Despite the frigid temperatures, Busch Series driver Bobby Hamilton Jr. and his No. 25 Team Marines Ford heated things up in Atlanta on Wednesday, posting a fast lap of 189.474 mph (29.26 seconds) around the 1.54-mile quad-oval track. That speed is just a tick off the tracks Busch Series record of 191.661 (28.96 seconds) set by Ryan Newman in March 2001. Team Rensi Crew chief Harold Holly said he prefers to test at Atlanta at the beginning of the year, setting up a baseline for his car while at the fastest track in the circuit. If we can get comfortable here in Atlanta, get the right aero balance, then well be OK wherever we go, Holly said. Atlantas the perfect place to test that stuff, because youre going so fast. Whenever we need to test new cars, we come to Atlanta. That gives us a platform to work from all year long, and then we just adjust to the different speeds and banking of that weeks particular track. Hamilton Jr. said he will be doing double duty when he returns to Atlanta in the fall, competing in both the Oct. 30 Aarons 312 Busch Series race and the Oct. 31 Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 NEXTEL Cup race.(AMS PR)(1-28-2004)
