Hamilton tests at Nashville: #55-Bobby Hamilton spent a day testing at Nashville Superspeedway last week in preparation for the upcoming Cup season. NASCAR limits teams to seven ''official'' tests a year on tracks where Winston Cup races are run. Tests on non-Cup tracks like Nashville Superspeedway don't count. Teams can practice there as often as they want. Hawks did not charge Hamilton a fee for the session. Hamilton was only required to pay for expenses such as rescue workers and other personnel who had to be on hand for the test.(Tennessean)(12-20-2001)
Speaking of the #12 Team: Ryan Newman and #12 ALLTEL Team Penske will head to Lakeland, FL to test on December 19th and 20th. The team will resume testing in January beginning with the NASCAR sanctioned test at Daytona International Speedway from the 7th through 9th. Gasman George Whitley and his wife, Mandy, welcomed their second child in November and crew chief Matt Borland and his wife, Stacy, are expecting their first child any day now. Jackman Chad Norris will be married on New Year's Eve and public relations representative Michele Greth got married on December 15th.(Tom Roberts PR)(12-18-2001)
Marlin testing: Sterling Marlin's team [#40] already has tested two days at Lakeland, FL. Rules prohibit any testing at a track that sanctions NASCAR events during December, but short tracks such as Lakeland aren't associated with NASCAR, and they prove to be a great place to work on things like braking, engine combinations and transmissions.(Savannah Morning News)(12-8-2001)
Harvick Tests at Daytona: #29-Kevin Harvick tested at Daytona International Speedway on Monday, preparing for the season-opening 44th annual Daytona 500 on Feb. 17 with a pair of #29 GM Goodwrench Chevrolets in a two-day test. Crew chief Kevin
Hamlin and the rest of the team were trying to figure out the new superspeedway rules package for Harvick’s first Daytona 500 start. “We haven’t had time to use a lot of our tests this year,” said Harvick, who’ll also win Winston Cup Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors. “They changed the rules on the superspeedway cars so we wanted to get a head start. We’ve already finished our car for the Daytona 500 and decided to come down here and use one of our tests. ” Harvick tested the car he’ll run in next year’s Daytona 500 and the car he ran at Talladega in October. Also testing at the Speedway on Monday was the True Value/IROC Series and test drivers Dave Marcis and Jim Sauter. Harvick, whose Busch Series title earned him a spot in the exclusive All-Star field, plans on hopping in one of those cars before the end of his testing session. On Tuesday, True Value/IROC testing will continue with open-wheel drivers expected to arrive, including Indy Racing League champion Sam Hornish Jr., Helio Castroneves(CART) and Scott Sharp. Guests can watch both Harvick’s test session and True Value/IROC testing free of charge with access to the Oldfield Grandstand through the lobby of DAYTONA USA.(DIS PR)(11-12-2001)
Daytona Testing in Dec UPDATE no - whew: NASCAR has scheduled a one-day test in Daytona the week after the banquet (in New York City is set for Nov. 30. TV-TNT), probably on Dec. 5, with some of the possible rules packages that are expected to be debated at the meeting today. That would give teams barely 30 days to build the new cars and test them in wind tunnels before Daytona testing officially opens on Jan. 7.(Winston Salem Journal)(11-1-2001) UPDATE: Drivers told NASCAR last week that they did not want a December test session at Daytona to see if the new rules announced last Thursday would work well for the Daytona 500. NASCAR officials were ready to conduct a December test session, much like the Daytona test session in August 2000 after drivers complained about the inability to pass in restrictor-plate races and the Talladega test session this past August to limit the ability to run three-wide in the draft. Daytona and Talladega are the tracks where restrictor plates are used to slow the cars. "Everybody voted against going there in December -- we've been racing all year, why would we want to go do something else in December?" said driver Dale Jarrett. "We'll have three days in January to get this done." There will be a pair of three-day test sessions at DIS in January. Unlike past years where each manufacturer had a test session, this year drivers' testing dates will be determined by their position in the points standings.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(11-6-2001)
Daytona Testing in Dec: NASCAR has scheduled a one-day test in Daytona the week after the banquet (in New York City is set for Nov. 30. TV-TNT), probably on Dec. 5, with some of the possible rules packages that are expected to be debated at the meeting today. That would give teams barely 30 days to build the new cars and test them in wind tunnels before Daytona testing officially opens on Jan. 7.(Winston Salem Journal)(11-1-2001)
NASCAR to test in Dec? NASCAR officials are tentatively planning a major one-day Daytona 500 test of proposed new rules at the Florida track the first week of December, and are expected to invite a number of Winston Cup teams. Officials in December are expected to have drivers re-test the lower 60-degree spoiler rules package, without the roof spoiler, that drivers tested in August. With that rules package, cars cut a smaller hole in the air, and drivers expect to see only two-wide racing, not the three-wide racing with runs up the middle that the rules allow. It is not clear what other rules options NASCAR might test.(Winston Salem Journal)(10-27-2001)
Testing at Daytona changed and set: NASCAR announced it has changed how it will conduct pre-Daytona 500 testing in January. Previously, each manufacturer has been scheduled two testing days and a make-up day for bad weather. Starting next season, all car makes will be bunched together. Winston Cup teams with odd numbers in year-end car owner points will test Jan. 7-9, with Jan. 10 as a rain date. Teams with even numbers in owner points will test Jan. 14-16, with Jan. 17 as a rain date.(That's Racin')(10-22-2001)
2002 Testing at Indy set: Testing dates for next season's Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway have also been set, and car owner points will be used to set those dates as well. Odd number teams will test at Indy July 9-10, while even number teams will test July 15-16.(That's Racin')(10-22-2001)
Daytona Testing in Dec UPDATE no - whew: NASCAR has scheduled a one-day test in Daytona the week after the banquet (in New York City is set for Nov. 30. TV-TNT), probably on Dec. 5, with some of the possible rules packages that are expected to be debated at the meeting today. That would give teams barely 30 days to build the new cars and test them in wind tunnels before Daytona testing officially opens on Jan. 7.(Winston Salem Journal)(11-1-2001) UPDATE: Drivers told NASCAR last week that they did not want a December test session at Daytona to see if the new rules announced last Thursday would work well for the Daytona 500. NASCAR officials were ready to conduct a December test session, much like the Daytona test session in August 2000 after drivers complained about the inability to pass in restrictor-plate races and the Talladega test session this past August to limit the ability to run three-wide in the draft. Daytona and Talladega are the tracks where restrictor plates are used to slow the cars. "Everybody voted against going there in December -- we've been racing all year, why would we want to go do something else in December?" said driver Dale Jarrett. "We'll have three days in January to get this done." There will be a pair of three-day test sessions at DIS in January. Unlike past years where each manufacturer had a test session, this year drivers' testing dates will be determined by their position in the points standings.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(11-6-2001)
Atlanta Tuesday Testing: #30-Jeff Green set the fast lap Tuesday in a test of 12 Cup drivers preparing for the Nov. 18 NAPA 500 at Atlanta. Green’s quickest lap around the 1.54-mile quad-oval was 188.124mph. #45-Kyle Petty and #13-Hermie Sadler, attempting to make his second Cup race of the season, clocked identical laps at 187.108mph to grab the second-fastest time of the day. #93-Hut Stricklin, putting in a lap of 186.103mph in the Bill Davis Dodge he’ll drive next season. Stricklin said Monday he will make his debut with the Bill Davis team in the Nov. 18 NAPA 500. Stricklin will drive a third car, teaming with Dave Blaney and Ward Burton. His Atlanta car will be #23, the same number he will drive next year.
#30-Jeff Green, 188.124
#45-Kyle Petty, 187.108
#13-Hermie Sadler, 187.108
#48-Jimmie Johnson, 186.792
#1-Kenny Wallace, 186.604
#15-Michael Waltrip, 186.604
#4-Bobby Hamilton Jr, 186.353
#93-Hut Stricklin, 186.103
#46-Frank Kimmel, 184.985
#12-Mike Wallace, 184.431
#32-Ricky Craven, 181.890
#47-Lance Hooper, 181.354 (AMS PR)(11-6-2001)
Atlanta Testing UPDATE: NASCAR Winston Cup drivers #29-Kevin Harvick, #45-Kyle Petty, #15-Michael Waltrip, #1-Kenny Wallace, #12-Mike Wallace, #48-Jimmie Johnson, #93-Dave Blaney, #30-Jeff Green, #32-Ricky Craven, #47-Lance Hooper, #46-Frank Kimmel and #13-Hermie Sadler are expected for a two-day test Nov. 5-6 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.(AMS PR)(11-2-2001) UPDATE: Kyle Petty set the fast lap Monday in a test of 12 NASCAR Winston Cup drivers preparing for the Nov. 18 NAPA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Petty’s quickest lap around the 1.54-mile quad-oval was 29.2 seconds (189.863 mph). Petty’s laps were the quickest of the fall testing period and are not far off last spring’s pole run, recorded by Dale Jarrett, was 28.76 seconds (192.748 mph). The speeds Monday:
AMS Testing day 2: Johnny Benson set the fast lap of the day in a test with four other NASCAR Winston Cup drivers preparing for the Nov. 18 NAPA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The speeds:
#10-Johnny Benson, 184.493
#19-Casey Atwood, 184.309
#20-Tony Stewart, 183.942
#18-Bobby Labonte, 183.273
#28-Ricky Rudd, 181.949 (AMS PR)(10-17-2001)
Atlanta Speeds: Tony Stewart set the fast lap of the day in a test with four other NASCAR Winston Cup drivers preparing for the Nov. 18 NAPA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The speeds:
#20-Tony Stewart, 183.942
#18-Bobby Labonte, 183.273
#19-Casey Atwood, 183.031
#10-Johnny Benson, 182.789
#28-Ricky Rudd, 180.234
Last spring’s pole run, recorded by Dale Jarrett, was 192.748mph(AMS PR)(10-16-2001)
Testing at AMS UPDATE: #29-Kevin Harvick, #18-Bobby Labonte, #20-Tony Stewart, #19-Casey Atwood and #10-Johnny Benson are expected to test at Atlanta Motor Speedway during a three-day test Oct. 15-17. Stewart and Labonte will test on Monday, Oct. 15, and Tuesday, Oct. 16. Harvick, Atwood and Benson are expected to test on Tuesday, Oct. 16, and Wednesday, Oct. 17.(AMS PR)(10-12-2001) UPDATE: Due to the rain delay at Martinsville, Monday’s test session at Atlanta Motor Speedway has been cancelled. Testing is expected to resume Tuesday and Wednesday, with Tony Stewart, Bobby Labonte, Kevin Harvick, Casey Atwood and Johnny Benson scheduled to run(AMS PR)(10-16-2001)
