Three Days of Texas Testing UPDATE: The first of three hectic days of testing by Cup and BGN teams preparing for the Samsung/RadioShack 500 and O’Reilly 300 kicked off Monday at Texas Motor Speedway amid cool temperatures. Three Cup teams took to the 1.5-mile superspeedway to prepare for the April 7 Samsung/RadioShack 500. #18-Bobby Labonte, #57-Ron Hornaday and #49-Shawna Robinson tested, while BGN driver #12-Kerry Earnhardt turned laps Sunday evening and Monday. A cold front that moved through the area midday curtailed much of the afternoon on-track activity after temperatures dipped. All of the participating teams practiced during the morning session. There were no incidents during the Sunday and Monday sessions. Nearly two dozen different Cup and BGN teams are scheduled to test at the speedway Tuesday and Wednesday. The sessions are closed to the public.(TMS PR)(3-26-2002) UPDATE: A total of 21 Cup and BGN teams took to Texas Motor Speedway en masse Tuesday as the second day of testing continued in preparation for the Samsung/RadioShack 500 race week. For most of the drivers testing, it was their initial experience with the new granite-based pavement on the 1.5-mile superspeedway that was installed after last year’s NASCAR weekend. Praise was universal among the drivers describing the new surface. “It is probably a second quicker than last year,” said Jerry Nadeau, driver of the #25-UAW-Delphi Chevrolet on the Winston Cup circuit. “The surface is so smooth.” Unofficial speeds were in the high 180mph range for several teams. Testing concludes Wednesday with another session that is also closed to the public. The drivers testing at the speedway Tuesday included from Cup: #2-Rusty Wallace, #5-Terry Labonte, #10-Johnny Benson, #14-Stacy Compton, #15-Michael Waltrip, #18-Bobby Labonte, #22-Ward Burton, #25-Jerry Nadeau, #28-Ricky Rudd, #45-Kyle Petty, #57-Ron Hornaday, #99-Jeff Burton. From the BGN: #2-Johnny Sauter, #14-Larry Foyt, #24-Jack Sprague, #26-Lyndon Amick, #27-Jamie McMurray, #34-Stuart Kirby, #37-Jeff Purvis, #87-Joe Nemechek, #98-Kasey Kahne.(TMS PR), no speeds reported. #18-Bobby Labonte blew a right side tire and hit the wall, damaging the right front of the car, Labonte is un-injured.(3-26-2002)
