The official start of the 2015 NASCAR season is more than two months away, but four Sprint Cup Series teams will be back on the track next week at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Goodyear officials have scheduled a tire test for Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 9-10 at the 1.5-mile speedway, with representatives from each of the three auto manufacturers scheduled to participate. Slated to take part in the test are drivers #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #9-Sam Hornish Jr., #19-Carl Edwards and #27-Paul Manard. It will be the first official on-track effort for Edwards since he departed Roush Fenway Racing to join JGR as well as the first for Hornish with RPM.(12-3-2014)
UPDATE: Goodyear officials are looking to get a baseline for how the 2015 NASCAR rules package for intermediate tracks – which includes a reduction in horsepower as well as less downforce – impacts tire wear. With NASCAR banning private testing for 2015, such tire tests are expected to make up the bulk of the on-track time for teams outside of race weekend activities. Fans will be allowed to attend the test, according to CMS vice president of communications Scott Cooper. The track will open its fifth floor clubhouse seating. Fans can enter the second floor ticket office and take the elevator to the fifth floor between 9am to 5pm/et. It is expected that many of those tests could be intertwined with open tests for all NASCAR teams, although the process for how that will work has yet to be announced. Greg Stucker, director of race tire sales for Goodyear, said last month that officials had been trying to map out a plan to allow each of the parties involved to ‘get their work done’ during such opportunities while still reducing the number of overall tests. Goodyear officials have said the next tire test is expected to come in January at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.(NASCAR.com)(12/3-12/8-2014)