Testing at Homestead: Winston Cup testing sessions at Homestead-Miami Speedway will be open to the public beginning Tuesday, October 16. Testing runs from 9:00am - 5:00pm. Admission to the testing sessions is free to the public. Driver participation is subject to change. Teams scheduled to test on Tuesday, October 16 and Wednesday, October 17 include: Chip Ganassi Racing (#01-Jason Leffler, #40-Sterling Marlin); Dale Earnhardt Inc. (#8-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #15-Michael Waltrip); Hendrick Motorsports (#24-Jeff Gordon, #48-Jimmie Johnson, #25-Jerry Nadeau); MB2 Motorsports (#36-Ken Schrader); Penske Racing South (#02-Ryan Newman), and Roush Racing (#17-Matt Kenseth, #6-Mark Martin). On October 22-24, Joe Gibbs Racing (#24-Tony Stewart) will be at Homestead-Miami Speedway.. Robert Yates Racing (#28-Ricky Rudd) will test on October 22-23, while Evernham Motorsports (#19-Casey Atwood) will test on October 23-24.. Hendrick Motorsports (#24-Ricky Hendrick) Busch Grand National team will visit Homestead-Miami Speedway, October 29-30. Cup teams will be preparing for the Pennzoil 400 and the BGN Miami 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, November 9-11. Tickets remain for both races.(HMS PR)(10-16-2001)
Martinsville Testing: #29-Kevin Harvick, #55-Bobby Hamilton, #5-Terry Labonte, #36-Ken Schrader, #32-Ricky Craven, #13-Hermie Sadler, #2-Rusty Wallace and #20-Tony Stewart were at Martinsville Speedway on Tuesday trying to get their cars dialed in for the Old Dominion 500. All but Wallace and Harvick will be back today for another day of testing, which will be open to the public at no charge. The eight teams worked on race setup Tuesday and because of that, times were well off of Tony Stewart’s track record of 95.371mph set last fall. All teams reported times in the neighborhood of 91.900 to 92.370mph. Wednesday will be spent working on going fast instead of stopping quick.All the teams that are returning plan on spending a good portion of Wednesday dialing in qualifying setups, the speeds:
#55-Bobby Hamilton, 93.326mph
#36-Ken Schrader, 91.922
#2-Rusty Wallace, 91.922
#32-Ricky Craven, 91.922
#29-Kevin Harvick, 91.700
#13-Hermie Sadler, 91.567
#5-Terry Labonte, 91.039(Martinsville Speedway PR)(10-2-2001)
Testing at Martinsville: Several teams are scheduled to test at Martinsville Speedway next week. #2-Rusty Wallace will test Monday and Tuesday. #36-Ken Schrader, #20-Tony Stewart, #18-Bobby Labonte, #13-Hermie Sadler, #55-Bobby Hamilton, #29-Kevin Harvick and #32-Ricky Craven are expected to test Tuesday along with Wallace. All of them, except Wallace, will continue their two-day test on Wednesday.(Racing Extra)(9-26-2001)
Testing at Lowes UPDATE 3: Lowe’s Motor Speedway will be open for NASCAR Winston Cup Series teams to test on Tuesday, Sept. 18, and Wednesday, Sept. 19, no word yet on which teams will test(LMS PR)(9-4-2001) UPDATE: actually no update nor any word on what teams will test at Lowes(9-18-2001) UPDATE 2: #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #88-Dale Jarrett, #28-Ricky Rudd, #26-Jimmy Spencer and #43-John Andretti were among the Cup drivers participating in Tuesday evening's test at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Also testing were #92-Stacy Compton, #14-Ron Hornaday, #97-Kurt Busch, #48-Jimmie Johnson, #46-Frank Kimmel, #57-Derrike Cope, #30-Jeff Green, #60-Travis Kvapil, #75-Stuart Kirby(That's Racin'), no word on speeds(9-18-2001) UPDATE 3: top 10 speeds from Tuesday test:
#92-Stacy Compton 182.125mph
#48-Jimmie Johnson 181.208
#28-Ricky Rudd 180.602
#75-Stuart Kirby 179.342
#8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. 179.223
#97-Kurt Busch 179.104
#43-John Andretti 178.926
#30-Jeff Green 178.880
#57-Derrike Cope 178.807
#88-Dale Jarrett 178.630(LMS PR)(9-20-2001)
Testing at Kentucky Speedway: Hendrick Motorsports and MB2 Motorsports are scheduled to test at Kentucky Speedway on Tues., Sept. 18 (#36-MB2 Only) and Wed., Sept. 19 and Thurs., Sept. 20 (#5-Hendrick Motorsports Only) from 9:00am to 5:00pm each day at the Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Ky(Kentucky Speedway PR), no word on if the testing is open to the public(9-18-2001)
Kansas Testing UPDATE: hearing that #18-Labonte, #93-Blaney, #8-Earnhardt Jr, #33-Nemechek, #11-Bodine will be testing for the upcoming (Sept 30th) Cup race at Kansas Speedway on Sept 10th amd 11th(9-5-2001) UPDATE: #10 Valvoline Pontiac team is in the process of returning to Charlotte via automobiles Tuesday afternoon after canceling the second day of a scheduled two-day test session in Kansas City. Crew chief James Ince said there was no desire on his, driver Johnny Benson's, or the team's part to test after witnessing the attacks in New York City and Washington. Ince also said emergency aircraft were not available in case of an accident at the race track. "We felt it was best to come home," said Ince. "There just wasn't any desire to run after what we watched on television today."(MBV PR) AND
The #93 Cup team loaded up immediately and began the 16-hour drive home from KC after seeing the devastation in NYC and DC. The core group of the #93 team (Dave Blaney, Crew Chief Doug Randolph, Shock SP. Eric Slade plus their R&D team) were completed yesterday's plans but could not fly home today on the King Air 300 for obvious reasons.(Bill Davis Racing), the #36 GNC BGN team also cancelled it's test at Kansas(9-11-2001)
RIR to try testing again UPDATE: The Winston Cup cars of #30-Jeff Green, #13-Hermie Sadler, #27-Rick Mast and #90-Hut Stricklin are scheduled to test at Ricmond on Monday and Tuesday (Aug 27-28th) along with BGN drivers #26-Bobby Hamilton, Jr. and #25-Randy Tolsma. Fans are invited to watch testing on both days. The gates will be open from 8:00am to 5:00pm/et(RIR PR)(8-25-2001) UPDATE: Drivers #55-Bobby Hamilton(thought he was in Talladega?), #30-Jeff Green and #27-Rick Mast began a two-day test at the track yesterday. The trio told track officials that the surface was in good condition. Drivers who tried to test shortly after the asphalt was resealed had problems with the three-quarter-mile oval. Now that the sealer has cured, there doesn't seem to be any lingering effects or slickness(Richmond Times Dispatch), it was #26-Bobby Hamilton Jr testing his BGN car, #55-Hamilton was at Talladega(8-28-2001)
Testing at Kansas UPDATE: hearing all four Roush Racing teams and the #24 Hendrick Motor Sports team will be testing on August 27-28th at Kansas Speedway(8-22-2001) UPDATE: Jeff Gordon said Monday that Kansas Speedway incorporates familiar elements from three other 1 1/2-mile tri-ovals, including the other track that opened this season in Joliet, Ill. Gordon ran well this season at all three tracks. "There are a couple of parts that remind me of Vegas, a couple that remind me of Chicago, a couple that remind me of Texas," Gordon said after a late-morning session in preparation for the inaugural Protection One 400 on Sept. 30. But the similarities to the other tracks don't extend to the racing surface at Kansas, Gordon and other drivers say. Like nearly everyone who's driven on the new track, they remarked on its smoothness and lack of an outside groove. "I know I'm going to do my passing on the inside," said Mark Martin, one of five Roush Racing drivers testing at the track. "I'm not going to be out there." Roush driver Jeff Burton also likes the track. "I think you're going to be amazed at how fast the laps are going to be," Burton said.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(8-28-2001)
RIR Testing UPDATE: Cup drivers #18-Bobby Labonte, #5-Terry Labonte and #99-Jeff Burton, along with BGN drivers Jason Rudd and Brian Vickers are scheduled to test in preparation for the CUP and BGN races at Richmond on Sept 7-8th. The testing will be held on Monday, August 20 and Tuesday, August 21. Fans are invited to watch testing on both days. The gates will be open from 8:00am to 5:00pm/et(RIR PR)(8-19-2001) UPDATE: A recent resealing of the track surface at Richmond International Raceway caused some drivers to cancel test sessions at the .75-mile oval yesterday. The track was resealed prior to the open-wheel racing weekend in June. Apparently, the Featherlite Modified cars damaged the track surface, tearing up pieces of the sealer. Racetrack officials resealed parts of the track less than two weeks ago, but the new sealer combined with the hot weather has caused problems for some Winston Cup teams. Michael Waltrip tested at RIR last Tuesday, and track officials said he was not thrilled with the surface. Yesterday, BGN driver Brian Vickers went out and ran five or six laps before crashing. Cup drivers Bobby Labonte and Terry Labonte also showed up for a test yesterday morning but decided to cancel the session after examining the track. The brothers told track officials they did not want to burn one of the seven test dates allowed by NASCAR because conditions would change too much before they race here in three weeks(Richmond Times Dispatch)(8-21-2001)
Restrictor Plate Race Changes? UPDATE: NASCAR officials are testing a series of changes for restrictor-plate races. About 15-25 teams are expected to be involved in the session, scheduled for a week from tomorrow (didn't say which track DIS or Talladega). Teams are running cars without roof strips and with altered spoilers and possibly plates. The changes are aimed at finding a way to separate cars instead of forcing drivers to race in the tight packs that have become common at Talladega and Daytona(Richmond Times Dispatch)(8-19-2001) UPDATE: NASCAR's original idea was to take the so-called "boxcars" to Talladega, cars up to 4in taller and wider than the present air-slick models. That did not work, many said (and some with a laugh) because the boxcars simply would not fit on the team transporters. So much for thinking of everything, Two possibilities are suggested. First, knock down the rear spoiler to something like 3in, give the teams a little more play on the front end to balance the cars, then let them race. That could also pay benefits at a non-restricted trak such as Michigan. Second, move toward Busch-style spring and shock rules. Busch enforces much heavier springs than in Winston Cup, and it uses the leaker shocks. Would that be good? Only testing will tell.(SpeedVision) AND Teams have two days to work on changes to cars when they test at Talladega Superspeedway next week. The first day of the NASCAR session will involve testing changes the sanctioning body is considering, such as a ¨-inch restrictor plate instead of the current 1-inch model. The plates are used to limit airflow and horsepower. Teams can try their own ideas on the second day. About 15-25 Winston Cup teams are expected to show up for the session. NASCAR is looking for a way to separate cars from the tight packs that have become common in restrictor-plate racing(Richmond Times Dispatch)(8-20-2001)
Labonte Tests Darlington: #18-Bobby Labonte completed a two-day test at Darlington Raceway on Tuesday in preparation for the Southern 500 on Labor Day weekend. Labonte noted that he and his team were trying different chassis setups to get a leg up on the Darlington track, considered one of NASCAR Winston Cup racing's most difficult to master. Labonte was joined at Darlington by BGN drivers Lyndon Amick and Dan Pardus.(The State)(8-15-2001)
Newman to Test: Ryan Newman will test his #02 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Ford Taurus during a Penske South test at Kansas Speedway on Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2001(8-14-2001)
