Preparations for NASCAR’s Brickyard 400 will begin in earnest next week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with at least a dozen car-and-driver Sprint Cup Series combinations scheduled to test Tuesday and Wednesday, 9am-5pm/et. The test follows this weekend’s race at Kentucky Speedway. Next week, the series will be at New Hampshire Motor Speedway before arriving for the 23rd Brickyard 400. Drivers scheduled to test: #4-Harvick, #6-Bayne, #15-Bowyer, #20-Kenseth, #21-Blaney, #22-Logano, #27-Menard, #34-Buescher, #42-Larson, #44-Scott, #48-Johnson and #78-Truex, Jr.(Indianapolis Star)
AND Fans are encouraged to take advantage of this free opportunity to see some of the biggest stars in racing up close and personal. Testing on the 2.5-mile oval is taking place in advance of the Crown Royal presents the Wounded Warrior Coalition 400 at the Brickyard. The public may watch the test for free from the south terrace grandstands and Turn 2 viewing mounds, and the newly refurbished B Penthouse grandstands will also be open for viewing. Fans in attendance should also be on the lookout for special surprises from the IMS Field Marketing Team.(IMS)(7-7-2016)
UPDATE: A dozen NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers began the first day of a two-day test session at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday in preparation for the Brickyard 400 on July 24. After turning the first few laps on Tuesday morning, Kenseth was optimistic based on what he initially felt inside his #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. ‘I was just out there running by myself, but it seems OK,’ said Kenseth. ‘It’s pretty much what you’d expect. There was a lot of fall off (with the tires) with not a lot of cars on the track. So when you have fall off like that, new tires mean a lot, and I think that’s always good for the racing.’ Menard, driver of the #27 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, agreed with Kenseth. ‘I always enjoy racing at Indianapolis, but the rules package we had last year could have definitely been better,’ Menard said. ‘It was little bit of a shot in the dark. It had low reviews with the drivers. I think internal cockpit temperatures we at least 10-15 degrees hotter, so we were getting cooked and the cars were totally unstable in traffic.’(Fox Sports)
AND NASCAR.com’s Kenny Bruce tweeted Tuesday afternoon that ‘Larson, Truex, Harvick, Johnson your leaders, unofficially, during afternoon session as Day 1 of organizational test ends’(7-12-2016)
UPDATE 2: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams wrapped up a second day of testing here at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday in preparation for next week’s Crown Royal Presents The Combat Wounded Coalition 400 at the Brickyard. Wednesday’s session, originally scheduled to last until 5:00pm, was shortened by one hour due to the threat of inclement weather. Teams worked through the lunch hour to adjust and get through their individual checklists. ‘I wish more tests were like this where you come the week before,’ said Kyle Larson, driver of the #42 Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing. ‘A lot of times you test at a track three months before the race and the climate’s different, the track is not the same as when you test, and you forget a lot of stuff you learn technique-wise as a driver before you come back. To be this close to the race, I wish more were like that.’ Jimmie Johnson’s #48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was fastest, unofficially, during Tuesday morning’s session, and had the top overall speed at the close of Wednesday as well. Larson, fastest in Tuesday’s afternoon run, was second after Wednesday’s combined effort. Series points leader Kevin Harvick had the third fastest unofficial lap in his #4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet Wednesday, followed by #78-Martin Truex Jr.(NASCAR.com)
