte, Tony Stewart and Jason Leffler. Evernham Motorsports was testing its new Chargers at Kentucky with Bill Elliott, Jeremy Mayfield and Kasey Kahne. Evernham was instrumental in the development of the new Charger, which is expected to have less drag and be considerably stronger on superspeedways.(FoxSports/Sporting News)(12-20-2004)

Testing Cold at Kentucky: Tony Stewart, Bobby Labonte, Jason Leffler, Jeff Burton, Dave Blaney, Mike Bliss and Justin Labonte braved morning temperatures in the teens to gain a feel for their 2005 NEXTEL Cup Series race packages at Kentucky Speedway today. Former NEXTEL Cup Series Champions Tony Stewart and Bobby Labonte worked with new Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Jason Leffler to test six 2005 cars. Bliss, who earned his full-time ride in the #0 NetZero Chevy for 2005 with a 10th-place finish in the car at Darlington Raceway last season, tested with new Crew Chief Robert "Bootie" Barker to prepare for his first run at the full NEXTEL Cup Series schedule since 2000. Bliss said the reduction in spoiler height made a difference when his car ran in traffic. Testing continues tomorrow at Kentucky Speedway when Roush Racing driver Greg Biffle joins the Gibbs teams.(Kentucky Speedway PR)(12-16-2004)

Testing at Kentucky: quite a few Nextel Cup teams are scheduled to test at the Ketucky Speedway from Dec 15th thru 17th.Fans are able to view testing from the area outside the speedway Fan Center in Turn 3 at no charge. Scheduled Teams and Drivers:
#11-Jason Leffler, Dec 15-16
#18-Bobby Labonte, Dec 15-16
#20-Tony Stewart, Dec 15-16
#91-Bill Elliott, Dec 15th
#9-Kasey Kahne, Dec 15th
#19-Jeremy Mayfield, Dec 15th
#31-Jeff Burton, Dec 15th
#0-Mike Bliss / Justin Labonte, Dec 15th
#14-John Andretti, Dec 15th
#16-Greg Biffle. Dec 16-17
(Kentucky Speedway PR)(12-14-2004)

Testing at Nashville UPDATE: #19-Jeremy Mayfield and #32-Bobby Hamilton, Jr are scheduled to test at the Nashville Superspeedway Tuesday, December 7.(Nashville Superspeedway PR)(12-5-2004)
UPDATE: #19-Mayfield and #9-Kasey Kahne tested at Nashville Superspeedway, but #32-Bobby Hamilton cancelled.(12-8-2004)

Testing at Nashville: hearing that #41 Casey Mears and Busch Driver David Stremme tested at Nashville Superspeedway yesterday and will test there today also.(12-2-2004)

West Coast Testing at California/Las Vegas UPDATE: NASCAR plans to allow Nextel Cup teams two days of preseason testing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and California Speedway while being charged for only one test. Las Vegas will be open from Jan. 31-Feb. 2. California Speedway will be available Feb. 1-3.(ESPN.com/AP)(11-15-2004)
UPDATE: In a cost-saving measure with competition benefits, NASCAR also will give its NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series teams the opportunity to conduct a combination preseason test at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and California Speedway. The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup teams will be permitted to test a maximum of two days at each track. Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be available to NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series teams Jan. 31 through Feb. 2, and California Speedway will be available Feb. 1-3, eliminating the expense of making two separate trips for tests at those respective tracks. “This benefit to the teams would not have been possible without the cooperation and willingness of both Las Vegas Motor Speedway and California Speedway,” Darby said. “We expect the teams to take full advantage of the opportunity.” The tests at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and California Speedway will serve as the western swing of NASCAR Preseason Thunder, which kicks off the 2005 season with sessions Jan. 11-13 and 18-20 at Daytona International Speedway.(NASCAR PR)(11-15-2004)

Tire Testing Ongoing: In the week that separated the Richmond International Raceway and New Hampshire International Speedway events several NASCAR NEXTEL Cup teams tested the 2005 aero recipe at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. These testing chores were handled by Ford driver Greg Biffle and Dodge pilots Casey Mears and Ryan Newman. The cars that were run were trimmed to ‘05 specifications, including a one-inch shorter spoiler. Mears upped the ante, driving one of the new ‘05 Dodge cars during the test [see images of the 2005 Dodge on my 2005 Cup Scheme page]. Goodyear engineers were also on hand with several of their ’05 tire packages, testing to see if the computer simulations used to design tires were as accurate as Goodyear engineers’ predictions. This test, the second of three planned, gave the Vegas track it’s chance to shine. Earlier this month tests were performed at Bristol Motor Speedway. A test was scheduled the week before the Richmond event for Lowe’s Motor Speedway, but rain caused a reschedule for sometime in the immediate future [with Mark Martin testing]. Biffle told www.teamfordracing.com at NHIS that he found the new configuration incredibly different from what's being run this year; and he has concerns that perhaps the cars were tossed into a performance area where none but the most sound drivers will be able to handle the machines.(Team For Racing)(9-25-2004)

Tire Testing at Las Vegas UPDATE 2005 Dodge Image: #16-Greg Biffle, #41-Casey Mears and #12-Ryan Newman were at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Tuesday, Sept 14th testing for Goodyear with the 2005 package on the cars. Mears even had a 2005 Dodge doing the test, while the other drivers were in 2004 bodies. Mears and Biffle will test on Wednesday as well, but Newman has to go to New York for a Chase media deal for NASCAR, so Brendan Gaughan will test the #12 car in Newman's place on Wednesday.
AND have an image of the 2005 Dodge that Casey Mears tested at Las Vegas, see my 2005 Cup Paint Schemes page for the image.(9-15-2004)

2005 Dodge spied at Las Vegas doing tire testing
see 2 more shots on my 2005 Cup Schemes page

Martin to test 2005 tires at Lowe's: #6-Mark Martin has the early part of his week scoped out doing work for the industry. That work will come in the form of a Goodyear tire test on Tuesday night at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The test won’t do Martin or the rest of the Ford teams a lot of good for this year’s car configuration as the tires that Martin will test are for the 2005 season, done in a car built to 2005 specification—the test Taurus will have a spoiler that’s an inch shorter than what he’ll be running tomorrow evening. There was no word on who besides Martin will be at the test, but given his ability to dial in a car and maximize tire use it’d be difficult to think of a better candidate for the mission.(Team Ford Racing), good chance this will get rained out and postponed.(9-5-2004)

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