LMS Charlotte test preview

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Test At Lowe's Motor Speedway
* Two-Day Session Aids Preparation For Chase For The NASCAR Sprint Cup Events, And Beyond

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept 19, 2008) -- Next week's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series test at 1.5-mile Lowe's Motor Speedway comes at a crucial point of the season, both for title aspirants, and those teams seeking to bolster databases.

It's a two-day, series-wide test that follows the Sept. 21 event at Dover International Speedway and precedes the Sept. 28 event at Kansas Speedway -- Races No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, in the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

All series teams have the opportunity to test Tuesday and Wednesday at Lowe's, the season's seventh and final NASCAR-sanctioned test in 2008.

Next week's test also is the second such session at Lowe's this year; teams tested there on May 5-6.

In this first full season of competition for NASCAR's new car, which competed in 16 of 36 events last year, testing remains a vital part of teams' research arsenals, regardless of drivers' and teams' Chase involvement.

Fifty-two NASCAR Sprint Cup teams are scheduled to participate in the test.

"Next week's test is another opportunity for teams to continue their on-track research, both with the new car and for race set-ups," said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of competition. "It's also important because they'll race at five high-speed, high-banked 1.5-mile tracks in the Chase."

Next Sunday's event at Kansas Speedway marks the first 2008 Chase event at a 1.5-mile track. The others are Saturday, Oct. 11 at Lowe's; Sunday, Oct. 26 at Atlanta Motor Speedway; Sunday, Nov. 2 at Texas Motor Speedway and the season finale on Sunday, Nov. 16 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Next week's times are 1 p.m. until 9 p.m., both days, with a 5-6 p.m. dinner break each day. That's a total of four individual sessions; two each day.

Fast Facts

What: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series testing.
Where: Lowe's Motor Speedway

Track Layout: 1.5-mile tri-oval.
Times: 1 p.m. until 9 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday.

Who: 52 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams.

-credit: nascar