Vegas testing underway for Cup series

Las Vegas, NV - Fresh off Daytona test sessions, several Winston Cup teams headed to the desert to test Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Posting the fastest lap on the first day out was Jimmie Johnson putting a 32.112 sec./168.202 mph lap on the chart. Teammate and four-time Winston Cup champion, Jeff Gordon, was second fastest.

"So far, so good," said Gordon. "We're trying to get an idea of what it (the car) wants. I think it's really interesting that this is the first time I can ever remember where all the manufacturers were this close, as far as wind tunnel numbers, templates, all that."

As a co-owner of the #48 Chevy, Gordon also seemed pleased with Johnson's fastest lap.

"It's still not a lot different for me." Commented Gordon. "My role was when we were negotiating with the sponsors and bringing Jimmie on board. Once we got everything in place, my role was just to be the best teammate that I could be to Jimmie -- just like I would Joe (Nemechek) or Terry (Labonte) -- and just be the best driver of the 24 car I could be. The two teams have jelled together very well. I like the way it works. That's mainly just from a driver-teammate standpoint. From an owner's standpoint, obviously it's been a good experience for me because he's fifth in points his first year out. Sponsors are extremely happy. They're renegotiating already to extend the contracts, so we're having a good time with it."

Rounding out the top-5 fastest cars in race trim were Ken Schrader, Greg Biffle and Kurt Busch.

Testing at Las Vegas continues through Thursday.

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