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?
NASCAR Sets 2008 Testing Dates: NASCAR announced the 2008 testing schedules for its three national series. NASCAR determined the test schedules based upon the input and cooperation from each of the teams’ crew chiefs. The Sprint Cup Series testing sessions begin at Daytona with NASCAR Preseason Thunder, starting Monday, Jan. 7 and running through Wednesday, Jan. 9 for approximately half of the teams. Thursday, Jan. 10 is the rain date, if necessary. The following week, the remaining teams will test Monday, Jan. 14 through Wednesday, Jan. 16, with Thursday, Jan. 17 as the rain date. Test sessions at Daytona are scheduled for 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., weather permitting, with an hour lunch break from noon until 1 p.m. The remaining five tracks that will host test sessions for the Sprint Cup Series include:
* Las Vegas Motor Speedway – Jan. 28-29
* California Speedway – Jan. 31- Feb. 1
* Phoenix International Raceway – March 3-4
* Lowe’s Motor Speedway – May 5-6
* Pocono Raceway – May 27-28
* Lowe’s Motor Speedway – Sept. 23-24
(NASCAR PR)(12-4-2007)
NASCAR to ban testing? UPDATE 3: NASCAR executives are moving toward perhaps a virtual ban on all testing through the early months of 2009, until the economy settles down, according to NASCAR teams. That's a reversal of the plan just a few months ago to open up testing for 24 days per team at Sprint Cup tour tracks. Currently teams can test en masse at seven official NASCAR tests at Cup tour speedways. And teams can test anywhere else at any time. NASCAR could bar teams from testing at any NASCAR-sanctioned tracks, such as Kentucky.(Winston Salem Journal)(11-10-2008) UPDATE: hearing that NASCAR told the teams at Homestead on Friday that testing in all forms would be banned in 2009.(11-14-2008) UPDATE 2: In an effort to help teams manage costs, NASCAR is suspending testing for its three national and two regional racing series for the 2009 season. Testing for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the NASCAR Nationwide Series, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, as well as the NASCAR Camping World East and West Regional Touring Series at tracks hosting any of those events are included in the 2009 policy. NASCAR reached this decision following several months of discussion with the teams regarding testing, coupled with the current economic conditions. The suspension of testing should save the industry millions of dollars.
"This is a significant move during an unusual time for all of us," said NASCAR President Mike Helton in making the announcement. “NASCAR has routinely adjusted its test policy over the years to reflect current conditions. This is another example of that.”(NASCAR PR)(11-14-2008) UPDATE 3: Teams said they were told that the testing ban is to be reviewed in June. NASCAR president Mike Helton said that the plan is for the ban to run the entire year. NASCAR says more details will be coming.(Winston Salem Journal)(11-15-2008) Comment here
Testing at the Rock: #2-Kurt Busch, crew chief Pat Tryson and crew tested their “PRS-565” Miller Lite Dodge Tuesday (11/11) at the “Little Rock,” the new half-mile track just outside the backstretch of the one-mile oval at Rockingham Raceway Park. “We’ve been saying that we’re already focusing on getting our total program ready for ’09 and this is an example of our commitment to doing that,” Pat said. “We get back to the short tracks only five races into the season next year so it’s never too early to be working on that end of the deal. This also gives us the opportunity to work with new components and try stuff out.”(Tom Roberts PR) AND Colin Braun tested at the one-mile track at Rockingham Raceway Park for Roush Racing, no word if it was for Cup, Nationwide or Trucks.(11-11-2008)
Testing at Pikes Peak: Kenny Wallace and the #28 U.S. Border Patrol/Jay Robinson Racing Chevy tested at Pikes Peak International Raceway on Monday, #7-Robby Gordon and team are scheduled to test at the track on Wednesday Nov. 5 in preparation for Phoenix. No word if testing is open to the public.(PPIR)(11-4-2008)
Testing changes to be announced soon? UPDATE 3: NASCAR hasn't delineated the exact testing policy [for the Sprint Cup Series], but apparently it will allow teams to test at any of the tour tracks, for a total of about 24 days a team per season. There are 22 tracks on the tour, so teams should be able to test everywhere.(Winston Salem Journal)(10-20-2008) UPDATE: NASCAR VP of Communications Jim Hunter said the sanctioning body is rethinking the 24-day testing schedule given the current economic conditions. Testing has to make financial sense for the haves as well as the have-nots.(FoxSports)(10-26-2008) UPDATE 2: The talk in the garage is that testing at Cup tracks next year, which NASCAR floated out the idea of about 24 days, could be reduced to about 12-16.(Roanoke Times)(11-1-2008) UPDATE 3: John Darby, Sprint Cup series director, spoke with the media at Texas on Saturday:
Q: WHAT KIND OF A RESPONSE ARE YOU GETTING FROM TEAMS ON A TESTING POLICY FOR NEXT YEAR? IT SOUNDS LIKE THE TARGET NUMBER IS 12-16 DAYS NEXT YEAR.
DARBY: "I think you've got to look from when we started talking about testing back in June and everything that has happened up to today. The very first meeting in New Hampshire in June, it was guys we can do zero or we can make it wide open. Everybody went Aaargh! And they came back with all the different versions and a month later we kind of settled in on like 24 days. Now we're in early July and that's when Wall Street started going wham. And more importantly the teams within the last couple of weeks have got their planner boards out and started penciling in their 24 days and stood back and said, 'Holy Cow, how are we going to do this?' First of all, the test policy is probably the most team-controlled policy that NASCAR has. In other words, we're pretty much just the organizers and managers of it. We'll give the garage, for the most part, what they want. But this is a year in looking at '09 where zero isn't completely off the radar. It may be just to help the industry. I think we're pretty secure in the fact that 24 days is too much… if you've got zero here and our original 24-day plan, the likelihood of landing somewhere in the middle is pretty good. Testing is a year-by-year deal. Let's say it was nothing, it maybe for only '09. Everything starts coming back, looking ahead to '10, we might get it back. That's the most fluid policy we have. Something changes on it every year.(Roanoke Times)(11-2-2008) Comment here
Testing in Nashville: Penske Racing tested Tuesday and Wednesday at Nashville Superspeedway. The test was closed to the public. Kurt Busch, Sam Hornish, Jr, and David Stremme did two full days of R&D.(Nashville Superspeedway PR)(10-29-2008)
Blaney tests at Caraway, then visits Arkansas: Dave Blaney and the #22 BDR team spent Tuesday morning testing at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, N.C., shaking down chassis No. 81 for the upcoming event at Phoenix International Raceway and instead of heading straight from the BDR hanger in Greensboro, N.C., to the Fort Worth, Texas, area Thursday afternoon, the Caterpillar crew will make a detour to Bill and Gail Davis’ ranch in Concord, Ark. The team will experience first-hand the festivities surrounding the second annual Chimney Rock 500 Cattle Sale, which will take place Oct. 30-31. Last year, Lot 134, CRC’s Blaney 99S10, a Brangus bull named for BDR driver Dave Blaney, was the highest-selling bull at the event.(BDR PR)(10-29-2008)
Testing at Kentucky: Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and Joe Nemechk are scheduled to test at Kentucky Speedway on Tues. Oct 21 and Wed., Oct 22. Fans can view testing from the designated area outside the Kentucky Speedway Fan Center in Turn 3 for free. Tests usually begin at 9:00 a.m. and end at 5:00 p.m. Times will vary based on team goals.(Kentucky Speedway PR)(9-20-2008)
Teams test at new 1/2 mile track at the Rock: Monday morning, October 13th, the final strip of pavement was placed on “Little Rock,” the new half-mile track built [supposedly shaped and banked like Martinsville] just outside the backstretch of the one-mile oval at Rockingham Raceway Park. Fast Track High Performance Driving School cars worked rubber into the new track surface Monday evening and then turned the track over to 10 Sprint Cup and Craftsman Truck Series teams that were testing for this weekend’s race at Martinsville. Kyle Busch’s #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Joe Nemechek’s #78 Furniture Row Racing Chevy, Scott Riggs’ #66 Haas CNC Racing Chevy and Jack Sprague’s #60 Wyler Racing Toyota Truck all tested at the Little Rock Speedway on Tuesday. Wednesday’s test session featured current Sprint Cup Series points leader, Jimmie Johnson and his #48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy as well as Chad McCumbee’s #45 Petty Enterprises Dodge and two test teams from Gillett Evernham Motorsports driven by A.J. Almendinger and Dennis Setzer. Thursday, Roush Fenway Racing’s test team brought two cars to be driven by Colin Braun. The team spent the morning on the one-mile speedway before taking their second car to Little Rock for the afternoon testing. The Little Rock Speedway will also see plenty of racing action during the 2009 season with over 15 races planned on the ¼ mile race track that is contained inside of the half-mile. Those races will feature the INEX Legend Series and Bandolero Series cars. Tickets will be going fast for the Black’s Tire American 200 with reserved seats starting at $25 and kids 12 and under are free with a paid adult. A special John Anderson concert will be held following the race and is included in the ticket price as well. Call the Rockingham Speedway ticket office to order your reserved seats today at 910-205-8800 or visit www.rockinghamspeedway.com.(Rockingham Raceway Park PR)(10-17-2008)
Braun to test for Roush at the Rock: Roush Fenway Racing Truck Series driver Colin Braun is scheduled to test COT Cup car at Rockingham Speedway on Thursday, Oct. 16th.(Ford Racing)(10-16-2008)
Blaney to test at Nashville UPDATE: #22-Dave Blaney and the Caterpillar Racing team are scheduled to spend Wednesday testing at the Nashville Superspeedway in preparation for several upcoming events on the Sprint Cup schedule.(BDR PR)(10-14-2008) UPDATE: Jeff Burton and the AT&T Chevy joined Dave Blaney testing Wednesday at the Nashville Superspeedway.(PRN's Garage Pass Radio Show)(10-15-2008)
Testing at Kentucky Speedway on Tuesday: The Joe Gibbs Racing teams of Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin are scheduled to test at Kentucky Speedway Tuesday, October 14. Fans can view testing from the designated area outside the Kentucky Speedway Fan Center in Turn 3 for free. Tests usually begin at 9:00 a.m. and end at 5:00 p.m. Times will vary based on team goals.(Kentucky Speedway PR)(9-15-2008)
Penske testing at Kentucky UPDATE: Penske Racing is testing with three teams at Kentucky Speedway on Tuesday, October 7. Scheduled to test are #2-Kurt Busch, #77-Sam Hornish, and the R&D team with David Stremme. Fans can view testing from the designated area outside the Kentucky Speedway Fan Center in Turn 3 for free. Tests usually begin at 9:00am and end at 5:00pm. Times will vary based on team goals.(Kentucky Speedway PR) UPDATE: Penske Racing’s new-look Sprint Cup Series line-up of Kurt Busch, Sam Hornish, Jr., and David Stremme rolled through its 2009 punch list during today’s test session at Kentucky Speedway. Items on the agenda included a trial run of next season’s test rules as well as a shake down of the new Dodge race engine. “We have four or five different projects we’re working on. We didn’t feel like we tested that well at Lowe’s Motor Speedway last week, so we had to make some changes in our plans. We were going to go to the Indianapolis tire test, but instead we came here and decided to blend this test into the procedures for what’s going to happen next year. We didn’t know how many cars we were going to be able to get ready in time (for today), but next year you can have as many drivers as you want test. We just have to change seats and seat belts (in the cars.) We’re working on that to see how quick we can make that happen as well as comparing Sam’s car to my car. We’re also spending more time on the engines,” Busch said.