Wind Tunnel Testing: the Bill Davis Racing Dodge team(#'s 22 and 93) are at Lockheeds wind tunnel in Marietta, GA today testing cars for the Brickard 400 after the recent rules change to the Dodge's nose. Petty Enterprises(#'s 43,44,45) was at the tunnel on Wednesday and Evernham Motorsports(#'s 9 and 19) also tested their Dodges at a different wind tunnel this week(8-2-2001)
Watkins Glen Testing UPDATE Monday/Tuesday Speeds: Cup drivers make their much-anticipated return to Watkins Glen for the only test session of 2001 on July 30 and 31. This scheduled test session, which is open to the public on Monday, is in preparation for the August 12th Global Crossing @ The Glen event. Among those testing is: #88-Dale Jarrett, #31-Robby Gordon, #77-Boris Said, #01-Scott Pruett, #43-John Andretti, #33-Joe Nemechek, #87-Ron Fellows, and #68-Anthony Lazarro. Fans that have purchased tickets for the Global Crossing @ The Glen weekend, August 9-12, will be admitted free of charge on Monday. Fans should present their Global Crossing @ The Glen tickets at the gate to gain free admission or pick up a voucher at the ticket office if they have not received their event tickets. All other spectators can take in the action for only $10.00 at the gate. Gate 4 will be open from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. on Monday only.(Watkins Glen PR)(7-24-2001) UPDATE: Speeds from Monday's testing
#31-Robby Gordon 122.602mph
#87-Ron Fellows 122.500
#77-Boris Said 122.177
#43-John Andretti 121.354
#33-Joe Nemechek 121.320
#01-Scott Pruett 120.822
#88-Dale Jarrett and #68-Anthony Lazarro - no speeds reported UPDATE 2: Speeds from Tuesday's testing
#77-Boris Said 123.529
#87-Ron Fellows 122.500
#01-Scott Pruett 122.500
#31-Robby Gordon 122.161
#43-John Andretti 121.924
#88-Dale Jarrett 121.790
#33-Joe Nemechek 121.320
#68-Anthony Lazarro 120.805
(Track record is 121.234mph by Rusty Wallace not Mark Martin)(ESPN2's RPM 2Night and Watkins Glen PR)(7-30/31-2001)
Testing at Indy - Tues/Wed UPDATE 2: NASCAR Winston Cup Series testing for this year’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been set according to the car owner point positions as of June 15, 2001. Those teams in the odd-numbered point positions tested last week, July 16 and 17. Those teams positioned in even-numbered positions will test on July 24 and 25.(NASCAR PR), see my Brickyard 400 Testing Chart to see when each team can test and the speeds from last weeks testing. Both #44-Buckshot Jones and #20-Tony Stewart were scheduled to be among the teams to test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last week but the teams were granted permission by NASCAR to test at Indianapolis this week to allow their drivers to recover from their soreness. Also, Robby Gordon will test the #31 in place of injured Mike Skinner and Andy Houston is scheduled to test the #96 car(7-23-2001) UPDATE - Speeds the Top five speeds from Tuesday's testing:
#28-Rudd 175.809 mph
#9-Elliott 175.552
#15-Waltrip 175.128
#10-Benson 174.706
#12-Mayfield 173.957
Other listed: #57-David Keith in a Ford, #84-Shawna Robinson, Morgan Shepherd is listed in the #84 too (probably a typo, should be #80), Ed Berrier is listed in the Sadler Bros #95, Derrike Cope was there in the #37 and Ted Musgrave in the #07(supposed to be a Dodge). #26-Jimmy Spencer had the fastest lap of last week’s test for half the expected entry list at 177.560, followed by #24-Jeff Gordon at 176.481 but tempertures were much higher today(Brickyard400.com)(7-24-2001) UPDATE 2: #12-Jeremy Mayfield was the fastest during Wednesday's testing at 177.312mph. Mayfield ran the lap before ambient temperatures reached 90 degrees and track temperatures hit 134. The session was ended approximately three hours early due to afternoon rain. Mayfield’s speed was just a tick of the watch off of #26-Jimmy Spencer’s 177.560 best in last week’s test. The top five speeds, all run in the morning, were:
1) #12A-Jeremy Mayfield, 177.312
2) #19B-Casey Atwood, 176.512
3) #02-Ryan Newman, 176.291
4) #93A-Dave Blaney, 175.864
5) #15A-Michael Waltrip, 175.709
(Brickyard400.com for full list of speeds)(7-26-2001)
Watkins Glen Testing: Cup drivers make their much-anticipated return to Watkins Glen for the only test session of 2001 on July 30 and 31. This scheduled test session, which is open to the public on Monday, is in preparation for the August 12th Global Crossing @ The Glen event. Among those testing is: #88-Dale Jarrett, #31-Robby Gordon, #77-Boris Said, #01-Jason Leffler, #?-Scott Pruett, #43-John Andretti, #33-Joe Nemechek, #87-Ron Fellows, and #68-Anthony Lazarro. Fans that have purchased tickets for the Global Crossing @ The Glen weekend, August 9-12, will be admitted free of charge on Monday. Fans should present their Global Crossing @ The Glen tickets at the gate to gain free admission or pick up a voucher at the ticket office if they have not received their event tickets. All other spectators can take in the action for only $10.00 at the gate. Gate 4 will be open from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. on Monday only.(Watkins Glen PR)(7-24-2001)
Testing at Kentucky: Testing at Kentucky today were Mike Bliss in thr #27 Eel River Pontiac, #43-John Andretti, #19-Casey Atwood and Jimmy Johnson in one of Jeff Gordon's Chevy's as he preps to make his cup debut(in the #48) at Lowes Motor Speedway in Oct(Garage Pass)(7-3-2001)
Talladega Testing: It’s not often NASCAR Winston Cup Series teams are allowed the luxury of a test session on a Thursday and Friday in the middle of the season. Off weeks are few and far between for Winston Cup teams. A trio of Winston Cup teams took advantage of an off week to take in a test session at Talladega Superspeedway on Thursday. Rain kept the cars off the track in the morning, but by 1:00pm all three teams had their cars on Alabama’s track. Lyndon Amick was testing the #7 Ford, Elliott Sadler was in his Wood Brothers Racing #21 Motorcraft Ford and the Morgan-McClure Motorsports #4 Kodak Film Chevrolet was driven by Loy
Allen was substituting for Kevin Lepage(Talladege Superspeedway PR), no speeds mentioned(6-29-2001)
Chicagoland Testing UPDATE: Seven drivers tested at the new Chicagoland Speedway on Wednesday. #26-Spencer and #66-Bodine joined five drivers who tested Tuesday, #55-Hamilton, #84-Robinson, #30-Jeff Green, #12-Mayfield and #9-Elliott. No word on any speeds but Jeremy Mayfield compared it to Las Vegas with more banking and faster. Joe Nemechek took a few laps in the #55 Chevy of his teammate(Hamilton) to test his progress with his injuries. Usually this is against NASCAR rules (a teammates testing one car) but they relaxed the rules for the injury situation(PRN's Garage Pass)(6-27-2001) UPDATE: Stacy Compton described the track as "the fastest on the circuit, possibly faster than Texas. We'll all be curious to see how NASCAR attempts to slow things down out here, if at all. After turning 197 mph in the corners, I can honestly say, it's going to take a lot of confidence and control to get around this place.''(Winston Cup Scene need sub)(6-28-2001)
NHIS Testing UPDATE ??: New Hampshire International Speedway on Monday, June 25th, will hold a NASCAR Open Test Session from 9:00am to 5:00pm/et. The testing session is open to teams from NASCAR Winston Cup Series; Busch North Series, NASCAR Touring; and Featherlite Modified Series, NASCAR Touring.(NHIS PR)(6-14-2001) UPDATE: no Cup, BGN or CTS teams tested at NHIS, some Busch North teams and a modified team tested there on Monday(6-28-2001)
More Testing at DIS UPDATE: besides the #46 Hass-Carter Motorsports Ford and a Goody's Dash team, I hear that Morgan Shepherd will test the #80 Hover Motorsports Ford Tuesday and Wednesday at Daytona. If the test goes well, the team will try to qualify for the Pepsi 400. The team hopes to run at Indy in the Brickyard 400 and is still looking for sponsor at both races(6-26-2001) UPDATE: Other teams testing at Daytona include #80-Stan Hover Motorsports and driver Morgan Shepherd and #49-BAM Motorsports and driver Andy Hillenburg. Both Kurt Shelmerdine(in the #46) and Hillenburg turned laps in the 179 mph range while Shepherd had not turned any laps by late afternoon(DIS Site/PR)(6-27-2001)
Goodyear Tire Test at Indy: #4-Kevin Lepage and #28-Ricky Rudd are testing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Goodyear(MRN's NASCAR Today)(6-18-2001)
NHIS Testing: New Hampshire International Speedway on Monday, June 25th, will hold a NASCAR Open Test Session from 9:00am to 5:00pm/et. The testing session is open to teams from NASCAR Winston Cup Series; Busch North Series, NASCAR Touring; and Featherlite Modified Series, NASCAR Touring.(NHIS PR)(6-14-2001)
Chicagoland Testing UPDATE: #6-Mark Martin, #99-Jeff Burton, #97-Kurt Busch, #17-Matt Kenseth, #21-Elliott Sadler and #2-Rusty Wallace were among a group of teams at Chicagoland Speedway this week testing for the inaugural Winston Cup event there on July 15.(That's Racin')(6-13-2001) UPDATE: The Roush Racing teams spent Monday and Tuesday of this week testing at the new Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, IN, just 30 miles southwest of Chicago. Roush drivers Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, Jeff Burton and Greg Biffle were some of the first drivers to test out the new speedway. Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 DEWALT Ford, ran the fastest lap during Monday's test session. The 1.5-mile track has 18 degree banking in the corners, an 11 degree frontstretch and a five degree backstretch. With dimensions like these, Kenseth and crew chief Robbie Reiser knew they would dealing with high speeds. "The track feels like Vegas on some parts but it's fast like Texas," said Kenseth. "We got up into the high 190's at one point during testing." Despite being the fastest Roush car on the track, the goal of the DEWALT team was not speed. "We ran really good but we didn't work on making the car fast, we worked on handling," said crew chief Robbie Reiser. "We ran a total of 350 miles and made 32 changes. We worked on a lot of different set-ups. We changed out spindles and shocks and a couple other things to see how it would respond on the track."(Roush Racing)(6-15-2001)
Testing at Daytona UPDATE: #50-Rick Mast and #49-Andy Hillenburg will test at Daytona International Speedway from 3:00 to 11:00pm/et Tuesday and Wednesday. The grandstands will be open, admission is free to the public with access through Daytona USA.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(6-10-2001) UPDATE: Rick Mast and the #50 MidWest Transit Chevy have made their two-day NASCAR Winston Cup Series test session at Daytona Speedway in preparation for the 43rd annual Pepsi 400 on July 7 a worth while experience. Mast, a native of Rockbridge Baths, Va., improved on the speeds that he turned during Speedweeks, posting laps at the 180.361mph range. During Daytona 500 qualifying in February, Mast turned a lap of 178.589mph. Meanwhile, Andy Hillenburg, driver of the #49 BAM Motorsports Pontiac, turned laps in the mid-50-second range(178.215 range) and is searching for more speed. He says he’s unsure whether or not the team will return to DIS and make an qualifying attempt for Pepsi 400(Daytona Intl Speedway PR)(6-14-2001)
#22 tests at RIR: Ward Burton was supposedly testing at Richmond International Raceway on Wednesday(Richmond Times Dispatch)(6-14-2001)
