The best way to win races is to be prepared. That’s why a number of NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers will be in New Hampshire next week, testing new tires for this season’s races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company announced a tire test with five Sprint Cup teams May 8-9. The fans are encouraged to watch from the grandstands free of charge. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers scheduled for this test session include; #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Chevy), #99-Carl Edwards (Ford), #47-Bobby Labonte (Toyota), #78-Regan Smith (Chevy), and #27-Paul Menard (Chevy). Grandstands will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 8 and Wednesday, May 9. The infield will be closed during the test.(NHMS)(5-4-2012)
UPDATE: Rain washed out testing on Tuesday. The forecast for Wednesday is better, but there is still a change of scatter showers and thunderstorms.(5-9-2012)
UPDATE 2: Mother Nature pulled back the curtain of fog and an armada of track dryers got ‘The Magic Mile’ ready for a special tire test with five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers. Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Bobby Labonte, Paul Menard and Regan Smith waited out the showers before putting on a show for the fans at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. technicians took over the speedway for the day to test new tire compounds for mile-track setups. It looked like the weather might spoil the fun, but the clouds lifted and the lights went green just before 2:00 p.m.(NHMS), rain returned later in the day, but cars were able to get in 4-5 hours of testing.(5-10-2012)