“The more testing we can get (with the engine) the better. In race conditions it ran cool as far as water temperature, but the oil temperature was up around 250 degrees, so that was a little warm for normal circumstances. Maybe the engine has a bigger water cavity, we just need to get more miles on it to balance that out as well as measure its durability. It’s just like everything else; it takes time. If it were lightning in a bottle we’d have poured it in a long time ago,” the nine-year veteran said. Today’s extended track time also helped Busch and Hornish, Jr., learn more about their new teammate. “David’s been doing a great job for us testing our Car of Tomorrow (C.O.T.) here, at Nashville and even some short tracks, but he didn’t know what the set-ups were in the car. Now he’s seeing the set-ups, the numbers on what things are and it gives him a better feel - especially for the way that I drive and the way Sam is driving. David will be able to balance us both and check us both out. We have to have the best drivers surrounded by the best crew to get ahead of the curve. Right now, we’re just trying to get caught up to it,” Busch said.(Kentucky Speedway PR)(10-7-2008)
Logano tests at Kentucky; may run more Cup races: Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) driver Joey Logano continued his Sprint Cup Series education by turning test laps at Kentucky Speedway today. “I’m here today in the Cup car just trying different stuff for Joe Gibbs Racing we haven’t really tried yet. We’re wingin’ it to see what we’ve got and to see if we can learn a thing or two,” Logano said. Today’s Sprint Cup Series test follows yesterday’s announcement that Logano will not complete the final three events of a previously-announced five-race Sprint Cup Series stretch with Hall of Fame (HOF) Racing. While he’ll yield the #96 seat to veteran Ken Schrader for the Oct. 11 event at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, the Oct. 18 race at Martinsville and the Nov. 2 clash at Texas, Logano will see Sprint Cup Series action in a #02 JGR machine at Atlanta Motor Speedway Oct. 26. “When things aren’t working right, you’ve got to make a change. We couldn’t pinpoint what was goin’ on. In the practice that was rained out at Richmond at least we were fast, so we’re going to back to that deal and we’ll try to go from there. I think I learned a lot in those (two Cup) races, but they were no where near the runs we were looking for. Personally, I’d like to race a lot better, so we cut a little of those (HOF) races back, but I think it was worth it. We’re going to run the No. 02 Home Depot Toyota in Atlanta and possibly a couple more races. I feel like I’m going to be in a really good car,” Logano said.(Kentucky Speedway PR)(10-1-2008)
Harvick tests in Ohio: #29-Kevin Harvick is driving laps in his Chevy Impala Monday at the Sandusky Speedway. Harvick and his crew are preparing for an upcoming Sprint Cup series race in Martinsville, Va. which has a track similar to the one in Sandusky. Craftsman Truck Series Champion Ron Hornaday, a driver with Kevin Harvick Inc., is also taking laps with Ricky Carmichael. Carmichael is a new member of the KHI truck series team. The drivers will be at the speedway again today [Tuesday], according to speedway owner Kevin Jaycox.(Sandusky Register)(10-1-2008) AND Kevin Harvick and the #29 Shell-Pennzoil Racing RCR team tested at the Sandusky (Ohio) Speedway on Monday and Tuesday of this week in preparation for the remaining seven races on the 2008 NSCS schedule.(RCR PR)(10-1-2008)
Ganassi testing at Milwaukee: The Sprint Cup Series team of Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sebates is testing at The Milwaukee Mile on Tues., Sept. 30 and Wed., Oct. 1. Tuesday's driving duties belong to Juan Pablo Montoya. On Wednesday, the team will have development/test driver Kevin Hamlin behind the wheel. Grandstands are open both days, free to public until 5:00 p.m. Enter Grandstand Gate 8, near center grandstand.(The Milwaukee Mile PR)(9-30-2008)
Testing at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Tues & Wed: Ticket holders for the Oct. 11 Bank of America 500 are invited to experience Sprint Cup Series testing from pit road on Tuesday, Sept. 23 and Wednesday, Sept. 24. More than 40 drivers are scheduled to participate in the test which runs from 1pm to 9pm with a break from 5pm to 6pm each day. Fans that purchase, or have purchased, a ticket to the Bank of America 500, can get a closer look at their favorite drivers and watch the teams work on their cars with access to bleachers set up behind pit road near victory circle. In addition, Lowe's Motor Speedway's frontstrech grandstands will be open to the general public for viewing free of charge. Gates open at 9am each day. Tuesday also marks the first day that all remaining 2009 tickets for the historic 50th running of the Coca-Cola 600 and the 25th running of the Sprint All-Star Race go on sale. The Lowe's Motor Speedway ticket office will be open extended hours from 9am to 9pm both Tuesday and Wednesday during testing. Additional information about tickets for all Lowe's Motor Speedway
events can be obtained by calling 1-800-455-FANS or online at www.lowesmotorspeedway.com.(9-19-2008)
Tire testing at Atlanta and Daytona UPDATE: Goodyear will test Daytona International Speedway with #6-David Ragan and #15-Paul Menard's Sprint Cup teams next Tuesday and Wednesday (Sept. 16-17). Goodyear's other scheduled tests looking ahead to the 2009 season include Indianapolis (Sept. 22-23 and Oct. 6-8) and Las Vegas (Dec. 10-11) other upcoming tests to confirm 2008 race recommendations include Atlanta (Sept. 16) and Homestead (Oct. 14)(Goodyear PR)(9-12-2008) AND the second Goodyear Tire Test at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2008 is scheduled for Tuesday, September 16 with #18-Kyle Busch, #28-Travis Kvapil and #66-Scott Riggs as the test drivers. In preparation for the upcoming Pep Boys Auto 500 on October 24-26 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company is conducting a second tire test to ensure the preeminent tire is ready. Busch, Kvapil and Riggs will return for the second tire test for Goodyear at the 1.54-mile track on September 16. The session is closed to the public.(AMS PR)(9-15-2008) UPDATE: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company returned to Atlanta Motor Speedway this week and tested to come up with a new right-side tire that will give Sprint Cup cars more grip when the series visits the track on October 24-26. Participating in the one-day test this Tuesday were the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (Kyle Busch), #28 Yates Racing Ford (Travis Kvapil) and #66 Haas-CNC Racing Chevy (Scott Riggs). Those teams were selected because they also participated in a tire test at Atlanta on July 21-22, and Goodyear engineers felt that bringing back the same teams and drivers would maintain continuity and build upon the results of the first test. Using the results from that prior test, Goodyear returned with several potential race combinations to evaluate, and chose the one that worked best. "The spring race at Atlanta was the first for the new car on this track, and many people felt we were too conservative in our tire selection," said Stu Grant, Goodyear's general manager of global racing. "We have returned to the track twice for testing since the race in order to develop a tire combination that provides a higher level of grip under race conditions. Based upon the data and driver feedback at the test this week, we believe that we've found a solid package for the fall race." Goodyear's new right side tire code (D-4188) will be paired with the same left-side code (D-4152) the tire supplier brought for the Cup cars to run at Atlanta this past March 7-9.
Goodyear has had a busy week of testing, not only visiting Atlanta but also holding a two-day session with the #6 Roush-Fenway Ford (David Ragan) and #15 Dale Earnhardt Incorporated Chevrolet (Paul Menard) at Daytona International Speedway on Tuesday and Wednesday. Upcoming still in 2008 are two tire tests at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Sept. 22-23 and Oct. 6-8) and one each at Homestead-Miami Speedway (Oct. 14) and Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Dec. 10-11).(Goodyear PR)(9-18-2008) Comment here
Ricky Carmichael to attempt ARCA 'Dega race UPDATE: Ricky Carmichael, a 10-time AMA national motocross champion from 1997 - 2006, will attempt to make his ARCA RE/MAX series debut at Talladega Superspeedway on Oct. 3. Carmichael, a rookie on the Camping World East Series this season for Ken Schrader Racing, has been entered into the event at the 2.66-mile speedway by Kevin Harvick Inc. With three top-5 finishes and six top-10's Carmichael, 28, is eighth in the Camping World East Series standings after 11 of 13 events this season.(Hartford Courant)(9-17-2008) UPDATE: Two Talladega rookies, Joey Logano and Ricky Carmichael, were at Talladega Superspeedway today as part of a two-day ARCA RE/MAX Series Open Test. While both drivers have extensive racing resumes, neither had tackled the high banks of Talladega until today. “It’s pretty fun, I’ve had a good time with it so far,” said Logano. “This is my first time doing superspeedway stuff. I did some Proving Grounds stuff with the Cup guys before, but that’s the only similar thing I’ve been through.”