Testing at Dover UPDATE 2: some Cup teams will test at Dover Downs on Monday, including #20-Tony Stewart and a new team I am hearing about #47-Lance Hooper in a car owned by Roger Smith(5-14-2001) UPDATE: others I hear were testing - #36-Ken Schrader, #30-Jeff Green, #97-Kurt Busch and BGN teams; #43-Jay Sauter, #38-Christian Elder, #87-Joe Nemechek, #92-Jimmie Johnson and #23-Scott Wimmer(5-15-2001) UPDATE 2: #47-Lance Hooper was at the test and ran a fast lap of 152.091mph (qualifying record is 159.964mph)(5-17-2001)
Kansas Testing? hearing that #9 and #19 Everham Motorsports and #21 Wood Brothers Racing will be testing Tuesday May 15th at the Kansas Speedway for a Goodyear tire test(5-14-2001) UPDATE: also hearing that #21-Elliott Sadler and the #50-Jon Wood Winston West car tested also at Kansas(5-17-2001)
Testing at Kentucky: PPI Motorsports Cup drivers #32-Ricky Craven and #96-Andy Houston as well as Morgan-McClure Motorsports Cup driver #4-Kevin Lepge completed two days of testing on Kentucky Speedway's 1.5-mile tri-oval on Tuesday, May 15. Craven brought two new cars to Kentucky. "We're testing everything," he said. "Testing on this tri-oval doesn't count against us so this track is a commodity. It's valuable to us. Straight away speeds here are in the range of what we need. We have two brand new cars, so the fastest horse will win. It will probably be our car at Charlotte." Houston added chassis analysis to his test schedule. "We enjoy coming to test this track because it has good grip and we can go several laps on a set of tires. That gives us a good read," Houston said. "We're working on our intermediate track program - testing different shock and spring combinations and doing some chassis related tests. This track is good to test because it simulates a lot of places - Charlotte, and they tell me Chicagoland and Kansas." Lepage shook down his #4 Kodak Film Chevy to test the attitude of shock and spring combinations. "We're here trying to get as much information as we can," Lepage said. "We're testing the attitudes of springs and shocks, spending more time with our crew chief and getting some help from GM Racing. Once we test the different shocks and springs we can talk back to them to tell them if the changes help or hurt."(Kentucky Speedway PR)(5-16-2001)
Chicago Testing UPDATE: #18-Bobby Labonte and #24-Jeff Gordon will be doing a Goodyear tire test at the Chicagoland Speedway on May 7th and 8th(5-7-2001) UPDATE: Monday and Tuesday, May 7-8, #24-Jeff Gordon and #18-Bobby Labonte, took part in a Goodyear tire test at Chicagoland Speedway. The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, the official provider of tires for NASCAR, tested several tire compounds that will be used in future races at Chicagoland Speedway. In preparation for thc inaugural Tropicana 400 on July 15th, Goodyear also tested tire compounds from several other similar tracks on the circuit that might possibly be used for the July race. The testing session consisted of both cars running 10 to 15 laps, and then returning to the garage to receive their results and tune their car, as well as give feedback to the Goodyear technicians. Both Gordon and Labonte were pleased with the track and commented on its unique design(Chicagoland Speedway PR). No speeds mentioned(5-9-2001)
Lowes Testing: #02-Ryan Newman was the fastest in the 2nd day of testing at Lowes Motor Speedway in preparation for the Coca Cola 600 with a speed of 181.208mph. #4-Kevin Lepage was second fastest on the unofficial stopwatches at 181.147 mph, #40-Sterling Marlin was third quickest at 179.700 with #37-Derrike Cope (179.462) and #36-Ken Schrader (179.342) rounding out the top five among the 14 teams. #10-Jeff Green was fastest in BGN testing for the CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 by posting the fastest lap of the day among the 21 teams with a speed of 180.060mph. #7-Randy Lajoie was second fastest at 179.820 mph with #87-Joe Nemechek third at 179.402. #26-Bobby Hamilton Jr. (178.808) and #00-Todd Bodine (176.991) completed the top five. #11-Marty Houston was involved in the only incident of the two-day session when he lost control coming off turn four and hit the wall in the #11 BGN Chevrolet. Houston was uninjured and tested the rest of the day in the team’s second car(LMS PR)(5-9-2001)
Testing At Lowes UPDATE: Lowes Motor Speedway will host many drivers in a test session on Monday May 7th and Tuesday, May 8th. Cup schedule on both days run from 4:00 to 10:00pm/et. Sceduled drivers so far are: #88-Dale Jarrett, #9-Bill Elliott, #22-Ward Burton, #19-Casey Atwood, #66-Todd Bodine, #36-Ken Schrader, #4-Kevin Lepage, #85-Carl Long and #50-Rick Mast. Others may join(LMS PR), many BGN teams will also test during the day(5-6-2001) UPDATE: Todd Bodine and Jimmy Spencer topped the speed charts Tuesday as testing hit high gear for the Coca-Cola 600, The
Winston and the CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Bodine was fastest among 13 NASCAR Winston Cup teams preparing for the 600-mile run on Sunday, May 27, and NASCAR’s annual all-star battle on Saturday, May 19. Driving the #66 Ford, Bodine posted a lap of 180.602 mph, on the unofficial stopwatches. #02-Ryan Newman, who set the overall Lowe’s Motor Speedway track record last October in an ARCA car, was second fastest among the Winston Cup contingent at 179.104mph. Rounding out the top-five on the stopwatches were #88-Dale Jarrett (178.336), #19-Casey Atwood (178.218) and #36-Ken Schrader (178.100). #1-Jimmy Spencer was quickest on the unofficial stopwatches as 20 NASCAR Busch Series teams prepared for the May 26 running of the CARQUEST Auto Parts 300. Spencer’s team had both a Chevrolet and a Ford in the garage, but his lap of 180.180 mph, came in the Chevrolet. #10-Jeff Green was second fastest at 179.820mph with #26-Bobby Hamilton Jr. third at 179.401. #7-Randy Lajoie (178.218), #87-Joe Nemechek (177.223) and #24-Ricky Hendrick (176.991) rounded the top six. There were no spins or accidents during the 13 hours of testing. Testing continues Tuesday with the Busch Cars in action from 9:00am to 4:00pm/et with the Winston Cup teams running again from 4:00 until 10:00pm/et.(LMS PR)(5-8-2001)
Dover Testing: #20-Tony Stewart will skip this week's Charlotte tests but will head to Dover next week for testing for next month's race there(Winston Salem Journal)(5-7-2001)
Sears Point Completes More Work - REPOST - UPDATE Testing this week: Construction crews have completed work on the modified Chute and NASCAR Winston Cup drivers will get their first opportunity on the re-configured segment during a two-day test session, April 24-25. The new Chute, which connects Turns 4 and 7 on the road course, will be used for the first time in competition at the Dodge/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Winston Cup event, June 21-24. Drivers confirmed for the NASCAR test are: #2-Rusty Wallace, #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #5-Terry Labonte, #29-Kevin Harvick, #17-Matt Kenseth, #31-Mike Skinner, #55-Bobby Hamilton, #01-Jason Leffler and #87-Ron Fellows. The entire segment will span 1,170 feet, nearly 300 feet more than the original Chute (890 feet). Construction crews have also broken ground on 40 permanent garages that will be ready for the Dodge/Save Mart 350. In the past, teams have worked on their cars under the hot sun, but that will no longer be the case. Each garage will be 12 feet wide and 25 feet deep, giving race teams ample room to work on their cars. Sears Point Raceway will build additional garages for the 2002 season to handle the entire qualifying field. The original 12-turn, 2.52-mile road course will still be used for all road-racing events at Sears Point Raceway that are not NASCAR-sanctioned(Sears Point PR)(4-7/23-2001) UPDATE: #2-Rusty Wallace was the fastest driver during a two-day test session at Sears Point Raceway as track officials opened up the modified Chute for the first time. Wallace, a two-time winner at Sears Point Raceway in 1990 and 1996, turned the 10-turn, 2-mile road course in 1 minute, 17.31 seconds(93.132mph) to record the fastest lap over the two-day session. He was followed by #29-Kevin Harvick (1:17.70 - 92.664mph) and #87-Ron Fellows (1:18.10 - 92.190mph). The modified Chute, which connects Turns 4 and 7 on the road course for all NASCAR-sanctioned events, will be used for the first time in competition at the Dodge/Save Mart 350, June 21-24. Other drivers who competed in the two-day test were #5-Terry Labonte, #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #01-Jason Leffler, #17-Matt Kenseth, #31-Mike Skinner and #55-Bobby Hamilton. The Chute was originally constructed in 1998 with the intention of giving fans better visibility of the road course. The original move also shortened the course - from 2.52 to 1.95 miles - and provided fans with 40 additional laps, meaning more opportunities to see the stars. The third objective was to provide better competition. The first two objectives were met, but the third didn't work, which is why officials are now correcting it, with the aid of drivers. The modified Chute features the following elements: A 300-foot straightaway from Turn 4 to what will become the new Turn This segment will feature straight-line braking before entering Turn 4a;
A sharp 70-degree right-hand turn from Turn 4a into the Chute. There will also be 150 feet of runoff room available outside Turn 4a; Once out of Turn 4a, drivers will navigate an 870-foot pure straightaway, which will feature speeds in excess of 110 mph. This will be one of the fastest segments of the track; Turn 7 will boast a 90-degree right-hand turn placed 100 feet beyond the current Turn 7 apex. The turn will feature 120 feet of runoff. The modification will increase the length of the road course from 1.95 to 1.99 miles. The number of turns remains the same (10). Other top times for the two-day test session were: Hamilton (1:18.10 - 92.190mph); Labonte (1:18.20 - 92.072); Kenseth (1:18.39 - 91.849); Skinner (1:18.51 - 91.708), Earnhardt Jr. (1:19.41 - 90.669) and Leffler (1:19.45 - 90.623). The original 12-turn, 2.52-mile road course will still be used for all road-racing events at Sears Point Raceway that are not NASCAR-sanctioned(Sears Point PR)(4-25-2001)
Testing News: #20-Tont Stewart and #93-Dave Blaney completes a two-day Goodyear tire test today at Michigan and #10-Johnny Benson participated in a two-day Goodyear tire test Monday and Tuesday at Pocono(Roanoke Times), no speeds reported. Commenst by Benson: The #10 Valvoline Pontiac team feels like it received a high compliment this week when Goodyear asked the team to take part in
Goodyear’s tire test on Monday and Tuesday in Pocono. In addition to gaining track time without having to use one of his seven NASCAR-allotted tests during the season, driver Johnny Benson said taking part in the test, usually limited to the better NASCAR Winston
Cup teams, is a compliment to his crew. Benson said the work done by Goodyear has produced better and safer racing in the 2001 season. “Its an honor for us as well as an opportunity for us to get on the track without costing us a test. As a driver it will help me get a
good balance and a good feel for Pocono as well as help Goodyear out and I think most race fans know how important Goodyear is to all of
us. Goodyear has a good plan as far as what they want to bring to the track, but I think they want to know for sure what they want to do.
