NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series drivers will test during three separate sessions in July at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, preparing for the 12th annual Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on Sunday, Aug. 7. The first test session takes place Tuesday, July 5 and Wednesday, July 6. The second session is Monday, July 11 and Tuesday, July 12, with testing wrapping up Monday, July 18 and Tuesday, July 19. Testing will take place from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (local time) each day, with a lunch break from noon-1 p.m. Fans are welcome to watch testing for free in the South Terrace grandstands, located inside the track between Turns 1 and 2.
Drivers Scheduled to test:
July 5-6: #97-Kurt Busch, #21-Ricky Rudd, #99-Carl Edwards (7/5 only)
July 11-12: #0-Mike Bliss, #01-Joe Nemechek, #2-Rusty Wallace, #4-Mike Wallace, #6-Mark Martin, #7-Robby Gordon, #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #10-Scott Riggs, #11-Jason Leffler, #15-Michael Waltrip, #16-Greg Biffle, #17-Matt Kenseth, #18-Bobby Labonte, #19- Jeremy Mayfield, #25-Brian Vickers, #29-Kevin Harvick, #31-Jeff Burton, #36-Boris Said, #37-Kevin Lepage, #38-Elliott Sadler, #41- Casey Mears, #42-Jamie McMurray, #43-Jeff Green, #45-Kyle Petty, #49-Ken Schrader, #77-Travis Kvapil
A list of drivers participating in the final session July 18-19 will be released at a later date.(IMS PR)(7-2-2005)
UPDATE: Rookie Carl Edwards topped the speed chart July 5 on the first day of 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series private testing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, posting a lap of 179.165mph in the #99 AAA Ford. Edwards was joined by a short list of testing participants: his Roush Racing teammate #97-Kurt Busch, 1997 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard winner #21-Ricky Rudd and #50-Jimmy Spencer, who won the pole for the race in 2001. Reigning series champion Busch, driving the #97 Crown Royal Ford, was second fastest at 179.151, Rudd was third in the #21 Motorcraft Genuine Parts Ford at 178.937 and Spencer was fourth at 178.839 in the #50 Arnold Motorsports Dodge. The track record at Indianapolis, set in qualifying in 2004 by #41-Casey Mears, is 186.293. All of the drivers tested to prepare for the 12th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on Sunday, Aug. 7 at IMS. Wednesdays participant list will shorten by two, as Edwards is not scheduled to test and Spencer crashed in the Speedways Turn 1. Spencer spun in Turn 1 and backed into the SAFER Barrier at approximately 2:30 p.m. (local time), causing heavy rear-end damage to the car. Spencer was unhurt, but the team brought only one car and ended their test. Private test sessions are scheduled for July 11-12 and 18-19. Testing on July 11-12 promises to be the busiest, with 26 drivers scheduled to participate.
Unofficial Speeds:
Rank Car No. Driver Speed (mph) Total Laps
#99A-Carl Edwards 179.165, 49
#97A-Kurt Busch 179.151, 71
#21-Ricky Rudd 178.937, 73
#50-Jimmy Spencer 178.839, 21
Tickets: To purchase tickets, camping or parking for the 12th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, contact the IMS ticket office at (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area, (317) 492-6700 locally or log on to www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com.(IMS PR)(7-6-2005)