“It’s pretty exciting,” said Carmichael. “Everyone was saying ‘oh we’re just doing single car runs this morning’ but it’s new for me. I’m having a good time. The guys at KHI (Kevin Harvick Inc.) are fast. I’m just enjoying it and trying to get as much seat time as I can.” Although Carmichael has competed at Daytona before, he says the 2.66-mile Talladega seems much larger than the 2.5-mile track in Florida. “My first thought when I came to Talladega was ‘wow this place is huge’. I couldn’t believe how much bigger it was, and I mean, I thought Daytona was big.” Both drivers are expected to compete in the Oct. 3rd ARCA RE/MAX Series 250 at Talladega.(TSS PR)(9-17-2008) Comment here
Testing at Kentucky Speedway on Tuesday: Four NASCAR teams involved in the Chase for the Sprint Cup are scheduled to test at Kentucky Speedway Tuesday, Sept. 16. The #88 Hendrick Motorsports team of fourth-seeded Dale Earnhardt, Jr., is expected to join the #24 team of 10th-seeded stable mate Jeff Gordon [with Brad Keselowski driving]. The #20 team of Tony Stewart is expected to join its Joe Gibbs Racing partner #11 team of Denny Hamlin. David Stremme is expected to turn laps with his new Penske Racing #06 team. Hamlin is the #6 Chase seed and Stewart is seeded eighth. Specific test drivers and media availability are to be determined. Fans can view testing from the designated area outside the Kentucky Speedway Fan Center in Turn 3 for free. Tests usually begin at 9:00 a.m. and end at 5:00 p.m. Times will vary based on team goals.(Kentucky Speedway PR)(9-15-2008)
Speed to test at LMS in 3rd Red Bull car: Red Bull development driver Scott Speed will turn laps in the Sprint Cup Series open test at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on September 23 – 24. Speed will drive the #82 Red Bull Toyota under the watch of NASCAR officials who will assess his ability to participate in future Cup races. “I’ve really enjoyed testing and working with Red Bull’s Cup team,” said Speed. “They’re a very professional group and they operate at level that’s much closer to what I’m used to, so it’s nice to be a part of that. I like driving the Sprint Cup car too because I can feel the car better and its much more sensitive to my input. I haven’t driven it in traffic yet though, so that will probably be a very different experience!” Speed will test alongside teammates #83-Brian Vickers and #84-AJ Allmendinger. Rumors surfaced that Speed had already been privately testing a Sprint Cup car. We [Red Bull Racing] can confirm - those rumors were true. Speed tested at both Nashville Superspeedway and Kentucky Motor Speedway. During the 2008 season, Speed has been running a full-time ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule under the wing of Eddie Sharp Racing, earning four wins to date. Speed has also been logging seat time in the Craftsman Truck Series with Bill Davis Racing, earning his first Truck win at Dover. Scott Speed on Lowe’s Motor Speedway: “I raced at Lowe’s earlier this year in the Truck Series, so I’m in a good position to test the Sprint Cup car since I’m familiar with the track. The track itself is nice to drive on because the two corners are very different. Lowe’s is a track that has character too. It’s not a cookie cutter track so I enjoy racing on it a bit more than some of the others. It will be good to see where we stack up against everyone else, since there are so many good teams that will also be testing.”(Red Bull Racing PR)(9-8-2008) Comment here
Kyle Busch testing at Milwaukee: In preparation for the first race in the Chase at Loudon, NH this weekend, Sprint Cup Series point leader Kyle Busch is testing his #18 M&M's Toyota today, Monday, September 8 at The Milwaukee Mile. Grandstands are open today, free to public until 5:00 p.m. Enter Grandstand Gate 8, near center grandstand.(Milwaukee Mile PR)(9-8-2008)
Johnson testing at Nashville: After his win Sunday afternoon at Richmond, #48-Jimmie Johnson rolled into the Nashville Superspeedway this morning [9/8] at 10am for a team test. Johnson will be in Nashville for a one-day test.(Nashville Superspeedway PR), no word if the test is open to the public.(9-8-2008)
Kentucky testing Tues-Wed: Three Sprint Cup teams are scheduled to test at the Kentucky Speedway on Tuesday [9/9]: #8-Aric Almirola for DEI and an un-named driver for the R&D Test team of Haas CNC Racing; and on Wednesday [9/10]: the R&D Test team of the #21Wood Brothers Racing team with no driver listed. Fans can watch from the Turn 3 Fan Center at no charge. Schedule subject to change daily. Test times vary.(Kentucky Speedway site)(9-8-2008)
More testing at Milwaukee UPDATE: Three Sprint Cup Series teams are testing, Tuesday, September 2 at The Milwaukee Mile. On track until 5pm are Penske Racing with driver David Stremme, Hendrick Motorsports with Casey Mears and Ganassi Racing with Juan Pablo Montoya. Grandstands are open, free to public until 5:00 p.m. Enter Grandstand Gate 8, near center grandstand.(The Milwaukee Mile)(9-2-2008)
UPDATE: The Sprint Cup Series teams of Penske Racing with David Stremme and Ganassi Racing with Juan Pablo Montoya are testing today, Wednesday, September 3, at The Milwaukee Mile. Grandstands are open, free to public until 5:00 p.m. Enter Grandstand Gate 8, near center grandstand.(PR)(9-3-2008)
Kentucky testing today: Three Sprint Cup teams are scheduled to test at the Kentuckt Speedway today [8/27]: all with their R&D Test team - Michael Waltrip Racing; David Stremme with Penske Racing; and Brad Keselowski with Hendrick Motorsports. Fans can watch from the Turn 3 Fan Center at no charge. Schedule subject to change daily. Test times vary.(Kentucky Speedway site)(8-27-2008)
Logano tests in FL: Joey Logano, who was named Monday as Tony Stewart's 2009 replacement in the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, tested at New Smyrna Speedway on Tuesday with his future team. Logano is expected to make his first Sprint Cup start next weekend at Richmond [in the #02 Home Depot Toyota.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(8-27-2008)
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Testing at Milwaukee today: DEI is among the Sprint Cup Series teams testing today, Tuesday, August 26 at The Milwaukee Mile. Wisconsin native #15-Paul Menard and teammates #01-Regan Smith and #8-Aric Almirola are testing today. Joining them are 'Cup teams Richard Childress Racing and driver #29-Kevin Harvick, Haas Automation with #66-Scott Riggs and Hendrick Motorspors with #88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Grandstands open, free to public until 5:00 p.m. Enter Grandstand Gate 8, near center grandstand.(The Milwaukee Mile PR)(8-26-2008)
Blaney to test at Gateway: The #22 Bill Davis Racing team and driver Dave Blaney plans to spend two days testing at Gateway International Raceway in St. Louis, Mo., next week before heading to California. The team spent several days testing at that
facility last week as well.(BDR PR)(8-20-2008)
Testing at Milwaukee: Roush Fenway Racing will be testing multiple Sprint Cup Series cars at The Milwaukee Mile Tuesday, August 19 and Wednesday, August 20. Drivers on Tuesday are David Ragan, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards. Matt Kenseth will be testing his Cup car on Wednesday only. Wisconsin native Kenseth is returning to race at The Mile to race this Sunday (with Kyle Busch) in the "Wisconsin All-Star 100 with Matt Kenseth" ASAMT super late model event this Sunday, August 24. There are four divisions of stock car racing August 22-24 on The Mile's Governor's Cup weekend. Grandstands open both days of testing, free to public until 5:00pm. Enter Grandstand Gate 8, near center grandstand.(Milwaukee Mile)(8-19-2008)
Testing at Gateway: been told that #18-Kyle Busch- and #22-Blaney) are scheduled to test on Tuesday and Wednesday [8/12-13] at Gateway International Raceway. The testing is closed to the public.(8-10-2008) UPDATE: also testing is Michael Annett in a Bill Davis Racing Cup car.(8-12-2008)
Testing at Kentucky: Cup teams are scheduled to test at Kentucky Speedway Monday [8/11], including #1-Truex Jr., #8-Almirola, #01-Smith, R&D/Bob Schact Motorsports [ARCA?]; on Tuesday [8/12]the R&D Test teams of Richard Childress Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing and Gillett Evernham Motorsports are scheduled, no drivers posted for those. Fans can watch from the Turn 3 Fan Center at no charge. Schedule subject to change daily. Test times vary.(Kentucky Speedway)(8-11-2008)
Nemechek tests in Colorado: Joe Nemechek was in Pueblo Monday afternoon testing the #78 Furniture Row Chevy for Sunday's Sprint Cup road course race at Watkins Glen International. There's a 2.2-mile road course at Pueblo Motor Sports Park and Nemechek tested there before this season's earlier road race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA. Nemechek qualified 24th at Sonoma and finished 26th in the race. "We did it before we went to Sonoma and we qualified good and ran good there," team manager Joe Garone said. " What Joe liked about it was No. 1 he was able to test the same week. If you go to VIR (Virginia International Raceway) and those other places you have to do it the week before. That's tough for us because of travel." Garone explained what the team hopes to gain by testing at Pueblo Motorsports Park. "It tells you whether your car is in the ball park or not," Garone said. " It's not exactly the same obviously but it's enough to tell if the brakes work, the steering works and it drives well or not. It's what we call a functions test to see if all the functions of the car are working right. You don't do a setup on the car because you don't race there but it still gives you some good direction."(Rocky Mountain News)(8-6-2008) Comment here
Bowyer tests at Nashville: #07-Clint Bowyer and the RCR Jack Daniel's team tested at Nashville Superspeedway on Tuesday, July 29 in an effort to fine-tune their mile-and-a-half program.(RCR PR)(7-30-2008)
Kurt Busch testing and Road Atlanta UPDATE 2: In preparation for the Aug. 10 return to road course racing at Watkins Glen, N.Y., Kurt Busch, Pat Tryson, and crew are scheduled to be testing at Road Atlanta Tuesday (7/29/08). "We like Road Atlanta because it offers a layout that pretty much covers it all," Pat said of the the 2.54-mile road course located in Braselton, Georgia. "It has the 'esses' and 12 turns, including one that runs downhill."(Penske Racing PR)(7-24-2008) UPDATE: Kevin Harvick and the #29 Shell-Pennzoil Racing team are testing at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga., on Tuesday and Wednesday [July 29-30] of this week in preparation for the Centurion Boats at the Glen on August 10th.(RCR PR) AND been told others are testing, including: #01-Ron Fellows, #1-Truex, #5-Mears, #6-Ragan, #7-Gordon, #8-Almirola, #9-Kahne, #10-Carpentier, #15-Menard, #21-Ambrose, #24-Hendrick, #31-Burton, #42-Montoya, #43-Labonte, #45-Petty, #48-Johsnon, #60-Said, #77-Hornish, #96-Brad Coleman/PJ Jones. Also NNS teams #17 Roush and #40-Franchitti.(7-29-2008) UPDATE 2: Testing at Road Atlanta was delayed approximately an hour Tuesday after Elliott Sadler crashed hard into a barrier. Sadler was not injured. The hit was so hard the front suspension was pushed up near the firewall. It was not immediately known if something broke on his car. Nearly two dozen teams turned laps preparing for next week.(PRN's Garage Pass Radio Show)(7-30-2008)
Three drivers participate in day one of Goodyear Tire Test at Atlanta: UPDATE: #18-Kyle Busch, along with #66-Scott Riggs and #28-Travis Kvapil, hit the pavement Monday to test combinations of tire compounds and set ups for Goodyear. With two full days of testing, Goodyear is working to ensure the ideal tire for October's race. "I think it will be a lot better direction than what Goodyear had here in the spring. They came here and tried to be cautious with the tire," said Steve Addington, crew chief for the #18 team, referring to noted tire shortcomings during the Kobalt Tools 500. "Now, they've seen what they needed to see and that's the reason we're down here, to try to help them get the tire to where fans will see better racing.(Atlanta Motor Speedway PR)(7-22-2008) UPDATE: Kyle Busch, along with Cup Series drivers Travis Kvapil and Scott Riggs, each participated in the second and final day of tire testing by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Busch, testing in a fully-decaled #18 M&M's Toyota, posted a best lap of 180.662 mph (30.69 seconds). Riggs was the fastest of the group in his red and gray primer Chevrolet with a Haas CNC logo on the hood as he reached 180.994 mph (30.63 seconds), while Kvapil's primer white, decal-free Yates Racing Ford hit 175.101 mph (31.66 seconds).(Atlanta Motor Speedway PR)(7-23-2008) Comment here
Testing at Kentucky this week: Sprint Cup teams are scheduled to test this week at Kentucky Speedway. On Monday, 7/21 the Penske R& D team will be at the track. On Tuesday, 7/22 it's R&D teams for Hendrick Motorsports, Penske, and Dale Earnhardt, Inc. On Wednesday, 7/23, Hendrick Motorsports continues. Fans can watch from the Turn 3 Fan Center at no charge. Schedule subject to change daily. Test times vary.(Kentucky Speedway)(7-21-2008) UPDATE: Also testing on Wednesday, 7/23 will be the Michael Waltrip Racing R&D team.(Kentucky Speedway)(7-22-2008)
Hendrick tests at Rockingham: The Hendrick Motorsports test team was at Rockingham Speedway on Thursday with Brad Kesolowski driving.(Rockinghmam Speedway PR)(7-18-2008)
Testing at Nashville: Beginning a two day practice at the Nashville Superspeedway Tuesday were the test teams of Chip Ganassi Racing with drivers Bryan Clauson and Kevin Hamlin, Gillette Evernham Motorsports with Chase Miller, Petty Enterprises with Chad McCumbee, and Richard Childress Racing.(PRNs Garage Pass)(7-15-2008)
Testing at Milwaukee: Michael McDowell and Josh Wise are testing Monday at the Milwaukke Mile for Michael Waltrip Racing. Grandstands are open, free to public to watch from the grandstands, enter at Gate 8.(Milwaukee Mile PR)(7-14-2008)
NASCAR testing proposal gives 24 tests to each organization: NASCAR handed teams a draft of a new testing policy Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway. The sanctioning body will take more input from teams before finalizing it. The proposal gives each organization 24 test days at tracks where the Sprint Cup teams compete, with a maximum of two cars per test. All of the team’s drivers can test, but no driver can test for a team for which he does not drive. New teams would get test days depending on how much they race. There is typically a week blackout period before a race and a blackout period from Nov. 1 through Jan. 15. The Daytona tests will remain and not be included. There is no rookie provision.(SceneDaily.com)(7-13-2008) Comment here
Testing this week at Kentucky: Sprint Cup teams are scheduled to test this week at Kentukcy Speedway, the teams scheduled on Monday 7/7: #12-Newman, #77-Hornish Jr. and the R&D Test team of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. On Tuesday 7/8: #18-Kyle Busch; #11-Hamlin, #22-Michael Annett in for Blaney, #5-Mears, R&D Test Hall of Fame Racing, R&D Test of DEI, R&D Test of Michael Waltrip Racing and Brad Keselowski in a R&D Test team for Hendrick Motorsports. On Wednesday 7/9: #22-Michael Annett in for Blaney, J.J. Yeley and Brad Coleman for Hall of Fame Racing; R&D Test team of DEI and the R&D Test team of Michael Waltrip Racing. Fans can watch from the Turn 3 Fan Center at no charge. Schedule subject to change daily. Test times vary.(Kentucky Speedway site and Team PR's)(7-7-2008)
Testing at Kentucky: a few R&D team are testing at Kentucky Speedway today, July 2nd. Penske Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates [says with Stremme but he is a test driver for Penske] and Haas CNC Racing. Fans can watch from the Turn 3 Fan Center at no charge. Schedule subject to change daily. Test times vary.(Kentucky Speedway site)(7-2-2008)
Testing at Carolina Motorsports Park: Ron Fellows with JR Motorsports was doing a private test at Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, SC on June 30 & July 1.(7-2-2008)
Elliott testing #21 at Nashville; Wood to run Daytona: Wood Brothers Racing is set to test Nashville Superspeedway on Wednesday, July 2nd. Coming off of a strong performance in Sonoma, the team experienced disappointment last weekend when they did not make the race in New Hampshire. The #21 team and driver Marcos Ambrose found that the Little Debbie #21 Ford did not respond to any changes that were made and the handling issues persisted during the practice sessions and qualifying on Friday afternoon.