They need somebody to test the tire and make sure there aren’t any problems. By that I mean we will run and hopefully show them the type of tire wear and tire temperatures they want to see. It’s a safety thing. They need to make sure there are no problems when every one
gets to Pocono in June. We will make laps for them this week. I think we will gain small bits of knowledge. It’s not a full-blown test where you get to change springs, change shocks and anything else to make your car faster. Goodyear is looking for us to turn consistent fast laps so they can evaluate their tire. We are going to Pocono with a few less crew guys than we normally would at a regular test. This still gives me a good feel as far as the track goes and the tires go. We have to get the car to where it is balanced. So we can work some
there. To get right down to it, if the car is decent we will bring it to Pocono in June. If it isn’t then we will bring another car. This week will give us a good idea of what we want when we race there.”(MBV Motorsports PR)(4-25-2001)
Testing at Talladega on Monday UPDATE 4: Officials are making plans for a Monday test at Talladega Superspeedway that could impact future events at stock car racing's biggest speedways. Several Winston Cup teams are expected to participate in test runs with the goal of studying alternatives to the current rules package used at Talladega and Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. "We're talking about it, and right now we don't know at what level it will be," said Kevin Triplett, NASCAR's director of operations, Wednesday.(more at the Greenville News)(4-19-2001) UPDATE: NASCAR will hold a major rules test here Monday, with hopes to find new aero rules for the July 400 at Daytona. But only one team will apparently be able to provide a car and driver, because these teams have to be loaded and on the road to California on Monday night for next weekend's Napa 500. The test will involve what is described as "a bigger car," with a larger "greenhouse" and wider front fenders. NASCAR has also scheduled a second test here for May 6 and 7, with all Winston Cup teams invited. That session will be open to the media, as part of a surprising new NASCAR public-relations campaign to repair the sanctioning body's image, bruised by negative reaction to the secrecy in handling the Dale Earnhardt investigation(Winston Salem Journal)(4-21-2001) UPDATE 2: Chip Ganassi Racing and Hendrick Motorsports each will participate in a NASCAR test Monday at Talladega Superspeedway. Another test with more teams is likely in early May as NASCAR officials search for aerodynamic solutions so the cars are not bunched so close during races at Talladega and Daytona. Drivers have complained about the rules for the restrictor-plate races at Daytona and Talladega since the Daytona 500. They say the aerodynamic rule changes made last year have tightened the pack and led to the 19-car crash at Daytona where Tony Stewart 's car flipped down the backstretch(Roanoke Times)(4-22-2001) UPDATE 3: Only Chip Ganassi Racing will test today at Talladega Superspeedway as NASCAR examines possible aerodynamic changes for Talladega and Daytona. Hendrick Motorsports planned to test but had to withdraw. Sterling Marlin will drive in the test. Although it will be only one car, NASCAR director of operations Kevin Triplett said the test would be helpful in showing series officials what might work(Roanoke Times) UPDATE 4: The following are comments from Gary Nelson, NASCAR Winston Cup Series Director, regarding Monday's test by NASCAR at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Sterling Marlin, driver of the #40 Coors Light Dodge, participated in the test. Several ideas were experimented with that included various width and height changes to the rear spoiler and front fenders. The concentrated effort was on the green-house area in which a steeper-higher angled windshield and higher and wider green-house were used. The green-house is the area above the door-tops, cowl and deck-lid and contains the roof and all of the windows. "What we did today was a continuation of a test we conducted last year and actually several tests we've conducted over the last couple of years, where we tried a wider green-house area. Many well-respected teams offered a few suggestions to try and (Chip) Ganassi's team and Sterling (Marlin) did a great job in preparing the parts and components needed to conduct the test. "We ran about 50 laps with speeds ranging from 182 to 187 mph. The test was conducted without the use of the current aero-package that the teams used in last fall's race at Talladega and both restrictor-plate races this season (Daytona 500 and Talladega 500). "As we move along, the theory behind putting a wider and taller green-house area on the cars, should have given us another step in our ideas of enhancing the safety of the cars, while keeping the level of competition on the same playing field. However, the results we received were not promising. While the test did not provide us with any immediate answers, we will still study what we learned and possibly regroup to organize another test to continue to build on the theory of a bigger, less aerodynamic green-house."(NASCAR PR)(4-23-2001)
Kentucky Testing: NASCAR Winston Cup Driver Mike Wallace completed a two-day test of his #7 Nation's Rent Ford on April 17th at the1.5-mile tri-oval at Kentucky Speedway. Winston Cup Driver Matt Kenseth completed a one-day test of his Roush Racing #17 DeWalt Tools Ford on April 16. Wallace's Ultra Motorsports team experimented with new shock and spring combinations and raced to an unofficial fastest lap of 172.52 mph. "We're able to try some combinations here that we wouldn't normally try during regular Winston Cup testing," Wallace said. "We'll also gain some knowledge about this track and be able to compare our notes with our Ultra Sports Craftsman Truck Series Team to help it speed its learning curve."(Kentucky Speedway PR)(4-20-2001)
Rain/Wind Derails Michigan Test: After grabbing what little track time was available on Wednesday, April 11, for the first day of a two-day test at Michigan International Speedway, the Ray Evernham Motorsports Dodge team had hoped for an improvement in the rainy weather for the second day. Though the rain subsided, whipping winds greeted the team for Thursday, April 12, and forced them to re-think their testing efforts. Driver Casey Atwood got about two and a half hours of track time on Wednesday when rain ruled the day. His top speeds were clocked at over 202 mph on the straightaways. On Thursday, Atwood was hindered as a vicious wind made stepping on the pedal a bit dangerous. Evernham said his top speed the second day was 196 mph, “but that was with a 45 mile-an-hour cross wind.” Still, the test proved successful in logging miles on the car and getting Atwood more experience on the 2-mile oval where he’s started just two BGN races.(MIS Site)(4-17-2001)
Testing at RIR: hearing that #92-Stacy Compton and BGN drivers: #27-Jamie McMurry, #20-Mike Mclaughin and #7-Randy Lajoie are testing this week through Wednesday(4-17-2001)
Harvick to test 'Dega UPDATE: #29-Kevin Harvick will test at Talladega next Tuesday and Wednesday. The April 22nd 500 will be his first (Cup) restrictor plate race for car owner Richard Childress and crew chief Kevin Hamlin(Winston Salem Journal)(4-7/10-2001) UPDATE: Close to a dozen teams continued testing at Talladega Superspeedway on Wednesday for the upcoming NASCAR Winston Cup Series Talladega 500, on April 22. On Tuesday at Talladega, 17 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and Busch Series teams turned 900 laps – nearly 2,400 miles – on Alabama's 2.66-mile tri-oval testing for "Track Attack Weekend." Testing were #1-Steve Park, #29-Kevin Harvick, #40-Sterling Marlin, #4-Kevin Lepage, #71-Dave Marcis and #22-Tom Hubert, who was substituting for Ward Burton. "Track Attack Weekend" begins on April 19 with John Deere Qualifying Day for the Busch Series 300 and IROC practice. Advance Auto Parts Qualifying Day for the Talladega 500 is set for April 20. Fans can purchase a commemorative Jeff Gordon Pole Day ticket for $10 good for Friday's activities. On Saturday, April 21, fans can watch the NASCAR Winston Cup Series extended Happy Hour, the True Value IROC XXV and the NASCAR Busch Series 300. The Talladega 500 is Sunday, April 21. Tower seats remain for both days. (tix info at the Talladega Site). No speeds reported.(4-11-2001)
Sadler Testing at Michigan: Elliott Sadler and #21 Wood Brothers Racing team are testing at Michigan International Speedway this week. Tuesday got off to a late start due to weather. It rained in the morning and, even with the help of a jet dryer, it took close to three hours to dry the track due to temperatures in the 40s and an overcast sky. Despite the conditions, Sadler and his crew felt they made progress at a track, where the team has produced less than stellar results the past two years.(Campbell/Ford PR)(4-11-2001)
#14 Tests: Ron Hornaday and the #14 Conseco Pontiac tested at Greensville-Pickens Speedway on Wednesday in preparation for Martinsville this weekend(Garagepass)(4-6-2001)
Testing UPDATE: hearing quite a few Winston Cup teams are testing at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in SC this week. It is similar to Martinsville. Hear #8-Dale Earnahrdt Jr, #11-Brett Bodine and #14-Ron Hornaday are among the drivers testing. #40-Sterling Marlin will test there on Wednesday. Also hear a few CTS teams are testing there this week as well(4-3-2001) UPDATE: hearing the following teams tested at Greenville Pickens on Wednesday - #01-Jason Leffler; #7-Mike Wallace; #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr.; #15-Michael Waltrip; #26-Jimmy Spencer; #33-Joe Nemechek; #40-Sterling Marlin; #55-Bobby Hamilton; and #92-Stacy Compton(4-5-2001)
