#18-Mike McLaughlin’s fastest lap came aboard the #18 MBNA Pontiac as 20 teams made final preparations for the May 25 CARQUEST Auto Parts 300. With mid-day track temperatures topping 135 degrees, the unofficial stopwatches caught McLaughlin at 174.193 mph in the Pontiac owned by Joe Gibbs. McLaughlin, winner of the 1998 “Little Trees” 300 NASCAR Busch Series race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, ran several laps in the high 173-mph range in the heat of the afternoon. Dan Pardus was involved in the only incident during Busch Series testing when he lost control and spun coming off turn four. Pardus’ yellow #32 Chevy made several loops through the quad-oval grass, but did not make contact with the wall. Top unofficial speeds NASCAR Busch Series:
Mike McLaughlin, 174.193
Jack Sprague, 174.025
Ricky Hendrick, 173.633
Tony Raines, 173.299
Bobby Hamilton Jr., 172.966
Kerry Earnhardt, 172.634
Casey Mears, 172.358
Jamie McMurray, 171.810
Michael Waltrip, 171.756
Scott Wimmer, 171.103.
(LMS PR)(5-8-2002)