Driver Marcos Ambrose stated that after such a fantastic run at Infineon, not making the race was disheartening. He said, “It’s really disappointing. I just feel bad for the Wood Brothers. I’ve had limited experience in the COT and we just didn’t roll off the truck that great and I haven’t had enough experience to really give them direction to tune on it. I tried as hard as I could there, but it just wasn’t to be.”
Taking a proactive stance, the team and Bill Elliott will be testing a new car at Nashville. Ford Racing Engineer, Dave Cimba, commented on the team’s goals for the test, “It was time to put that [New Hampshire] chassis away and start from scratch. We believed that we had fixed previous issues, but it wasn’t the case, new issues would develop, so it’s time to cut it down and start over. The goal of this test is to make things better on the cars week in and week out and to try new ideas that will make performance and handling better overall. Bill [Elliott] is the best candidate to drive because he’s been in the #21 for most of the season and can give us good feedback for tracks that we race on similar to Nashville [Superspeedway]. As we test new ideas and find that they work we will incorporate them into the rotation of the fleet of cars that we have built.” The team also plans to step up the testing program for the rest of the season on intermediate tracks where the most improvement is needed. Wood Brothers Racing will head to Daytona International Speedway for July 4th weekend in the patriotic #21 U.S. Air Force Ford Fusion with Jon Wood once again behind the wheel for the Coke Zero 400 on July 5th.(Wood Brothers Racing PR)(7-1-2008) Comment here
NASCAR considering open testing policy: John Darby, NASCAR's Sprint Cup director, had a nice surprise for the series crew chiefs Saturday, offering them the opportunity to guide the sanctioning organization in setting next year's testing policy. "NASCAR's the policy-maker, but one thing that's really reliant on the teams' input is what we test, how many times we test and where we test," Darby said after a brief meeting with the crew chiefs in the garage area at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. "In the past, it's just been a matter of, 'Here, select your race tracks and let's go.' This year, I felt it was time that we just sat down with everybody and talked and said, 'Look, we're open to any suggestions you have,' from leaving our testing policy exactly like it was in '08, all the way to going to what I'm going to call wide-open testing, no limits -- any track, any week, any time, as many times as you want to go. We're prepared for either way, it doesn't matter to us. We'll listen to what all of the teams come back with for suggestions and formulate a test plan for '09 and go forward." Darby said his offer was met with some disbelief from the assembled crew chiefs. "There was a pretty good gasp of air when you got to talking about wide-open testing because the immediate perception is, 'Holy cats, we're going to be testing 38 weeks a year,' " he said. NASCAR officially allowed seven open tests this season at tracks where the Cup teams race. The teams can also opt to hold private tests as often as they like at tracks where the Cup cars do not race. Darby said he expects the crew chiefs to go back to their teams and talk to the owners and others in their organizations to come up with their own ideas.(ESPN/Associated Press)(6-29-2008) Comment here
Testing at Kentucky: Jeff Gordon turned his first test laps at Kentucky Speedway today attempting to create the elusive balance between speed and comfort in his #24
Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Gillett Evernham Motorsports driver #19-Elliott Sadler and DEI's #01-Regan Smith also turned test laps this afternoon.(Kentucky Speedway PR)(6-24-2008)
Testing at Nashville: David Stremme for Team Penske, Brad Coleman for Hall of Fame Racing, and Tim Fedewa for Red Bull Racing held a closed test at the Nashville Superspeedway on Tuesday, June 24, 2008. David Stremme hit the wall in turn three half way through the test session but was not injured. Penske did not test the remainder of the
test session. Hall of Fame Racing and Red Bull Racing are expected to test Wednesday.(Nashville Superspeedway PR)(6-24-2008)
Testing at Milwaukee today: Penske Racing's #12-Ryan Newman and #2-Kurt Busch, Ganassi Racing's #41-Reed Sorenson testing today, Tuesday, June 24 at The Milwaukee Mile. Grandstands will be open free to the public between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.(The Milwaukee Mile)(6-24-2008)
Many teams testing at Kentucky UPDATE: on Tuesday June 17th and Wednesday, June 18th, many Sprint Cup and NNS teams are scheduled to test at Kentucky Speedway, including R&D Test teams of Michael Waltrip Racing, Gillett Evernham Motorsports, Hendrick Motorsports [Landon Cassill] and Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates; Joey Logano in the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing/Gamestop Toyota; Scott Wimmer in the #29 Holiday Inn RCR Chevy Chevy, #43-Bobby Labonte for Petty Enterprises, #45-Chad McCumbee for Petty Enterprises. Fans can watch from the Turn 3 Fan Center at no charge. Schedule subject to change daily. Test times vary.(Kentucky Speedway site)(6-17-2008) UPDATE: Drivers testing at Kentucky Speedway on Tuesday were Clint Bowyer, A.J. Allmendinger, Bobby Labonte, Joey Logano, Michael McDowell, David Reutimann, Reed Sorenson and Michael Waltrip.(Kentucky Speedway PR)(6-18-2008)
Testing at Nashville:Nashville Superspeedway hosted Richard Childress Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing Tuesday, June 10. Hendrick Motorsports will test at the track Wednesday. David Green will test the 24 car on the 1.33 mile concrete track.(NSS PR)(6-11-2008)
Cup Series Drivers Complete Test at Infineon Raceway: Six Sprint Cup Series drivers completed a one-day test session on Tuesday at Infineon Raceway in advance of the Toyota/Save Mart 350, June 20-22. For one of the drivers, it was a return to familiar surroundings, albeit in a different type of racecar. #77-Sam Hornish Jr. posted a career-best finish of fifth in three IndyCar Series starts in the Sonoma Valley. Getting behind the wheel of a NASCAR stock car may be a different story. "I've driven around this track before, but I've never seen this track configuration, so it's different," said Hornish, who tested in a Penske Racing Nationwide Series car. "Any track that I really liked in IndyCar, I don't seem to like in the stock car, so I'm trying to treat this like I'm coming out here for the first time. We'll see if that helps." Other drivers at the test included: #28-Travis Kvapil; #21-Marcos Ambrose; #96-J.J. Yeley; #6-David Ragan; and #38-David Gilliland. Yeley, Ragan, Ambrose and Kvapil tested in GT America stock cars supplied by Pioneer Motorsports out of Lake Oroville (outside Sacramento), while Gilliland piloted a NASCAR Camping World Series West car. For Ambrose, it was the first time he stepped foot on the Sonoma Valley facility. He is a regular in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Unlike Ambrose, Gilliland has had plenty of success at Infineon Raceway, winning the NASCAR Southwest Series event in 2004, and the Camping World Series West race in 2007. Gilliland's NASCAR Cup debut also came in Sonoma in 2006. For ticket information on the Toyota/Save Mart 350, June 20-22, call 800-870-RACE or visit www.infineonraceway.com.(Infineon Raceway PR)(6-11-2008)
Testing at Milwaukee: Sprint Cup teams are scheduled to be testing at The Milwaukee Mile Tuesday June 10, Wednesday June 11, Thursday, June 12 and Friday, June 13. Free admission to grandstands for spectators between 9am and 5pm daily. Teams anticipated during Tuesday’s test include Hendrick Motorsports [Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Casey Mears], Richard Childress Racing [Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton], Roush Fenway Racing [Carl Edwards, David Ragan, Colin Braun], Bill Davis Racing [Michael Annett, Dave Blaney] and Haas CNC Racing [Johnny Sauter, Scott Riggs]. Among the expected teams to test through Friday of this week on various days include Team Red Bull, Petty Enterprises and Dale Earnhardt, Inc. These teams may elect to bring in test drivers rather than the well-known ‘Cup Series stars, and some drivers MAY NOT be driving/in attendance. There will be access to fans in the grandstands only. All activities subject to change without notice.(The Milwaukee Mile PR)(6-10-2008)
Cup Drivers Scheduled to test at Infineon Raceway: Six Sprint Cup Series drivers are scheduled to visit Infineon Raceway on Tuesday, June 10, for a one-day
test session. NASCAR drivers expected to attend the test day include #96-J.J. Yeley, #77-Sam Hornish Jr., #6-David Ragan, #38-David Gilliland, #28-Travis Kvapil and #21-Marcos Ambrose. Most of the drivers will test the challenging 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course in late-model stock cars provided by a Northern California-based race team. Testing runs from 8:30am - 4:30pm/pt and is open to the public, FREE of charge. For more information call 800-870-RACE. Several NASCAR Camping World Series West teams and drivers are also
expected at the test session, including Bennett Lane Winery drivers Mike David and P.J. Jones, Fairfield's Jim Inglebright and drivers from Bill McAnally Racing out of Sacramento. These teams are preparing for the Bennett Lane Winery 200, presented by Supercuts, on Saturday, June 21. The drivers will return for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR weekend,
June 20-22, at Infineon Raceway. For tickets, call 800-870-RACE or visit www.infineonraceway.com.(Infineon Raceway)(6-7-2008)
Blaney testing in Milwaukee next week: #22 Bill Davis Racing team and driver Dave Blaney has scheduled a two-day test at the Milwaukee Mile for next Tuesday and Wednesday [June 10-11].(BDR PR)(6-5-2008)
Menard testing at VIR: #15-Paul Menard and his Menards/Dale Earnhardt Inc. team will test today at Virginia International Raceway in preparation for this month's race at Infineon Raceway. In addition to today's test, Menard participated in a one day test session at the track in April where the driver of the #15 Menards Chevrolet piloted a late-model around the 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course.(Co-Pilott Motorsports Marketing)(6-4-2008)
Testing at Road Atlanta: Robby Gordon has earned a reputation for being one of NASCAR's dominant road racers. To make sure that his #7 Dodge matches his driver skills in the upcoming road course events, the Robby Gordon Motorsports team headed to Road Atlanta on Wednesday for the first of two road course tests scheduled this season.