Robinson and Burton test California: #99-Jeff Burton tested at California Speedway Monday and Tuesday of this week in preparation for the NAPA 500 on April 29 in Fontana, Calif. They not only became familiarized with the track, but they learned a number of things that will be helpful at other NASCAR tracks. "This was probably the most effective test we've ever had," Burton said. "We went there with some goals, and we achieved all of them while we were there. We used this test for many things, one being to learn more about the tire. I am happy with the results we got, and I feel more comfortable with the tire." Burton spent the first day of the test working on his qualifying setup, while the second day of the test was spent specifically on his race setup. The team tested its Atlanta car that competed in the Cracker Barrel 500 last month along with the Atlanta car that raced last season. #84-Shawna Robinson was the only other driver to participate in the two-day test with Burton at California Speedway.(Roush Racing) AND Some quotes from Shawna Robinson regarding her test at California Speedway and her desire to be the first woman in 12 years to compete in a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race. Robinson tested at the speedway in preparation for the upcoming NAPA AUTO PARTS 500. (On how her test is going): "The car is getting better and better, but not where it needs to be. We are making progress; small gains, but gains nonetheless. Every time I think I have the track figured out, we change something in the car and the comfort level goes down. One run could be fine and the next could be completely different. Basically, we've been concentrating on short runs and not focusing on time right now. This is my first experience with a Cup car, and my first time at this track. I have a pretty good comfort level at Michigan and this place is similar, but this place is really fast. Getting into the corners is very important here. We are going to stay tomorrow and do some more work. We need it. We need every minute of track time we can get." and (On her desire to compete in the Winston Cup Series): "My goal is to drive full-time next season. That is what it takes to be successful. I would not be at this level if I didn't think I deserved to be. My time is now. I have a lot of experience, but things have to be done right. That is why we are testing - to get a good feel for the car and get the team working together and on the same page. I feel I'm in my place when I'm in a race car. It is what I'm supposed to be doing."(California Speedway PR)(4-5-2001)
RIR Testing: #28-Ricky Rudd and #88-Dale Jarrett are testing at Richmond International Raceway on Tuesday and Wednesday.(Richmond Times Dispatch)(4-1-2001)
Martinsville Wednesday Testing: Almost all of the 15 teams that tested at Martinsville Speedway the past three days drove away from the .526-mile track feeling good about their chances in the Virginia 500 Winston Cup race on April 8. The track qualifying record is 95.371 mph, set by Tony Stewart last fall. Following are the times/speeds from the final day of testing at Martinsville Speedway. Remember the times are provided by the teams and are from hand-held stopwatches:
#24-Jeff Gordon 20.08 seconds, 94.302 mph
#10-Johnny Benson 20.18 seconds, 93.835 mph
#29-Kevin Harvick 20.20 seconds, 93.742 mph
#4-Kevin Lepage 20.22 seconds, 93.649 mph
#6-Mark Martin 20.25 seconds, 93.511 mph
#27-Kenny Wallace 20.28 seconds, 93.372 mph
#01-Jason Leffler 20.35 seconds, 93.051 mph
#?-Hermie Sadler 20.35 seconds, 93.051
#96-Andy Houston 20.36 seconds, 93.005 mph
#44-Buckshot Jones 20.41 seconds, 92.778 mph
(Martinsville Speedway PR)(3-29-2001)
Testing at Martinsville UPDATE 3 Speeds: A few teams will be testing at Martinsville Speedway in the new few weeks: March 20-21 – #1-Steve Park, #24-Jeff Gordon, #6-Mark Martin, #97-Kurt Busch, #21-Elliott Sadler. and on March 27-28 – #12-Jeremy Mayfield, #44-Buckshot Jones, #96-Andy Houston and #??Hermie Sadler(Martinsville Speedway PR)(3-7-2001) UPDATE: Originally there were supposed to be several Winston Cup teams testing today and tomorrow, but rain has just about washed all of that out. Steve Park may or may not test on Wednesday, but won’t know until in the morning. With everyone getting washed out this week, the testing schedule has doubled for next Tuesday and Wednesday. Drivers scheduled to test both days include: #12-Jeremy Mayfield, #44-Buckshot Jones, #96-Andy Houston, #??-Hermie Sadler, #29-Kevin Harvick, #6-Mark Martin, #97-Kurt Busch, #01-Jason Leffler, #10-Johnny Benson, #25-Jerry Nadeau, #24-Jeff Gordon, #27-Kenny Wallace and #21-Elliott Sadler(Martinsville Speedway PR)(3-21-2001) UPDATE 2: Johnny Benson's #10 Valvoline Pontiac will test at Martinsville Tuesday and Wednesday before heading to Texas on Thursday. #21-Elliott Sadler tested at Martinsville on Monday(3-26-2001) UPDATE 3: Fifteen teams tested at Martinsville Tuesday. Kevin Harvick had the best time Tuesday, posting a 93.742mph lap in
the Goodwrench Chevy. Kenny Wallace was next best at 93.372mph in the unsponsored #27 Eel River Pontiac. #24-Jeff Gordon was 3rd at 93.189mph, 4th was #21-Elliott Sadler at 93.051 and fifth was #1-Steve Park at 92.960mph(from ESPN2's RPM2Night and Martinsville Speedway PR)(3-28-2001)
California Testing: Jeff Burton, driver of the #99 Citgo Supergard Ford, along with Shawna Robinson, the first woman to attempt to compete in a Winston Cup race in 12 years, will be at the speedway April 2nd and 3rd to test. The two-day test session will serve as a tune-up for the drivers heading into the NAPA AUTO PARTS 500 weekend, April 27-29.(California Speedway PR)(3-27-2001)
Cup teams test at Kentucky UPDATE 3: #32-Ricky Craven and #96-Andy Houston are testing PPI Motorpsorts Fords at Kentucky Speedway, Tuesday March 20th and Wednesday March 21st. #19-Casey Atwood will test his Dodge on Wednesday(Kentucky Speedway PR)(3-19-2001) UPDATE: Ricky Craven and Andy Houston began a two-day test at Kentucky Speedway on Tuesday. The #32 Tide Ford and the #96 McDonald's Ford worked on chassis and aerodynamic set-ups. It was Craven's first trip to the $152 million super speedway, which is situated just outside of Cincinnati, OH, the home base of his primary sponsor Procter and Gamble. "I had heard a lot about the track and how good it was to run on, but I had no idea just how nice it was until I pulled in, " said Craven. "It is definitely a fast track. I would love to have the Winston Cup dates include Kentucky"(Kentucky Speedway PR)(3-20-2001) UPDATE 2:NASCAR Winston Cup Driver's Ricky Craven and Andy Houston tested for the last two days at Kentucky Speedway™. The #32 Tide Ford and the #96 McDonald's Ford of PPI Motorsports worked on chassis and aerodynamic set-ups for future races. Both cars turned laps on Tuesday and Wednesday. The session, Wednesday though, was delayed until the afternoon because of overnight showers. Evernham Motorsports postponed its scheduled Wednesday test with the #19 Dodge Car, driven by Casey Atwood(Kentucky Speedway PR)(3-22-2001) UPDATE 3: hearing the #50 Blairs.com Chevy will test at Kentucky with driver Rick Mast next week, March 27th and 28th(3-23-2001)
Testing at Martinsville UPDATE: A few teams will be testing at Martinsville Speedway in the new few weeks: March 20-21 – #1-Steve Park, #24-Jeff Gordon, #6-Mark Martin, #97-Kurt Busch, #21-Elliott Sadler. and on March 27-28 – #12-Jeremy Mayfield, #44-Buckshot Jones, #96-Andy Houston and #??Hermie Sadler(Martinsville Speedway PR)(3-7-2001) UPDATE: Originally there were supposed to be several Winston Cup teams testing today and tomorrow, but rain has just about washed all of that out. Steve Park may or may not test on Wednesday, but won’t know until in the morning. With everyone getting washed out this week, the testing schedule has doubled for next Tuesday and Wednesday. Drivers scheduled to test both days include: Jeremy Mayfield, Buckshot Jones, Andy Houston, Hermie Sadler, Kevin Harvick, Mark Martin, Kurt Busch, Jason Leffler, Johnny Benson, Jerry Nadeau, Jeff Gordon, Kenny Wallace and Elliott Sadler(Martinsville Speedway PR)(3-21-2001)
Testing at Bristol: #99-Jeff Burton tested at Bristol on Wednesday(BMS Site), also testing was the #50-Rick Mast and #28-Ricky Rudd teams, no speeds reported(3-15-2001)
Harvick Tests at Nashville: Kevin Harvick, who won Sunday at Atlanta spent Tuesday at Nashville Superspeedway, practicing for the April 14 Pepsi 300 BGN race. Harvick will continue to run the full BGN schedule as planned, in addition to his recently-acquired Winston Cup duties. Harvick is the first NASCAR driver to test the new 1.3-mile concrete track and.turned straightaway speeds of around 165 mph. ARCA drivers testing at the track last week tested at around 150 mph.(Tennessean)(3-14-2001)
Petty tests at Bristol: Petty Enterprises gears up for another day of testing in preparation for the March 25th running of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series Food City 500. Not sure which drivers, but from an image there, looks like John Andretti was one(Bristol Motor Speedway Site)(3-8-2001)
Testing at TMS: #5-Terry Labonte and #97-Kurt Busch tested at Texas Motor Speedway earlier this week(Dallas Morning News)(3-8-2001)
Rusty Testing? hearing that Rusty Wallace is testing the #2 Miller Lite Ford at Darlington today(3-7-2001)
Testing at Martinsville UPDATE: A few teams will be testing at Martinsville Speedway in the new few weeks: March 20-21 – #1-Steve Park, #24-Jeff Gordon, #6-Mark Martin, #97-Kurt Busch, #21-Elliott Sadler. and on March 27-28 – #12-Jeremy Mayfield, #44-Buckshot Jones, #96-Andy Houston and #??Hermie Sadler(Martinsville Speedway PR)(3-7-2001) UPDATE: Tuesday testing was a wash due to poor weather conditions. No word on Wednesday, but things do not look good(3-2-2001)
Atlanta Test Speed for Wednesday test sessions(Cup track record 197.478 in 1997):
