LMS Charlotte test summary 2008-05-05

Elliott Sadler and A.J. Allmendinger Top the Speed Parade As NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Teams Test at Lowe's Motor Speedway

CONCORD, N.C. (May 5, 2008) - "Data" was the word of the day as nearly 50 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams tested Monday at Lowe's Motor Speedway in preparation for the May 17 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and the May 25 Coca-Cola 600.

Throughout the garage area, engineers and crew chiefs poured through computer data gathered on the 1.5-mile superspeedway as teams continue to learn the handling nuances of the new Sprint Cup Series race car.

Elliott Sadler ended up on top of the speed chart, posting a lap of 186.245 mph during the evening session. Sadler was driving the No. 19b Best Buy Dodge. A.J. Allmendinger was the biggest surprise of the testing session. He ended up second fastest at 184.150 mph in the No. 84 Red Bull Toyota.

Kevin Harvick, last year's winner of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, was third fastest at 184.118 mph in the No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet with Kyle Busch fourth on the speed chart at 183.886 in the No. 18 M&Ms Toyota. Jamie McMurray rounded out the top five at 183.492 mph in the No. 26 Crown Royal Ford.

A last-minute addition to the NASCAR schedule, teams praised NASCAR and speedway officials for hosting the two-day session.

"It's so tough to get track time right now, especially on tracks that we compete at," said three-time Coca-Cola 600 winner Jimmie Johnson. "If you're not on the real track, it's really tough to have anything to carry over and help the team. On top of that, to get tires, because without the right tires to test with, it's a very big struggle too.

"This test was welcomed by everyone. We're glad to be out here and I think it will help us advance the Car of Tomorrow and put on a better show here for the 600 and All-Star weekend," concluded the driver of the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet.

"Obviously, this was not a scheduled test, so I think it's great for us to get extra information," said Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet. "We're gathering all kinds of data with the car and obviously looking for speed. Sometimes that takes more time. When you only have a couple hours of practice at the race track, it's sometimes hard to find that. You can take your time a little more (during a test) and really try things and make changes.

"Based on our first couple of runs out there this morning, I'm pretty glad we're here," Gordon added. "Gathering data and information is what we're really here for. I think that by having all the cars here, it's going to make for a little bit better race. The more cars and teams that test, the more we get the cars closer to one another and we won't have one car that just checks out."

"We struggled a little bit at Texas and Atlanta and feel like we learned some good things at Nashville last week and we're looking forward to seeing how they apply here to Charlotte," said defending Coca-Cola 600 winner Casey Mears. "The 1.5-mile tracks are the ones that have been tricky for us this year.

"This car is quite a bit different," added the driver of the No. 5 Kellogg's/CARQUEST Chevrolet. "The car is still aero tight and the speeds are pretty similar. We're getting around the tracks pretty well. I just think in a pack, it's a little bit more difficult to drive. It seems like when someone is on the outside of you, they tend to get a lot looser."

"With the old car, it was whoever handled the best," said Brian Vickers, driver of the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota. "With this one, it's whoever doesn't handle as bad as everyone else. This test is definitely important. This is a big race, an important race for all the teams because it's in their backyards. I'm proud of NASCAR for taking the initiative to add this test to the schedule."

There were two incidents during the 10-hour testing session. The first came shortly after the lunch break when David Gilliland slid high in Turn 2 and brushed the outside SAFER barrier. The Riverside, Calif., resident was able to drive his No. 38 Ford back to the garage area. Then, Scott Riggs spun in Turn 4 during the evening session, but did not make wall contact.

NASCAR Sprint Cup testing continues from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday and the frontstretch grandstand will be open free of charge.

Also, the tradition of the "Royal Flush" continues at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday as officials and fans will test the speedway's massive sewer and water infrastructure. Fans are invited to lend a hand with the flushing and participants will receive an official "Royal Flush Society" T-shirt and have the opportunity to receive $5 off any Coca-Cola 600 ticket purchased on Tuesday evening.

Tickets for all May events at Lowe's Motor Speedway, including the May 17 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and the May 25 Coca-Cola 600, can be purchased by calling the track ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS or online at www.lowesmotorspeedway.com.

The official speeds:

Morning Session
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr., 88b, 182.352
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr., 88, 180.608
3. Jeff Burton, 31b, 180.596
4. Brad Keselowski, 70, 180.120
5. Kevin Harvick, 29b, 179.611
6. Kevin Harvick, 29, 179.241
7. Jeff Gordon, 24, 178.672
8. Brad Keselowski, 70b, 178.283
9. Jeff Burton, 31, 178.247
10. Clint Bowyer, 07, 177.026.