After just two runs through the course, Gordon was very satisfied with the performance of his race car. "This thing is fast. We can load it up," Gordon stated. Fellow Dodge driver Patrick Carpentier also took a spin in the #7 and stated that it was "very smooth and predictable." After a total of 50 laps, Gordon's times were more competitive than the eight other teams on the track that day, including cars from Roush Fenway Racing (#16,#17,#99), Gillett Evernham Motorsports, and Michael Waltrip Racing. Gordon will make one more road course test before heading west to Sonoma, California to master Infineon Raceway.(RGM PR)(5-23-2008)
DEI testing road course: been told that Dale Earnhardt Inc [DEI] is testing today [May 20th] at Carolina Motorsports Park with drivers Ron Fellows and #15-Paul Menard. No word if Fellows will drive for DEI at Infineon Racway or Watkins Glen for DEI.(5-20-2008)
VIR Stock Car Road Race Tests Open to Fans: Fans of stock cars and road racing are invited to attend the Stock Car Open Test Day at VIRginia International Raceway on June 3. “Last year’s test attracted over two dozen cars over two thousand fans,” stated track general manager Josh Lief. “Our guests and the teams all had a good time and we intend to continue this tradition.” Tickets to the spectator areas are available at the gate and only $10. Teams testing last year included Hendrick, Joe Gibbs, Evernham and others. Teams use the VIR North Course in preparing cars and drivers for the Sprint Cup Series races in California [Infineon Raceway] and New York [Watkins Glen]. Nationwide Series teams test at VIR as well, and these teams are invited to attend. Fans who attend the Stock Car Open Test day will be eligible for rides in the VIR Volkswagen R32 Pace Cars at the end of the day or at lunch if time permits. Food and VIR souvenirs will also be available. VIRginia International Raceway is a multi-purpose road racing facility, located on the Dan River between Danville and South Boston, Virginia. Reopened in 2000, VIR hosts a wide range professional and amateur auto and motorcycle racing and track events, and is well established as “America’s Motorsport Resort.” In addition to its historic 3.27 mile natural-terrain road racing circuit, VIR is the cornerstone of VIR Club, America's first motorsports country club; the VIR Raceplex Industrial Park and Motorsports Technology Park, which includes the Virginia Institute for Performance Engineering and Research (“VIPER”); the Plantation Valley Kart Track, a 5/8 mile paved natural terrain karting circuit; an expanding variety of on-site lodging (including 45 hotel rooms and the trackside Villas which are for sale); Camp Motorsport for enthusiasts of all ages; and the Oak Tree Tavern, a full-service restaurant located within the circa-1840 Plantation Clubhouse. For information on the track and other event schedules, call 434-822-7700 or check our web site at www.virclub.com.(VIR PR)(5-16-2008)
Tire testing at Daytona: Goodyear tire has a scheulded tire testing session for the 50th annual Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola on Saturday, July 5 ay Daytona International Speedway on Tuesday, May 13th and Wednesday, May 14, 2008. Drivers expected to participate in the test are #26-Jamie McMurray (Ford), #84-Mike Skinner (Toyota) and #19-Elliott Sadler (Dodge). No Chevy team is scheduled to test.(DIS)(5-12-2008)
Stewart tests at New Smyrna: Joe Gibbs Racing development driver Joey Logano was down to test two days including Wednesday at New Smyrna Speedway [FL]. #20-Tony Stewart arrived Wednesday morning and spent most of the day in his ride testing various setups and parts as the team prepared for Saturday night's 400-mile race at Richmond International Speedway. "Since they paved it we can come down and run 40, 50, 60 laps, and it doesn't seem like the sun affects it that much," said Greg Zipadelli, Stewart's longtime crew chief. "We just come down to put new parts on the car, run them, trying to get some driver feedback and some data. You look for a place that doesn't change a lot with the sun and the temperature. We've got a good short-track tire that we race at Richmond and with that it seems like it works pretty good on the surface here. We feel like we get decent data back." Logano, who will drive in the ARCA Series race for Billy Venturini this weekend at Rockingham, turned 130 laps on Tuesday, but turned the ride over to Stewart on Wednesday. The 17-year-old Logano has been biding his time until he turns 18 on May 24, so he can make his first of 18 NASCAR Nationwide starts this year May 31 at Dover.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(5-2-2008)
Testing Sessions Set for NASCAR at LMS: Testing sessions for NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series teams have been scheduled at Lowe's Motor Speedway in preparation for the track's calendar of May races, including the May 17 Sprint All-Star Race and the May 25 Coca-Cola 600. Each division will participate in a two-day testing session with a third day reserved in case of rain.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series May 5-6; May 7 Rain Date
7:00 a.m. Garage Opens
9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. On-Track Testing
12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Lunch Break
1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. On-Track Testing
5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Dinner Break
6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. On-Track Testing
9:30 p.m. Garage Closes
NASCAR Nationwide Series May 12-13; May 14 Rain Date
11:00 a.m. Garage Opens
1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. On-Track Testing
5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Dinner Break
6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. On-Track Testing
9:30 p.m. Garage Closes
During each testing session, Lowe's Motor Speedway's frontstretch grandstand will be open free of charge and fans should enter through Gate 5A, located next to the main ticket office.(LMS)(5-2-2008)
Edwards Tests in Iowa: Carl Edwards already owns three Sprint Cup Series wins this season, but continues to look beyond the immediate horizon. This weekend, Talladega. Next weekend, Richmond. So it made sense for the #99-Roush Fenway Racing driver to conduct a closed test today at Iowa Speedway in Newton, a 7/8-mile asphalt track similar in terms of specifications to Richmond.(Des Moines Register)(4-24-2008) Comment here
Testing at Nashville: Nashville Superspeedway is scheduled to host two days of testing on Tuesday, April 22 and Wednesday, April 23. Tentative teams and drivers scheduled: Chip Ganassi Racing [two cars, no drivers named]; #12-Ryan Newman/Penske Racing; #24-Jeff Gordon; Richard Childress Racing with #31-Jeff Burton and a test team; #20-Joe Gibbs Racing [driver TBD]; DEI with #01-Regan Smith (Tuesday Only); #43-Bobby Labonte of Petty Enterprises; Haas/CNC Racing with #66-Scott Riggs and #70 driver TBD. The test is not open to the public.(Nashville Superspeedway)(4-22-2008) Comment here
Pocono test sched revised again: Pocono Raceway officials, at the direction of NASCAR, announced a second revision to the on track schedule for the two day Sprint Cup Series test at Pocono Raceway on May 27-28, 2008. The test, which is open to the public, is now scheduled to be run on Tuesday May 27 from 12:30 PM to 7:00 PM and Wednesday May 28 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Grandstand gates will be open to spectators one hour prior to the start time of the test each day. This important test will be the first opportunity NASCAR teams will have to test the new Sprint Cup Series race car at Pocono Raceway. Approximately 50 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams are expected to attend. 2008 Pocono NASCAR ticket holders will be eligible to receive up to four (4) FREE tickets to the test session. A mail-in coupon for the test and additional information will be sent to all ticket holders who purchase their NASCAR race tickets prior to May 9, 2008. Fans who are not current ticket holders for either of Pocono Raceway's 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series or ARCA Re/Max Series events will be able to purchase test tickets for $5.00 each by calling the Pocono Raceway Ticket Office at 1-800-RACEWAY (1-800-722-3929), online at poconoraceway.com or tickets can be purchased at the Pocono Raceway Gate 8 Ticket Booth each day of the testing. Tickets for the Pocono 500 weekend, June 6-8, 2008 and the Pennsylvania 500 weekend, August 1-3, 2008 are still available but are selling fast. For more test day information or to order race tickets, call the Raceway ticket office toll-free at 1-800-RACEWAY (1-800-722-3929) or online at www.poconoraceway.com.(4-19-2008) Comment here
Water closes Kentucky Speedway: Soggy conditions below ground, however, left Kentucky Speedway track workers dealing with water seeping onto portions of the 1.5-mile track that led to the cancellation Tuesday of a scheduled ARCA RE/MAX Series test session. Track officials reacted swiftly and announced that the track will be closed to any on-track testing for at least the next two weeks. "We want to make sure it's safe for the race car drivers and the teams," Kentucky Speedway spokesman Tim Bray said. "We're taking a proactive approach to it. We have everybody's interests in mind. The track is fine. There's just been so much water that we just need to make sure that what's under the track is dried out." The snow and rain that have flooded parts of the region since February is being blamed. Track workers spent several hours Tuesday trying to dry the surface and concentrated their efforts on problem spots in Turns 3 and 4. Thirteen ARCA RE/MAX Series drivers were at the track Tuesday. The speedway will open its 2008 season with the ARCA RE/MAX Series May 10. "The test session will not be rescheduled, based on our schedule, what we're looking at ahead here," ARCA RE/MAX Series spokesman Don Radebaugh said. The temporary shutdown comes as nine Sprint Cup teams were scheduled to spend today [Wednesday] testing their cars at the speedway. Joe Gibbs Racing, Penske Racing, Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Gillett Evernham Motorsports, which tried to test last week at the track but could not because of the seepage, were among those scheduled. "We're monitoring it and want to make sure we're ready when the bell rings," Bray said. "Today was just unfortunate. It's not a huge deal because we're aware of it, and we are taking every step to make sure it's ready to go when we go racing."(Cincinnati Enquirer)(4-16-2008) Comment here
Sprint Cup Series Test Session Added for Lowe's Motor Speedway: NASCAR announced the addition of a Sprint Cup Series test session May 5-6 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. On May 5 practice times are set from 9am – 12 noon; 1pm – 5pm; and 6pm – 9pm. On May 6 practice times are set from 9am – 12 noon and 1pm – 5pm. Teams may test a maximum of four of those five practice segments. NASCAR visited with the teams this past weekend at Phoenix about the possibility of adding a test to further prepare for the remaining 17 events the series has at intermediate tracks the rest of the season, including next month’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The extra test gives the series seven sanctioned test sessions this year, the same number the teams had in 2007. “We received input from the teams last weekend at Phoenix and a vast majority of them were receptive to adding a test next month at Lowe’s,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR Vice President of Competition. “We always strive to work with the teams and do what is in the best interest of the competitors. We have 17 events ahead of us on intermediate tracks and the additional test allows the teams the opportunity to learn more about the new car, work on their setups and adjustments, and apply that information to these future races.”(NASCAR PR)(4-15-2008) Comment here