Winston Cup Driver and Speed (mph)
#96-Andy Houston, 189.603(AMS PR)(2-28-2001)
Atlanta Test Speeds for Tuesday's test sessions(Cup track record 197.478 in 1997):
Winston Cup Driver and Speed (mph)
#26-Jimmy Spencer,190.515
#15-Michael Waltrip, 186.040
#96-Andy Houston, 185.232
#45-Kyle Petty, 185.232
#22-Ward Burton, 184.677
Busch Driver and Speed (mph)
#99-Michael Waltrip, 183.576
#00-Buckshot Jones, 182.669(AMS PR)(2-27-2001)
Atlanta Testing: Several Cup and BGN teams are scheduled to test Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (Feb. 26-28) at Atlanta Motor Speedway(Looks like Monday is out for most of the Cup teams due to the rain out in Rockingham). Drivers expected to test Monday and Tuesday include Daytona 500 winner #15-(and #99 BGN)-Michael Waltrip, #22-Ward Burton, #19-Casey Atwood, #45-Kyle Petty, #27-Kenny Wallace, and #00-Buckshot Jones(in his BGN car). 26-Jimmy Spencer and #96-Andy Houston are expected to test Tuesday and Wednesday(AMS PR)(2-25-2001)
AMS Testing Speeds day 2: Speeds for teams testing Wednesday at Atlanta Motor Speedway:
Winston Cup Driver and Speed(mph)
#14-Ron Hornaday 187.551
#30-Kevin Harvick 186.730
#11-Brett Bodine 183.333
Busch Driver abd Speed
#11-Marty Houston 185.729
#46 Ashton Lewis Jr. 185.542
#2-Kevin Harvick 184.800
#20-Mike McLaughlin 183.942
#87-Joe Nemechek 183.637
#66-Tim Fedewa 183.394(AMS PR)(2-21-2001)
AMS Testing UPDATE 2 new Fall AMS date? and Speeds: Cup and BGN testing will occur at Atlanta Motor Speedway Feb 20-21st. Fifteen drivers from the NASCAR Winston Cup and Busch Series are expected for two intensive days of testing in preparation for the March 9-11 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500 weekend. Drivers expected to test are former NASCAR Winston Cup champion #88-Dale Jarrett, #28-Ricky Rudd, #15-Michael Waltrip, #11-Brett Bodine, #77-Robert Pressley, #33-Joe Nemechek, #66-Todd Bodine, #19-Casey Atwood, #14-Ron Hornaday, and BGN drivers #2-Kevin Harvick, #1-P.J. Jones, #33-Tony Raines, #21-Mike Dillon, #?-Jason Jarrett, #?-Bobby Hillin Jr., #14-Larry Foyt and #61-Tim Sauter.(AMS PR)(2-8-2001) UPDATE: At least 15 Winston Cup and Busch teams will test this week at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and Ed Clark, the general manager, said they'll be trying some more aerodynamic tricks. "I'd like to see the cars 10 mph slower, or at least six mph slower," he said. "When they put the Daytona roof strip on the car, it settles the front end, but they can't figure out a way to settle the rear end, because they're already running 60 or 70 degrees of rear spoiler. Maybe they could try a larger spoiler." Clark is still negotiating with NASCAR for a new fall Winston Cup date, after being burned by bad weather the past few years(Winston Salem Journal)(2-18-2001) UPDATE 2 Speeds: Speeds of CUP and BGN testing Tuesday at Atlanta Motor Speedway:
Winston Cup Driver and speed:
#14-Ron Hornaday 186.165
#77-Robert Pressley 185.915
#30-Kevin Harvick 183.636
#11-Brett Bodine 183.273
Busch Driver and speed
#87-Joe Nemechek 185.978
#2-Kevin Harvick 185.294
#10-Jeff Green 184.615
#20-Mike McLaughlin 184.003
#11-Marty Houston 184.003
#66-Tim Fedewa 183.942
#14-Larry Foyt 181.236
#61-Tim Sauter 179.883(AMS PR)(2-20-2001)
Atlanta Testing: Cup and BGN testing will occur at Atlanta Motor Speedway Feb 20-21st. Fifteen drivers from the NASCAR Winston Cup and Busch Series are expected for two intensive days of testing in preparation for the March 9-11 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500 weekend. Drivers expected to test are former NASCAR Winston Cup champion #88-Dale Jarrett, #28-Ricky Rudd, #15-Michael Waltrip, #11-Brett Bodine, #77-Robert Pressley, #33-Joe Nemechek, #66-Todd Bodine, #19-Casey Atwood, #14-Ron Hornaday, and BGN drivers #2-Kevin Harvick, #1-P.J. Jones, #33-Tony Raines, #21-Mike Dillon, #?-Jason Jarrett, #?-Bobby Hillin Jr., #14-Larry Foyt and #61-Tim Sauter.(AMS PR)(2-8-2001)
Las Vegas Testing - Day 4: #10-Johnny Benson's new Valvoline colors were flying during Thursday's test session at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Benson turned a lap at 173.376mph to establish the best testing time by any of the 25 Cup teams who have tested at LVMS this week in preparation for the March 4 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. Benson's speed, though unofficial, eclipsed Ricky Rudd's track record by a stock car of 172.563mph set a year ago. #7-Mike Wallace was the only other driver to test a Winston Cup car Thursday running a lap of 169.114mph. No NASCAR Winston Cup teams are scheduled to test on Friday(LVMS PR)(2-2-2001) TESTING SCHEDULE:(Thursday and Friday) - BGN Drivers - #1-P.J. Jones, #38-Christian Elder, #43-Jay Sauter, #46-Ashton Lewis and #98-Elton Sawyer.(LVMS PR), see the Day 1 thru 3 speeds below(1-25/2-2-2001). See test pictures/images at the LVMS site and at Stooges Racing
Testing at Talladega UPDATE: hearing there will be testing at Talladega today and Thursday, Feb 1st. Three Cup teams (no idea who...yet), three BGN teams (no idea who...yet) and four CTS teams including #43 Carlos Contreras(1-31-2001) UPDATE: #44-Buckshot Jones was at Talladega Superspeedway Wednesday for the first session of a two-day test with the Dodge Intrepid with the "Talladega Trim" that will be used in the season-opening events at Daytona International Speedway. Joining Jones was fellow Petty Enterprises drivers #45-Steve Grissom(BGN car) and Carlos Contreras (CTS #43). Also testing were #90-Hut Stricklin and BGN drivers #28-Brad Baker and #17-Clay Rogers(Talladega PR) - Also, Ganassi Racing had #40-Sterling Marlin and #01-Jason Leffler testing their Daytona cars at Talladega on Tuesday and Wednesday. The same cars that they had in the Martin Marietta Wind Tunnel over the weekend. The #01 Dodge and Jason Leffler will test at Rockingham on Thurday and Friday(2-1-2001)
Dodge tests at the Rock: #19-Casey Atwood tested at North Carolina Speedway on Wednesday, looking to find qualifying speed. Atwood was on hand at the 1.017-mile oval with #92-Dodge driver, Stacy Compton in the second of what will be four days of testing for Dodge riders at the track. Atwood ran as fast as 153.188mph but hopes to get to the upper 155mph range before leaving. Compton ran for the second straight day at Rockingham Wednesday and still feels that his Melling Racing team has work to do(SpeedVision)(2-1-2001)
Goodyear Test? a bit into the near future, but hearing Goodyear will have a tire test at Kansas Speedway on May 15-16th(1-31-2001)
#43 Testing? hearing that John Andretti was in Lakeland, FL Tuesday, testing the #43 Dodge at USA International Speedway, a 3/4 mile track(1-31-2001)
Las Vegas Testing - Day 3: For the second consecutive day, #66-Todd Bodine set the pace during Las Vegas Motor Speedway's open test session. But Wednesday, Bodine's time was better than any times set during the entire three days of testing. Bodine's fast lap of 171.648mph easily eclipsed the next best time set by #2-Rusty Wallace, who ran 170.347. #02-Ryan Newman was involved in the day's only incident. The NASCAR Winston Cup rookie made contact with the turn-two wall around noon. Newman spent the remainder of the day testing one of Wallace's back-up cars under the watchful eye of racing veteran Buddy Baker. A complete list of Wednesday's testing times for the Cup teams:
1) #66-Todd Bodine 171.648mph;
2) #2-Rusty Wallace 170.347;
3) #15-Michael Waltrip 169.811;
4) #10-Johnny Benson 169.279;
5) #77-Robert Pressley 168.645;
6) #88-Dale Jarrett 168.120
7) #12-Jeremy Mayfield 167.702;
8) #7-Mike Wallace 167.183;
9) #4-Robby Gordon 167.079;
10) #28-Ricky Rudd 166.718;
11) #14-Ron Hornaday 166.667;
12) #02-Ryan Newman 165.593
Benson and Mike Wallace will be the only two NASCAR Winston Cup teams scheduled to test on Thursday(LVMS PR)(2-1-2001)
Las Vegas Testing - Day 2: #66-Todd Bodine posted the fastest lap speed of 169.237mph, which was slightly faster than #33-Joe Nemechek's 169.104mph. In all, 24 NASCAR Winston Cup teams participated in Tuesday's test session on LVMS. 1.5-mile superspeedway. NASCAR officials also were on hand to experiment with some possible aerodynamic adjustments that may be made before the teams return to Las Vegas for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. Drivers #3-Dale Earnhardt, #24-Jeff Gordon, #25-Jerry Nadeau and Nemechek tried different components to affect the aerodynamics of the cars. "We are trying to see what different things will do in certain situations," said NASCAR Winston Cup Series Director of Gary Nelson. "We will try some more things (Wednesday), and then we'll talk to the drivers and process the information and see what all we learned." Nelson indicated that Dale Jarrett and Rusty Wallace would try some of the new packages on Wednesday. Las Vegas drivers #97-Kurt Busch and #62-Brendan Gaughan also had solid days. Busch's speed of 167.416mph came one day after he crashed his primary test car. Busch's speed was seventh best on the speed chart. Gaughan, who will attempt to make his first ever NASCAR Winston Cup Series race at LVMS, was one notch behind at 167.406mph.
The complete list of testing speeds for the Cup Series cars:
#66-Bodine, 169.237mph; #33-Nemechek, 169.104; #6-Mark Martin, 168.887; #2-Rusty Wallace, 168.025; #14-Ron Hornaday, 167.957; #31-Mike Skinner, 167.650; #97-Kurt Busch, 167.416; #62-Brendan Gaughan, 167.406; #77-Robert Pressley, 167.131; #55-Bobby Hamilton, 167.017; #27-Kenny Wallace, 166.909; #25-Jerry Nadeau, 166.113; #15-Michael Waltrip, 166.082; #21-Elliott Sadler, 166.047; 24-Jeff Gordon, 165.980; #3-Dale Earnhardt, 165.634; #32-Ricky Craven, 165.406; #12-Jeremy Mayfield, 165.350; #28-Ricky Rudd, 164.684; #5-Terry Labonte, 164.604; #96-Andy Houston, 164.274; #88-Dale Jarrett, 164.244; #4-Robby Gordon, 164.194; and #02-Ryan Newman, 164.089).