Afternoon Session
1. Kyle Busch, 18b, 179.736
2. Carl Edwards, 99, 179.42
3. Jeff Burton, 31, 179.200
4. Kurt Busch, 2b, 178.838
5. Elliott Sadler, 19b, 178.832
6. Jamie McMurray, 26, 178.784
7. Mark Martin, 8, 178.784
8. Kyle Busch, 18, 178.743
9. Kurt Busch, 2, 178.719
10. Greg Biffle, 16, 178.719
11. Scott Riggs, 66b, 178.630
12. Matt Kenseth, 17, 178.625
13. Kasey Kahne, 9b, 178.577
14. Kasey Kahne, 9, 178.394
15. Ryan Newman, 12, 178.359
16. Jimmie Johnson, 48, 178.336
17. Casey Mears, 5b, 178.136
18. A.J. Allmendinger, 84, 178.047
19. Martin Truex Jr., 1, 178.006
20. Elliott Sadler, 19, 177.936
21. Dave Blaney, 22, 177.93
22. Sterling Marlin, 40, 177.784
23. Tony Stewart, 20, 177.749
24. Kevin Harvick, 29, 177.713
25. Denny Hamlin, 11b, 177.602
26. Bobby Labonte, 43, 177.567
27. David Reutimann, 44, 177.532
28. David Ragan, 6, 177.468
29. Travis Kvapil, 28, 177.404
30. Clint Bowyer, 07b, 177.387
31. Paul Menard, 15, 177.381
32. Scott Wimmer, 33, 177.340
33. Scott Riggs, 66, 177.235
34. Dave Blaney, 22b, 177.212
35. David Stremme, 06, 177.183
36. Sam Hornish Jr., 77, 177.078
37. Clint Bowyer, 07, 176.765
38. Casey Mears, 5, 176.690
39. Denny Hamlin, 11, 176.684
40. David Gilliland, 38, 176.621
41. Tony Stewart, 20b, 176.586
42. Reed Sorenson, 41b, 176.580
43. Brian Vickers, 83, 176.499
44. Kevin Harvick, 29b, 176.102
45. Regan Smith, 01, 176.102
46. J.J. Yeley, 96, 175.953
47. Patrick Carpentier, 10, 175.816
48. Joe Nemechek, 78, 175.633
49. Jon Wood, 21, 175.570
50. Michael Waltrip, 55, 175.262
51. Robby Gordon, 7b, 175.058
52. Robby Gordon, 7, 174.967
53. Juan Pablo Montoya, 42, 174.933
54. Kyle Petty, 45, 174.729
55. Juan Pablo Montoya, 42b, 174.661
56. Michael McDowell, 00, 174.492
57. Bobby Labonte, 43b, 174.436
58. Sam Hornish Jr., 77b, 174.121
59. Tony Raines, 08, 173.975: 60. Stanton Barrett, 50, 172.695.

Evening Session
1. Elliott Sadler, 19b, 186.245
2. A.J. Allmendinger, 84, 184.150
3. Kevin Harvick, 29b, 184.118
4. Kyle Busch, 18, 183.886
5. Jamie McMurray, 26, 183.492
6. Brad Keselowski, 70, 183.113
7. Scott Wimmer, 33, 182.599
8. Ryan Newman, 12b, 182.556
9. Sam Hornish Jr., 182.328
10. Paul Menard, 15, 182.315
11. Denny Hamlin, 11b, 182.285
12. Jimmie Johnson, 48, 182.211
13. Kyle Busch 18b, 182.168
14. Kasey Kahne, 9b, 182.156
15. Robby Gordon, 7, 182.149
16. Travis Kvapil, 28, 182.137
17. Carl Edwards, 99, 182.002
18. 18. Dale Earnhardt Jr., 88b, 181.837
19. Mark Martin, 8, 181.83
20. Greg Biffle, 16,181.677
21. Kurt Busch, 2b, 181.629
22. Jeff Burton, 31, 181.586
23. Scott Riggs, 66b, 181.555
24. Kurt Busch, 2, 181.409
25. Sam Hornish Jr., 77b, 181.269
26. Casey Mears, 5b, 181.245
27. Brian Vickers, 83, 181.068
28. Tony Stewart, 20, 181.026
29. Dave Blaney, 22b, 181.002
30. Juan Pablo Montoya, 42, 180.953
31. Dave Blaney, 22, 180.838
32. Matt Kenseth, 17, 180.783
33. David Gilliland, 38, 180.783
34. David Ragan, 6, 180.717
35. Sterling Marlin, 40, 180.705
36. David Reutimann, 44, 180.638
37. Tony Stewart, 20b, 180.572
38. Dale Earnhardt Jr., 88, 180.536
39. Reagan Smith, 01, 180.475
40. Ryan Newman, 12, 180.445
41. Kasey Kahne, 9, 180.439
42. Martin Truex Jr., 1, 180.301
43. J.J. Yeley, 96, 180.264
44. Jeff Burton, 31b, 180.240
45. Michael Waltrip, 55, 180.228
46. Clint Bowyer, 07b, 180.192
47. Jon Wood, 21, 180.066
48. David Stremme, 06, 179.892
49. Clint Bowyer, 07, 179.671. 50. Bobby Labonte, 43, 179.551
51. Scott Riggs, 66, 179.390
52. Casey Mears, 5, 179.372
53. Reed Sorenson, 41b, 179.307
54. Joe Nemechek, 78, 179.206
55. Patrick Carpentier, 10, 179.194
56. Stanton Barrett, 50, 179.063
57. Robby Gordon, 7b, 178.595
58. Bobby Labonte, 43b, 178.436
59. Kevin Harvick, 29, 178.235
60. Kyle Petty, 45, 178.094
61. Michael McDowell, 00, 177.813
62. Tony Raines, 08, 176.684.

-credit: lms