Almirola, Menard, Smith Test at Infineon Raceway: Three DEI drivers visited Infineon Raceway on Wednesday to hone their skills on the challenging 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course. #8-Aric Almirola, #01-Regan Smith and #15-Paul Menard came to the track for a one-day test session before the Toyota/Save Mart 350 Sprint Cup Series event in the Sonoma Valley, June 20-22. The drivers piloted GT America stock cars supplied by Pioneer Motorsports out of Lake Oroville. They were coached by road-course veteran Chris Cook and completed approximately 100 laps combined in the full-day test. Smith is the only driver among the three with any Cup Series race experience at Infineon Raceway. He finished 30th in last year's event. Almirola, who shares driving duties with veteran Mark Martin in the #8 U.S. Army Chevy, is currently in his second partial season of Sprint Cup Series competition. This marked his first visit to the Sonoma Valley road course. "This track is tough, but it's fun," said Almirola. "The elevation changes and blind turns make it really difficult. It's definitely something different." Cook said all of the drivers took well to the road course, and he enjoyed working with all three teammates. "I think Aric was most focused being his first time here, and he made big gains by the end of the day," said Cook. "Paul and Regan were a lot more disciplined with the track, and we worked on shifting points and
braking points." For ticket information on the Toyota/Save Mart 350, June 20-22, call 800-870-RACE or visit www.infineonraceway.com.(Infineon Raceway)(4-10-2008)
Almirola, Menard to Test at Infineon: Sprint Cup Series drivers #8-Aric Almirola and #15-Paul Menard will come to Infineon Raceway on Wednesday, April 9, for a one-day test session. Almirola, who shares driving duties with veteran Mark Martin in the #8 U.S. Army Chevy, has never competed on the Sonoma Valley road course in the Sprint Cup Series. Neither has Menard, who drives the #15 Menards Chevy. Almirola and Menard are expected to test the challenging 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course in late-model stock cars provided by a Northern California-based race team. They will be coached by road-course veteran Chris Cook, who has also worked with NASCAR drivers David Reutimann,
Johnny Sauter and AJ Allmendinger. Both will return for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR weekend, June 20-22, at Infineon Raceway. For tickets, call 800-870-RACE or visit
www.infineonraceway.com.(Infineon Raceway)(4-7-2008) Comment here
Sprint Cup Series testing at Kentucky Speedway: some Sprint Cup drivers are scheduled to test at Kentucky Speedway on Wednesday, April 2 Infield, including Jason Keller of Gillett Evernham Motorsports Research & Development Team; #84-Mike Skinner [also will test a truck for Bill Davis Racing]; #01-Regan Smith of DEI; #45-Chad McCumbee of Petty Enterprises [will also test a truck for MRD Motorsports]; #34-John Andretti of Front Row Motorsports. Fans can view test sessions from the designated area outside the Fan Center in Turn 3. The Fan Center is located off of Interstate 71 Exit 57 and Ky. Hwy. 35 North. Schedule subject to change daily. Test times vary.(Kentucky Speedway PR)(4-2-2008)
Tire test at Darlington today: One test of Darlington Raceway’s new surface wasn’t enough, so Goodyear is coming back. The tire manufacturer will hold a one-day test Wednesday at NASCAR’s oldest superspeedway. The test, which is closed to the public and the media, will feature the same three drivers who participated in the last test (Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman and Greg Biffle), which was held March 10-11. Toyota, which didn’t have a driver represented in the last test, also won’t have a driver at this one. During the last test, Goodyear officials said they only need two teams for collecting data and the exclusion of Toyota wasn’t deliberate. One of the main reasons for the test clearly is to find a tire that might help slow the speeds down. During the last one, speeds reached more than 200 mph on the back stretch. The qualifying record for the track is 173.797, set by Ward Burton in 1996. “Speeds picked up over 18 miles an hour and that’s pretty substantial,” Darlington Raceway president Chris Browning said. “They are doing the right thing by coming back and listening to the comments the drivers made. Hopefully, they will design something to withstand the speed.” Since the first test, the track has changed a little with more rubber being put down on it. A six-day driving school was held last week and Browning said 16,416 laps were put down on the track, which is more than a typical 500-mile race with 43 cars. “That definitely doesn’t hurt the track,” Browning said. “Historically, tracks just need time to settle in.”(South Carolina Now)(3-26-2008)
Testing at Nashville: Toyota Motorsports rented the Nashville Superspeedway for an all day test on Tuesday [March 25th] for team testing. Bill Davis Racing, Hall of Fame Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing, and Red Bull Racing Team participated in the day long test. Nashville Superspeedway will serve host to Toyota Motorsports testing 25 times throughout 2008. Nashville Superspeedway host the Toyota Tundra 200 Craftsman Truck Series race in August. (Nashville Superspeedway PR)(3-25-2008)
Testing at Greenville: hearing that #77-Sam Hornish Jr. and #07-Clint Bowyer tested Tuesday at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina.(3-20-2008)
Testing at Kentucky: #48-Jimmie Johnson and Regan Smith, in the #8 DEI Chevy, are scheduled to test at Kentucky Speedway on Monday, March 24th and Tuesday, March 25th. Fans can watch from the Turn 3 Fan Center at no charge. Schedule subject to change daily. Test times vary.(Kentucky Speedway)(3-21-2008)
Cup teams test at New Smyrna: Mike Skinner was at New Smyrna Speedway [FL] on Wednesday testing at the half-mile oval in the #84 Red Bull Racing Toyota, a car normally occupied by AJ Allmendinger. Skinner has been given the wheel for a short span of Sprint Cup races in an attempt to get the second-year race team a bit more competitive. That's it. "I'm a consultant," he said after dozens of test laps at NSS. "I'm trying to bring all my years of experience to help them find a balance in the car. I don't want AJ's job. Allmendinger was in attendance, dressed in street clothes, watching the telemetry screens, monitoring the chatter between Skinner and the crew. Skinner was running this show on pit road. "They're getting a lot of test data," said Skinner, who calls Daytona Beach home. "We're trying to give them a thicker notebook, a bigger playbook." The #84 car was joined at the session by the Red Bull test team, with Tim Fedewa behind the wheel, and the #43 Petty Enterprises Inc. Dodge, jockeyed by Bobby Labonte.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(3-21-2008)
Testing at Greenville: hearing that #77-Sam Hornish Jr. and #07-Clint Bowyer tested Tuesday at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina.(3-20-2008)
Johnson tests at The Rock: #48-Jimmie Johnson tested at Rockingham Speedway on Tuesday, March 18th. AND It has been a long time since the Rockingham Speedway garage was filled with over 40 cars and team transporters. This Friday and Saturday, March 21st and 22nd, the Rockingham Speedway is hosting an open test session for the Carolina 500 [ARCA Series] and 42 teams have already signed up to participate. Fans will be admitted into the grandstands and infield for free to watch the two-day test session. Grandstand and infield gates will open at 9:00am/et both days, the same time cars will roll onto the track each morning. The test will end at 5:00pm/et. The ARCA RE/MAX Series teams will be testing for next month's Carolina 500 on May 4th the first race at "The Rock" since Andy Hillenburg purchased the track and reopened it last fall. Some of the drivers expected for the open test are: Scott Speed, Bobby Gerhart, Bryan Silas, Mario Gosselin, Joey Lagano, Marc Davis, Austin Dillon, Matt Carter, Gabi DiCarlo along with many others. For more information about the open test or to order tickets for the ARCA RE/MAX Series Carolina 500 on May 4th and the Hooter's Pro Cup American 200 on November 1st please contact the speedway at (910) 205-8800 or visit their website at www.rockinghamspeedway.com.(3-19-2008)
McCumbee to test at Gateway for Petty's UPDATE: Chad McCumbee is scheduled to test a Petty Enterprises Sprint Cup Series Dodge Tuesday and Wednesday at Gateway International Raceway. Test sessions will be closed to the public.(PR)(3-15-2008) UPDATE: Chad McCumbee and the Petty Enterprises team has cancelled their test session at GIR due to weather. There are no plans to re-schedule.(GIR)(3-18-2008)
Testing at Kentucky this week CANCELLED: #48-Jimmie Johnson and #78-Joe Nemechek are scheduled to test at Kentucky Speedwy on Tues/We March 18-19 along with R&D teams of Joe Gibbs Racing with Joey Logano, Stanton Barrett's team, the CTS Bill Davis Racing team with Mike Skinner and on Wed Petty Racing will test with driver TBA. Fans can watch from the Turn 3 Fan Center at no charge. Schedule subject to change daily. Test times vary. CANCELLED: All race teams scheduled to test Kentucky Speedway March 18-19 have canceled their sessions due to a rain-filled weather forecast.(Kentucky Speedway)(3-17-2008) Comment here
Pocono Testing May 27-28...open to public: Pocono Raceway officials announced that ticket holders for Pocono Raceway's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekends in 2008 will be able to attend a special 2-day NASCAR test at Pocono Raceway on May 27 and May 28, 2008 for no charge. This 2-day test will be the first opportunity NASCAR teams will have to test the new Sprint Cup Series race car (formerly known as the COT) at Pocono Raceway. Approximately 50 Sprint Cup Series teams are expected to attend, which shows the importance of this test. 2008 Pocono NASCAR ticket holders will be eligible to receive up to four (4) FREE tickets to the test session. A mail-in coupon for the test and additional information will be sent to all ticket holders who have purchased their NASCAR race tickets prior to May 9, 2008. Fans that are not current ticket holders for either of Pocono Raceway's 2008 Sprint Cup Series or the ARCA Re/Max Series events will be able to purchase test tickets for $5.00 each by calling the Pocono Raceway Ticket Office at 1-800-RACEWAY (1-800-722-3929), or they can be purchased at Gate 8 on each day of the event. Tickets for the Pocono 500 weekend, June 6-8, 2008 and the Pennsylvania 500 weekend, August 1-3, 2008 are still available but are selling fast. For more information or to order race tickets, call toll-free 1-800-RACEWAY (1-800-722-3929) or online at www.poconoraceway.com.(Pocono Raceway PR)(3-13-2008)
Goodyear Tire Test at Darlington March 10th UPDATE: #24-Jeff Gordon [Chevy], #16-Greg Biffle [Ford] and #12-Ryan Newman [Dodge] are scheduled to be at Darlington Raceway participating in a Goodyear tire test on Monday, March 10, 2008. The test is not open to the public.(Darlington Raceway PR)(3-5-2008) UPDATE: The roar of racing engines could once again be heard at Darlington Raceway on Monday as three of NASCAR's top teams participated in a Goodyear tire test at the track "Too Tough to Tame." Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle and Ryan Newman took to the track shortly after 12:30pm/et, and it did not take long for them to get acclimated to the
new surface. "The basic transitions, the banking and the walls haven't changed," said seven-time Darlington winner Jeff Gordon. "The bumps are gone, the grip level is high and it's awesome, they did a great job."
"I'm happy with the new surface, they have done a nice job, said two-time Darlington winner Greg Biffle. "There are no bumps or dips anywhere that we have noticed; I was pretty impressed with how smooth it was. The car was really stable and I was happy with the first few laps." Before embarking on the $10 million capital improvement project track
officials consulted several drivers and crew chiefs about the track's surface. The response was unanimous, don't change Darlington. In response engineers utilized over 4 million reference points around the track's surface to ensure that the integrity of Darlington Raceway's original design remained the unchanged, a fact that did not go unnoticed.
"They really didn't change anything," said Gordon." One of the neat things I heard from them was that they wanted to keep the history, keep the shape, the banking and everything the same as it has been throughout this track's history and I think they did a great job with that."