For the second consecutive day, #50-Greg Biffle paced a field of BGN drivers who were preparing for the Sam's Town 300 on March 3rd. Biffle turned a lap of 166.359mph, which was faster than #74-Chad Little's 165.299mph. There were 11 NASCAR Busch Series teams who participated in Tuesday's test. The complete list of testing speeds for the BGN teams:
#50-Greg Biffle, 166.359; #74-Chad Little, 165.299; #33-Tony Raines, 164.654; #27-Jamie McMurray, 164.369; #11-Marty Houston, 163.890; #61-Tim Sauter, 162.955; #8-Blaise Alexander, 161.681; #14-Larry Foyt, 161.667; #?-Rick Johnson, 160.925; #25-Chad Chaffin, 160.882; and #37-Kevin Grubb, 160.848
Testing will continue at LVMS on Wednesday with NASCAR Winston Cup drivers Mike Wallace and Johnny Benson joining the test(LVMS PR)(1-31-2001)
More Vegas News - Aero Changes? Drivers participating in Monday's NASCAR Winston Cup testing session at Las Vegas Motor Speedway were finding out late in the afternoon that they might be using a new aerodynamics package when they return to the speedway for the March 4 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. NASCAR president Mike Helton and Winston Cup director Gary Nelson were talking with drivers and team owners late in the day about trying some of the sanctioning body's ideas today, the second of five consecutive testing days at the speedway. Some of the series' top drivers probably will be asked to attach some items to their cars in a research and development mini-session(Las Vegas Review Journal)(1-30-2001)
CUP testing at Vegas UPDATE 3: Nearly every Cup team and many NASCAR Busch Series teams will participate in preseason practice at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Jan. 29 through Feb. 2, fans will be able to attend each of those sessions at no charge(LVRJ)(1-5-2001) UPDATE: NASCAR will ask some of the teams testing at Las Vegas later this month to test aerodynamic packages aimed at disturbing the air moving over their cars at that track. Similar tests were done last year at Talladega before changes were implemented for the Winston 500 at that track in October. Those rules are also planned for use in this year's Daytona 500. The test at Las Vegas would be aimed at finding a combination to make competition closer at that 1.5-mile track, which hosts the season's third race on March 4, and that also might work for other races later this year(That's Racin')(1-11-2001) UPDATE 2: More than 50 drivers from the Cup and BGN Series will test at Las Vegas next week. Two weeks ago, during the Lowe's Motor Speedway Media Tour, NASCAR hinted that some teams would experiment with a new aerodynamic package during the LVMS test. This has prompted a number of teams to participate in the test. The speedway's grandstands will be open to the public free of charge for the entire five-day test. Under NASCAR rules, no team may test for more than two days. The following is a list of days and drivers who will be testing from Monday, Jan. 29 through Friday, Feb. 2: (Monday and Tuesday):
#3-Dale Earnhardt, #5-Terry Labonte, #6-Mark Martin, #21-Elliott Sadler, #24-Jeff Gordon, #25-Jerry Nadeau, #27-Kenny Wallace, #31-Mike Skinner, #32-Ricky Craven, #33-Joe Nemechek, #55-Bobby Hamilton, #75-Wally Dallenbach(??), #96-Andy Houston, #97-Kurt Busch. And BGN drivers - #33-Tony Raines, #60-Greg Biffle, #61-Tim Sauter, #63-Shane Hall and #74-Chad Little. (Tuesday and Wednesday)
#02-Ryan Newman, #2-Rusty Wallace, #4-Robby Gordon, #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #12-Jeremy Mayfield, #14-Ron Hornaday, #15-Michael Waltrip, #28-Ricky Rudd, #50-Rick Mast, #66-Todd Bodine, #77-Robert Pressley, #88-Dale Jarrett. And BGN teams - #12-Jimmy Spencer, #14-Larry Foyt, #23-Scott Wimmer, #25-Chad Chaffin, #8-Blaise Alexander, #27-Jamie McMurray, #??-Mike Bliss, #37-Kevin Grubb and #11-Marty Houston. (Wednesday and Thursday)
#7-Mike Wallace, #10-Johnny Benson. And BGN driver - #26-Bobby Hamilton Jr., #99-Michael Waltrip, #55-Mark Green and #59-Rich Bickle. (Thursday and Friday) - BGN Drivers - #1-P.J. Jones, #38-Christian Elder, #43-Jay Sauter, #46-Ashton Lewis and #98-Elton Sawyer.(LVMS PR)(1-25/29-2001) UPDATE 3: #21-Elliott Sadler was the fastest among 14 Cup teams that tested at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Monday. Sadler’s speed of 169.833 miles per hour was slightly faster than that of rookie #96-Andy Houston who toured the track at 169.242mph. #97-Kurt Busch, who will be competing with Houston for rookie of the year honors, was involved in the day’s only crash. Busch got into the wall in turn four and caused extensive damage to his Roush Racing Ford. Busch went to his secondary car for the remainder of the day. The following is a list of Cup drivers and their times from Monday’s test: #21-Sadler, 169.833mph; #96-Houston, 169.242; #25-Jerry Nadeau, 169.136; #33-Joe Nemechek, 168.324; #24-Jeff Gordon, 168.214; #32-Ricky Craven, 168.193; #55-Bobby Hamilton, 167.333; #62-Brendan Gaughan, 166.651; #6-Mark Martin, 166.400; #27-Kenny Wallace, 166.266); #3-Dale Earnhardt, 165.193; #31-Mike Skinner, 164.755; #5-Terry Labonte, 164.674; and #97-Busch,163.127. #60-Greg Biffle was the fastest of three BGN cars in the field. Biffle’s speed of 167.110 mph was much faster than #74-Chad Little at 163.053 or #33-Tony Raines at 163.964). The teams of #63-Shane Hall and #61-Tim Sauter were slowed by snow in Texas and did not arrive in time for their scheduled test on Monday(LVMS Site see photos of the test there)(1-30-2001)
Talladega Testing UPDATE: On Sunday/Monday(1-21/22), #96-Andy Houston tested at Talladega, turning laps in preparation of his rookie campaign in Winston Cup. The test session – which concluded Monday – was the first opportunity for Houston to drive a Winston Cup car at Talladega Superspeedway. Last season, he tested at Talladega with the Truck Series. Houston said the biggest news that has come out of the two-day Talladega test session is the improvements made by the #96 McDonald's PPI team. Others concluding the two-day test session were Loy Allen, Mike Swaim Jr., Matt Hutter and P.J. Jones(not sure if they were in Cup, BGN, or ARCA cars)(Talladega PR)(1-23-2001) UPDATE: #96-Andy Houston tested at Talladega Monday in PPI Ford Racing. Testing at the track Tuesday and Wednesday were #27-Kenny Wallace, who is still looking for a sponsor for his Eel River Racing team; #7-Mike Wallace; #31-Mike Skinner; #33(or #87 BGN)-Joe Nemechek; #59-Rich Bickle(BGN); #11-Brett Bodine; and BGN drivers #2-Kevin Harvick and #21-Mike Dillon(Anniston Star)(1-25-2001)
#11 Testing: Brett Bodine will test Talladega on Jan 23-24th and Rockingham on Jan 29-30th in the #11 Ralphs Ford(1-21-2001)
Testing at the Rock: #27-Kenny Wallace and #10-Johnny Benson are scheduled to test Thursday and Friday at North Carolina Speedway(the Rock, located in Rockingham, NC). #24-Jeff Gordon is scheduled to test Sunday and Monday. #5-Terry Labonte and #25-Jerry Nadeau are scheduled to test Monday and Tuesday. PPI Motorsports drivers, #32-Ricky Craven and #96-Andy Houston plan to test there on Jan. 23-24. #19-Casey Atwood and #92-Stacy Compton are scheduled to test Jan. 30-31 and #93- Dave Blaney is set to test Feb. 5-6.(Roanoke Times)(1-18-2001)
Testing at Atlanta: #9-Bill Elliott, #33-Joe Nemechek, #88-Dale Jarrett, #28-Ricky Rudd and #19-Casey Atwood are scheduled to test at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Feb 20-21st. On Feb. 27-28, #45-Kyle Petty, #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #96-Andy Houston and #32-Ricky Craven are scheduled to test their Cup cars there(Roanoke Times)(1-18-2001)
Texas Aero Test: A speed-reducing aerodynamic package similar to one introduced at Talladega last fall is scheduled to be tested at Texas Motor Speedway(TMS) in conjunction with a tire test booked by Goodyear Racing on Jan. 22-23. Cup regular Steve Park is the only driver currently scheduled to run laps. If successful, NASCAR could implement the package before the Harrah's 500 on April 1st(Star Telegram)(1-12-2001)
CUP testing at Vegas UPDATE: Nearly every Cup team and many NASCAR Busch Series teams will participate in preseason practice at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Jan. 29 through Feb. 2, fans will be able to attend each of those sessions at no charge(LVRJ)(1-5-2001) UPDATE: NASCAR will ask some of the teams testing at Las Vegas later this month to test aerodynamic packages aimed at disturbing the air moving over their cars at that track. Similar tests were done last year at Talladega before changes were implemented for the Winston 500 at that track in October. Those rules are also planned for use in this year's Daytona 500. The test at Las Vegas would be aimed at finding a combination to make competition closer at that 1.5-mile track, which hosts the season's third race on March 4, and that also might work for other races later this year(That's Racin')(1-11-2001)
Talladega Testing UPDATE: The first test session of 2001 at Talladega Superspeedway will involve the defending Busch Series championship team as well as the team that put Joe Nemechek and the #33 Chevy on the pole in last October's Winston Cup Series Winston 500. The test session starts Wednesday, Jan 3rd. Andy Petree Racing's #33 Winston Cup Series Chevy joins several BGN teams, including the #10 PPC-owned car which took Jeff Green to his first Busch Series championship. Racing teams in the Busch Series will be challenged with new rules for 2001, including a larger engine that will provide more horsepower. Scheduled to join Andy Petree Racing and Green at Talladega is the PPC-owned #57 driven by Jason Keller. Also scheduled is the Carroll Racing #26 Chevy driven by Bobby Hamilton Jr. and the Lewis Motorsports #46 Chevy driven by Ashton Lewis. In the next 37 days, 25 of those days will hold test sessions for Cup, BGN or IROC cars(Talladega PR)(1-3-2001) UPDATE: Jeff Green's PPC #10 Ford team was among 10 racing teams at Talladega Superspeedway Wednesday for the first day of a two-day test session. Joining Green at Talladega Wednesday were fellow Busch teams Carroll
Racing #26 Chevy driven by Bobby Hamilton Jr., the Lewis Motorsports #46 Chevy driven by Ashton Lewis and Green's teammate, Jason Keller in the PPC-owned #57 Ford. Bobby Hamilton and Mike Dillon were testing the Andy Petree-owned #55 Winston Cup Chevy. Also on hand was the Hamilton-owned #18 Dodge from the Craftsman Truck
Series, driven by Joe Ruttman(Talladega PR)(1-4-2001)