"Darlington has always been my favorite track because you are always adjusting," said 2008 Daytona 500 champion Ryan Newman. "You adjust to the tires, the bumps, the character of the track, the fact that you are running right next to the wall is challenging. It's the most challenging track that we have and that is why I enjoy it the most." Monday's test marked the first time that race cars had returned to the track since off-season capital improvement projects that included a new racing surface, new infield access tunnel and the addition of SAFER barrier walls on the interior walls down the frontstretch and backstretch.(Darlington Raceway PR)(3-10-2008) Comment here
Reutimann Tests at Infineon Raceway: #00-David Reutimann visited Infineon Raceway for the first time on Wednesday and he was surprised by the challenges of the twisting 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course. Reutimann came to the track for a one-day test session before his first race start in the Sonoma Valley at the Toyota/Save Mart 350 Sprint Cup Series event, June 20-22. Currently in his second year of full-time Cup Series competition, he was replaced by road-course specialist P.J. Jones for the Infineon Raceway event in 2007. The visit also marked Reutimann's first trip to the Sonoma Valley and Northern California, and he was quite taken with the rolling hills and beautiful landscape. "This track is pretty tricky. It's a really neat layout with all of the elevation changes. It's a lot to take on, but it's a great track," said Reutimann. "It's a beautiful area. I've never been here before, and it'll be great to come back in June." Reutimann piloted a GT America stock car supplied by Pioneer Motorsports out of Lake Oroville. He was coached by road-course veteran
Chris Cook and completed approximately 90 laps in the full-day test. "David, even with his limited road-course experience, is that good. He can be a contender on the road courses. He progressed all day long and finished at a very high level," said Cook, who has also worked with NASCAR drivers Johnny Sauter, Paul Menard and Los Gatos native AJ
Allmendinger. For ticket information on the Toyota/Save Mart 350, June 20-22, call 800-870-RACE or visit www.infineonraceway.com.(Infineon Raceway PR)(3-6-2008)
Texas offers up track for testing; NASCAR declines: Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage has given NASCAR an open invitation for further testing in preparation for the TMS debut of the new Sprint Cup Series car at the upcoming Samsung 500. The new Sprint Cup Series car, formerly known as the “Car of Tomorrow,” is making its first appearance at 1.5-mile ovals this season, and Gossage would like to provide additional testing time after watching the car’s debut at Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s 1.5-mile oval this past weekend. There was an abundance of on-track incidents during practice and qualifying, a track-record 11 cautions on race day and some driver concerns regarding their April 4-6 visit to Texas Motor Speedway for the Samsung 500 race week. For the time being, however, Gossage is encouraging NASCAR to give the competitors an additional opportunity to test at Texas Motor Speedway prior to the Samsung 500 because the only testing on the 1.5-mile, high-banked oval came in the form of a two-day Goodyear tire test Jan. 15-16 with Juan Pablo Montoya and Clint Bowyer. Gossage is open to a test session in the coming weeks, opening the speedway Wednesday (April 2) of race week for a practice session or expanding the race week schedule Thursday (April 3) to add a Cup practice to the Nationwide Series’ practice and qualifying for the O’Reilly 300.(TMS PR) UPDATE: NASCAR says it will keep an eye on the car's performance at Texas before determining whether any additional track time is necessary. As for an additional test, the sanctioning body's answer is clear-cut. "The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is testing in Phoenix [Tuesday] and will test at Pocono and Charlotte later this year," series spokesman Ramsey Poston said Tuesday. "There are no plans to add tests at this time." Sprint Cup teams also tested at Daytona, California, and Las Vegas in addition to the session this week in Phoenix and those upcoming at Pocono and Charlotte. Texas officials lobbied NASCAR for an open test, but did not receive one. But Gossage still holds out hope that NASCAR will change its mind. The track president also sent an overnight letter to NASCAR president Mike Helton outlining his concerns about racing at Texas without a test.(NASCAR.com)(3-4-2008) Comment here
Reutimann to Test at Infineon Raceway Next Week: Sprint Cup Series driver David Reutimann will visit Infineon Raceway for a one-day test session on Wednesday, March 5. Reutimann, who drives the #00 Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing, has never competed in a Cup Series event on Infineon Raceway's 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course. He was replaced by road-course specialist P.J. Jones for the Sonoma Valley event in 2007. Reutimann will return to Infineon Raceway for the Toyota/Save Mart 350, June 20-22. For tickets, call 800-870-RACE or visit www.infineonraceway.com.(Infineon Raceway PR), no word on what kind of car he will be driving since he can't test a Cup car.(2-29-2008)
Riggs testing at Kentucky: the Kentucky Speedway site reports that #66 Scott Riggs is testing the Haas CNC Racing Chevy at the track today and Wed [Feb 19-20]. Fans can watch from the Turn 3 Fan Center at no charge. Schedule subject to change daily. Test times vary.(Kentucky Speedway)(2-19-2008)
Sprint Cup Series teams coming to test at Las Vegas: Race fans are invited to watch the cars and stars of NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series Monday and Tuesday as Las Vegas Motor Speedway conducts the annual NASCAR Preseason Thunder Las Vegas test session. The grandstands will be open to the public and fans are invited to watch their favorite drivers test the new Car of Tomorrow on the high banks of LVMS. The so-called Car of Tomorrow competed at select tracks in 2007 but will be used at all tracks in 2008. The
Car of Tomorrow never has been raced at LVMS. LVMS' grandstands will be open to the public from 9am-5pm during the Jan. 28-29 NASCAR Preseason Thunder Las Vegas. The Nationwide Series will test at LVMS Jan. 30-31. Tickets for the Feb. 29-March 2 NASCAR Weekend - featuring the UAW-Dodge 400 for the Sprint Cup Series and the Nationwide Series Sam's Town 300 sale by calling (800) 644-4444 or visiting www.LVMS.com. Race fans also may purchase tickets to the Neon Garage fan experience as well as Driver
Introduction passes and Lucky 7 preferred parking passes.(LVMS PR)(1-25-2008) AND For Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series teams, the western swing of NASCAR Preseason Thunder – the sport’s annual preseason test sessions – extends some recent learning curves. Next week, both series test at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, with the Sprint Cup Series also testing at California Speedway. Both series are fresh off preseason sessions at Daytona International Speedway; now they head west. Sprint Cup teams will test Monday, Jan. 28 and Tuesday, Jan. 29 at Las Vegas, and Thursday, Jan. 31 and Friday, Feb. 1 at California. NASCAR Nationwide Series teams will test Wednesday, Jan. 30 and Thursday, Jan. 31 at Las Vegas. Times are 9am until 5pm, with a noon-1pm lunch break each day, except for Thursday, Jan. 31 at California, when Sprint Cup teams test from 9am until 9pm. That day’s schedule includes a dinner break from 5-6pm. “I’m not aware of anybody that’s going to switch out the cars,” Darby said, between West Coast sessions. “I think everybody’s gearing-up to bring two cars to Las Vegas and California. And that is a good part about the new car. According to Sprint Cup Director John Darby, teams can adjust their schedules at California, running two sessions on Thursday and Friday, or three Thursday and one Friday, if they prefer. Sprint Cup teams also can use Wednesday’s travel day as a garage work day at California, prior to taking the track Thursday morning.(NASCAR PR)(1-26-2008)
Edwards testing at Nashville: #99-Carl Edwards is testing his Cup car at the Nashville Superspeedway today. Roush Fenway rented the facility for the one day test. Edwards won the two Nationwide [then Busch] races at the Nashville Superspeedway in 2007.(Nashville Superspeedway PR)(1-23-2008)
NASCAR to Provide Tires for Tests: NASCAR announced that teams will be provided tires for testing at non-sanctioned NASCAR tests. Sprint Cup teams will be given 200 tires, Nationwide teams 160 and Craftsman Truck Series teams 120.(ESPN.com)(1-21-2008)
Riggs testing at Kentucky: #66-Scott Riggs is scheduled to test at Kentucky Speedway on Sunday, Jan 20 and Monday, Jan 21. Fans can watch from the Turn 3 Fan Center at no charge. Schedule subject to change daily. Test times vary.(Kentucky Speedway site)(1-17-2008)
Goodyear to run tire test at Texas this week UPDATE: Two Sprint Cup teams will conduct a tire test Tuesday and Wednesday at Texas Motor Speedway, a Goodyear spokesman confirmed today. #42-Juan Pablo Montoya and #07-Clint Bowyer will participate in the two-day test. Goodyear wants to come up with a tire that's suitable for the track, where NASCAR"s new car will be raced for the first time this year.(SceneDaily.com)(1-15-2008) UPDATE: #07-Clint Bowyer was certainly pleased with his team’s effort Tuesday after day one of a two day Goodyear tire test at Texas Motor Speedway. “We were fast”, said Bowyer. “I ran a 29 flat so that’s still getting off in the corner over 200 miles per hour. In turn one I looked over at the board and it said 200.” The bad news was the Jack Daniels Chevrolet lost a motor. Bowyer said; “It looked to me like the oil pan broke. There was a piece of piston on the back straightaway so it (chuckling) grenaded.” #42-Juan Pablo Montoya also tested with Bowyer. Montoya was scheduled to test at Daytona this week, however the Texaco Dodge driver practiced last week so he could take part in the Texas test.(PRN's Garage Pass radio show)(1-15-2008) Comment
Testing at Nashville: Michael Waltrip Racing took time Wednesday, January 9 for a team test at Nashville Superspeedway. Drivers Michael Waltrip and Michael McDowell
tested two Sprint Cup cars on a sunny day in Middle Tennessee.(Nashville Superspeedway PR)(1-9-2008)
Daytona testing: see dates and times above, have NOT seen a schedule of what drivers/teams will test at Daytona in January 2008. When I do it will be posted. See the 2008 Owners Points for the first 5 races page for an 'idea' of who may test.
The Sprint Cup Series teams will be split into two groups based on the owner's points following the Sprint Cup race weekend at Chicagoland Speedway [see owners pts after Chicago page]. Among the drivers expected to be in the first wave of teams (odd-numbered teams in the owner's standings) will be Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Clint Bowyer and Kurt Busch. Among the expected drivers in the second wave (even-numbered teams in the owner's standings) are Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Burton, Tony Stewart, Martin Truex Jr. and Jamie McMurray. Testing dates for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who will join Hendrick Motorsports for the 2008 season, will be announced at a later date. SO FAR: have only heard the following:
#45-Petty [week 1, 35th in owners pts]
#43-Labonte [week 2, 18th in owners pts]
have NOT heard when #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be testing...yet.
See my 2008 Daytona testing page for unofficial list.(12-27-2007)
Hornish testing at Memphis: Three-time IndyCar Series champion Sam Hornish Jr. is scheduled to test the #77 Sprint Cup Series car for Penske Racing on Monday, Dec. 17 and Tuesday, Dec 18, at Memphis Motorsports Park. NASCAR returns to Memphis Motorsports Park in June 2008 with the Craftsman Truck Series, and October 2008 with the Nationwide Series. Season tickets are on sale now at MemphisMotorsportsPark.com and by phone toll-free at 1-866-40-SPEED. Fans can watch testing sessions at the NASCAR oval from Grandstand G at no charge. The garage and infield are not open to the public. Schedule subject to change daily. Test times vary.(MMP PR)(12-17-2007)
Goodyear Tire Test at Atlanta Motor Speedway concludes: Bobby Labonte and Ron Hornaday Jr. completed the second and final day of a Goodyear tire test Wednesday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Hornaday Jr. was the first to take the track in his #2 Camping World Chevrolet Silverado for the morning test session. Hornaday Jr.'s fastest lap on the second day of testing was logged at 174.669 mph (31.74 seconds). Labonte, a six-time AMS winner, clocked his fastest lap at 182.789 mph (30.33 seconds) in his primer gray Petty Enterprises car. "Atlanta makes great racing because you can pass," Labonte, the 2000 NASCAR Cup champion said. "You don't just run behind each other, you can move around and pass."(AMS PR)(12-13-2007)
Second day of Goodyear testing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: The Sprint Cup Series teams of Jeff Burton, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne and Travis Kvapil have concluded a two-day test session at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to help determine which Goodyear tire will be used in the 2008 UAW-Dodge 400 on March 2, 2008. Jeff Burton has been testing tires on the NASCAR Car of Tomorrow at LVMS for Richard Childress Racing. "It's a lot to learn," began Burton, who was driving the #29 Childress Chevrolets of teammate Kevin Harvick. Race fans are invited to attend NASCAR Preseason Thunder for all Sprint Cup teams at LVMS on Jan. 28-29. The speedway also will allow race fans access
to the Neon Garage during testing. NASCAR Nationwide Series teams will test at LVMS on Jan. 30-31. Tickets for both the UAW-Dodge 400 and Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Nationwide (formerly Busch) Series event are on sale now by calling the speedway's box office at 1-800-644-4444 or online at www.lvms.com. Neon Garage, Lucky 7 parking and Driver Introduction passes also are available.(LVMS PR)(12-13-2007)
Testing at Nashville: Nashville Superspeedway played host Tuesday, December 11 and Wednesday, December 12 to two NASCAR Cup teams. Chip Ganassi Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing tested for two straight days. Dario Franchitti tested a car for Ganassi. Michael Waltrip Racing also has the Superspeedway reserved December 18-19.(Nashville Superspeedway)(12-12-2007)
Goodyear Tire Testing at Atlanta: UPDATE: In preparation for the Kobalt Tools 500 weekend on March 7-9 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bobby Labonte and Ron Hornaday, Jr. will be tire testing for Goodyear at the 1.54-mile track on December 11-12 for the Sprint Cup Series and Craftsman Truck Series respectively. The session is closed to the public both days.(AMS PR)(12-8-2007) UPDATE: On an unseasonably warm day at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bobby Labonte and Ron Hornaday Jr. hit the pavement testing tires for Goodyear. Hornaday Jr. tested his fully-decaled #2 Camping World Chevy, turning a fast lap of 178.723 mph (31.02 seconds). Labonte ran a gray primer car around Atlanta Motor Speedway’s high banks, recording a fast lap of 184.470 mph (30.09 seconds). The test gave Labonte and new crew chief Jeff Meendering the opportunity to work together for the first time. Testing continues tomorrow with Labonte and Hornaday Jr. scheduled to participate in another eight hour test.(AMS PR)(12-12-2007)
Goodyear Testing underway at Las Vegas too: Several Sprint Cup Series teams are testing tires Tuesday and Wednesday for Goodyear at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. #20-Tony Stewart, #17-Matt Kenseth, #31-Jeff Burton, #9-Kasey Kahne and #28-Travis Kvapil are taking part in the two-day test session to help determine which tire will be used in the 2008 UAW-Dodge 400 at LVMS on March 2, 2008.(LMS PR)(12-12-2007)
Teams Testing at Kentucky: UPDATE: #15-Paul Menard will be testing at Kentucky Speedway on Tuesday and Wednesday. In addition, Bill Davis Racing will be testing with test driver Frank Starr on Wednesday and Thursday. Fans are able to view sessions for free from the designated area outside the Kentucky Speedway Fan Center located off of Interstate 71 Exit 57 and Ky. Hwy. 35 N., in Sparta, Ky.(Kentucky Speedway PR)(12-11-2007) UPDATE: BDR isn't testing at Kentucky this week. It was cancelled. Blaney and the #22 team are scheduled to test at Rockingham Wednesday and possibly Thursday.(12-11-2007)
Testing at Memphis: Gillett Evernham Motorsports (#19 – Dennis Setzer, subbing for the vacationing Elliott Sadler) is testing at Memphis Motorsports Park Dec. 4-5. Penske Racing (#77 – Sam Hornish Jr.) is tentatively scheduled to test in Memphis on Dec. 12 and Dec. 18. Fans can watch testing sessions at the NASCAR oval from Grandstand G at no charge. The garage and infield are not open to the public. Schedule subject to change. Test times vary (8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.).(Memphis Motorsports Park PR)(12-4-2007)
Furniture Row Testing at Kentucky: The #78 Furniture Row Racing team will test at Kentucky Speedway on Wednesday and Thursday. Test sessions usually begin at 9:00 a.m., and conclude at 5:00 p.m. Fans are able to view sessions for free from the designated area outside the Kentucky Speedway Fan Center located off of Interstate 71 Exit 57 and Ky. Hwy. 35 N., in Sparta, Ky.(Kentucky Speedway PR)(12-4-2007)
Testing in Nashville: Team Red Bull had the track reserved for Tuesday, November 27 and Wednesday, November 28; however that didn't stop some other NASCAR teams to tag along for the day. Four cars including the Jeff Burton's # 31, Kevin Harvick's #29, Michael Waltrip's #55, and Dale Jarrett's #44 spent the day testing together on the 1.33 mile "D" shaped concrete Nashville Superspeedway. Jeff Burton tested his #31 and Scott Wimmer tested Kevin Harvick's #29. Team Red Bull will have the track on Wednesday.(Nashville Superspeedway)(11-27-2007)
#15 DEI team testing: The #15 DEI team is scheduled to be testing at Kentucky Speedway this Wednesday and Thursday in preparation for next year's intermediate track events. Paul Menard will be on hand for the test and to assist in the preparation for the 2008 Sprint Cup season.(Co-Pilott Motorsports Marketing PR)(11-27-2007)
"COT" to make first appearance at LVMS: NASCAR's "Car of Tomorrow" will make take its first laps around the high-banked Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Dec. 11 as five drivers will conduct a tire test on behalf of Goodyear. #20-Tony Stewart, #17-Matt Kenseth, #31-Jeff Burton, #9-Kasey Kahne and #28-Travis Kvapil will take part in the two-day test. It will be a significant test for both the race teams and the speedway. This past year's Nextel Cup and Busch events were the first for each series since the speedway's banking was increased from 12 to 20 degrees. The five drivers will help Goodyear select a tire for the UAW-Dodge 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event on March 2, 2008. The test is not open to the public. Tickets for both the UAW-Dodge 400 and Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Nationwide (formerly Busch) Series event are on sale now by calling the speedway's box office at 1-800-644-4444 or online at www.lvms.com. Neon Garage, Lucky 7 parking and Driver Introduction passes also are available.(LVMS PR)(11-21-2007)
2008 Daytona Testing Dates Announced: Testing dates for the historic 50th running of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 17, 2008 at Daytona International Speedway have
been finalized. The first wave of Sprint Cup Series teams will test in preparation for "The Great American Race" on Jan. 7-9 with Jan. 10 serving as a rain date. The second wave of Sprint Cup Series testing will be Jan. 14-16 with Jan. 17 serving as a rain date. The Sprint Cup Series teams will be split into two groups based on the owner's points following the Sprint Cup race weekend at Chicagoland Speedway [see owners pts after Chicago page]. Among the drivers expected to be in the first wave of teams (odd-numbered teams in the owner's standings) will be Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Clint Bowyer and Kurt Busch. Among the expected drivers in the second wave (even-numbered teams in the owner's standings) are Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Burton, Tony Stewart, Martin Truex Jr. and Jamie McMurray. Testing dates for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who will join Hendrick Motorsports for the 2008 season, will be announced at a later date.
Other testing dates for Preseason Thunder include:
* Jan. 4-6, Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve in preparation for the 46th anniversary of the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 26-27, all teams.
* Jan. 11-13, Craftsman Truck Series in preparation for the Feb. 15 Chevy Silverado 250, all trucks
* Jan. 18-22, Busch [New sponsor name for series] Series in preparation for the Feb. 16 Camping World 300 presented by Chevrolet, two different sessions
NASCAR Preseason Thunder Fan Fest dates, which will coincide with January's Sprint Cup Series, Craftsman Truck Series, Busch [new name] Series and Rolex Series testing sessions at the "World Center of Racing," will be held on the following dates:
* Jan. 5: The Roar Before The Rolex 24
* Jan. 8: Nextel [Sprint] Cup Fan Fest
* Jan. 12: Craftsman Truck Fan Fest
* Jan. 15: Nextel [Sprint] Cup Fan Fest
* Jan. 19: Busch [new sponsor name] Series Fan Fest
The Fan Fest events start at 5 p.m. but fans may enter the Sprint Fanzone beginning at 9 a.m. to watch all of the exciting testing action on those days. Admissions for the Nextel Cup Fan Fest dates are $15 while Busch and Craftsman Truck Series admissions are $10. The Roar Before The Rolex 24 admission is also $10. Fans will be able to get a sneak peek on teams as they prepare for DIRECTV Speedweeks 2008 with inquisitive fan forums with many of their favorite drivers as well as enjoying all the state-of-the-art amenities in the popular Sprint Fanzone. Also included in NASCAR Preseason Thunder Fan Fests will be bands, show cars, pit stop demonstrations, displays, a silent auction and hot laps around DIS (additional charge). Fans can continue to watch all of the January testing sessions free from the Oldfield Grandstands located just outside of The Daytona 500 Experience. Tickets for Preseason Thunder Fan Fests are by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.(DIS PR)(8-1-2007)
NASCAR Might Relax Testing Policy: NASCAR is considering opening up its restrictive testing policy, which several teams already have skirted this season. Currently, rules limit teams to seven tests on Nextel Cup-sanctioned tracks, and crew chiefs help NASCAR decide the venues and dates. NASCAR adopted that policy two years ago to help underfunded teams keep up with big-budget organizations, who could afford to test anytime. But as the Car of Tomorrow was rolled into competition, the top teams found ways to test it outside of the rules. "It appears that we've got teams that want to test more and teams that want to test less, and teams that test on tires that are not made by our tire supplier," Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition, told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "So we're going to start looking at a lot of different things, from eventually lifting the test ban completely, or get as restrictive as we cannot let teams test anywhere at any time, or land somewhere in between." NASCAR most likely will relax the restrictions, because it's having a hard time policing teams. More than 20 teams tested Tuesday and Wednesday at Virginia International Raceway, a road course where they could simulate the June 24 race in Sonoma, Calif. Because VIR is not a sanctioned track, any team can go there and still be within NASCAR's guidelines. But teams can't use current Goodyear tires because of a leasing agreement intended to prevent extracurricular testing. To circumvent the lack of available tires, teams have started using other manufacturers for test sessions. They also snapped up much of Goodyear's inventory from 2005 and earlier.(Associated Press)(5-31-2007)
PAST TESTING RULES
2007
NASCAR has set its 2007 Nextel Cup Series testing schedule that includes seven different venues that will provide the teams an opportunity to prepare for the various track layouts and surfaces that they will face over the course of the season. NASCAR determined the test schedule with the input and cooperation of each of the teams’ crew chiefs.
The testing sessions begin at Daytona International Speedway with the NASCAR Jackson Hewitt Preseason Thunder at Daytona, beginning Monday, Jan. 8 running through Wednesday, Jan. 10 for approximately half the teams. Thursday, Jan. 11 is the rain date, if necessary. Test sessions will resume Monday, Jan. 15 through Wednesday, Jan. 17, with Thursday, Jan. 18 as the rain date for the remaining teams. Test sessions at Daytona are scheduled for 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., weather permitting, with an hour lunch break from noon until 1 p.m.
The remaining six tracks that will host test sessions are:
* Las Vegas Motor Speedway – Jan. 29-30 (rain date is Jan. 31)
* Bristol Motor Speedway – Feb. 28-March 1 (rain date is March 2)
* Richmond International Raceway – April 3-4 (rain date is April 5)
* Lowe’s Motor Speedway – May 7-8 (rain date is May 9)
* Dover International Speedway – May 14-15 (rain date is May 16) CANCELLED
* Talladega Superspeedway – Sept. 10-11 (rain date is Sept. 12)
NASCAR instituted a new track testing policy in 2006 that pre-sets a schedule for when and where NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series tests are to be conducted. The scheduled tests are the only opportunities teams will have to test at NASCAR NEXTEL Cup tracks. The policy was implemented to serve as an aid to maintain better overall competitive balance for the teams and contain costs. “NASCAR received input and recommendations from each of the crew chiefs that was valuable to our decision making process,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president for competition. “The seven tracks that were selected provide the teams with a wide variety of layouts, surfaces, and track characteristics that should provide them with an opportunity to have success in 2007.”(NASCAR PR)(9-25-2006)
2006
The scheduled tests will be the only opportunities teams will have to test at Nextel Cup tracks. Teams will be able to schedule tests at facilities that do not host NASCAR NEXTEL Cup events [such as Kentucky, Nashville, Greenville-Pickens, Rockingham, etc]. There will be six test locations that include Lowe's Motor Speedway, Daytona International Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Richmond International Raceway, Homestead-Miami Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Testing in Daytona will be conducted January 9-11 (even-numbered cars) and January 16-18 (odd-numbered cars). The Las Vegas tests will be January 30-February 1. All other dates will be announced at a later time.(NASCAR PR)(11-10-2005)
2006 Nextel Cup Testing Dates:
Daytona: Jan 9-11 and 16-18
Las Vegas: Jan 30 - Feb 1.
Richmond: Apr 11-13
Lowe's: May 1-3
Indianapolis: July 10-12
Homestead: October 16-18
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.
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 9,10,22,25,30,77) 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.
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.
2003
Each team (consisting of a car #) can test up to five times at a track that holds a Cup race.
Each test can last two days.
A team with a rookie driver (#'s 0,14,16,41,42,66,74) can test nine times 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 Test date for the Daytona 500, whether they test or not.
2002
Each team (consisting of a car #) can test up to seven times at a track that holds a Cup race.
Each test can last two days.
A team with a rookie driver (#'s 12,48,59) can test 12 times at a Cup track.
Teams can test unlimted amount at non Cup tracks (Kentucky, Greensville-Pickens, Lakeland, Nashville, etc)
ALL teams get charged a Test date for Daytona, Indy and Las Vegas whether they test or not.
