LMS Charlotte test summary 2008-05-12

No. 20 Toyota Continues to Dominate as Denny Hamlin Tops the Speed Chart in NASCAR Nationwide Series Testing

CONCORD, N.C. (May 12, 2008) - The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota continued to dominate the NASCAR Nationwide Series Monday at Lowe's Motor Speedway as Denny Hamlin set the pace during testing for the May 24 CARQUEST Auto Parts 300.

The No. 20 car has won four consecutive races with three different drivers and Hamlin topped the speed chart in both sessions on the first of two days of testing. His evening lap of 29.635 seconds, 182.217 mph, was clearly superior among the more than 40 cars that took to the 1.5-mile superspeedway.

Defending NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Carl Edwards was second fastest on the electronic timers at 182.014 mph in the No. 60 Roush Fenway Ford.

Kasey Kahne, winner of last year's CARQUEST Auto Parts 300, was third fastest in the No. 9 Gillett Evernham Dodge at 181.947 mph while Greg Biffle was fourth at 181.708 in the No. 16 Roush Fenway Ford. Rookie Chase Miller rounded out the top five at 181.549 mph in the No. 19 Gillett Evernham Dodge.

David Stremme, driver of Rusty Wallace's No. 64 Dodge, said the horsepower difference between the Nationwide cars and the Sprint Cup cars has a tremendous impact on how a driver approaches the 1.5-mile superspeedway.

"We got to run the Penske car here last week both days and, obviously, it was a little warmer, but a Cup car is not as fast through the corners as what a Nationwide car is," Stremme explained. "So, at this time on the first day last week, we were already in the second or third lane, running against the wall and a lot of that is because the Cup cars have so much more horsepower.

"You're going into the corner faster, so you have to slow down a little bit more in the center and then you can power off. In the Nationwide car, you're almost wide open for a lap or two and then the tires fall off a little bit. You carry so much more speed through the corners you have to run the bottom of the race track. If I was a betting man, I'd almost bet that the Cup cars are going to race around the top, and whoever's car can run the middle to the bottom is going to be out front.

"The Nationwide race is going to be on the bottom and whoever's car is turning the best will win," Stremme continued. "There's no power in these cars. They don't run down the straightaway, so you've got to get all your speed through the corners."

Lowe's Motor Speedway was repaved in April 2006 and Stremme said the surface is aging gracefully.

"The race track has seasoned well. I was fortunate enough to run on the old race track before it got ground, and then when it got ground and then with the new asphalt," he said. "I'm really happy at how it's still Charlotte. You've got to be careful in Turns 3 and 4 during the hot weather. Then you can look around on the race track and still run up by the wall or on the bottom. It makes for a lot of fun."

Veteran Jeff Burton, driver of the No. 29 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, praised Goodyear for the tire engineers selected for the May races at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

"I had a scheduling conflict so we kind of got a late start, but everything is going well, Burton said during the dinner break. "I really like these tires on this surface. I think it's the best Goodyear has done so far at this race track, and the few laps I've run have been good."

The most serious incident of the day took place during the afternoon session when veteran David Green slammed the outside SAFER barrier in Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 83 Chevrolet. Green said he was making just his third lap when the right-front tire went down and the car shot to the outside. Green was evaluated and released from the Carolinas HealthCare System Infield Medical Center.

Robert Richardson Jr. spun during the afternoon session, but did not make wall contact.

NASCAR Nationwide Series testing for the May 24 CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 continues from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday and the frontstretch grandstand will be open free of charge.

Tickets for all May events at Lowe's Motor Speedway, including Saturday's 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:

Afternoon Session

1. Denny Hamlin, 20, 178.903; 2. Kasey Kahne, 9, 178.424; 3. David Stremme, 64, 178.365; 4. Carl Edwards, 60b, 178.288; 5. Brad Keselowski, 88, 178.271; 6. Brian Vickers, 10, 178.265; 7. Mike Bliss, 1, 178.012; 8. Kelly Bires, 47, 177.871; 9. David Stremme, 64b, 177.860; 10. Sam Hornish Jr., 12, 177.363; 11. David Reutimann, 99b, 177.270; 12. Johnny Benson, 18, 177.247; 13. David Ragan, 6b, 177.183; 14. Greg Biffle, 16, 177.061; 15. Mike Wallace, 7, 176.980; 16. Marcos Ambrose, 59, 176.974; 17. David Ragan, 6, 176.945; 18. Stephen Leicht, 2, 176.881; 19. Stephen Leicht, 2b, 176.829; 20. Bryan Clauson, 40b, 176.725; 21. Kyle Busch, 32, 176.574; 22. Jeff Burton, 29b, 176.569; 23. Kevin Harvick, 33b, 176.563; 24. Jason Keller, 11, 176.505; 25. Jason Keller, 11b, 176.407; 26. Jason Leffler, 38b, 176.355; 27. Steve Wallace, 66a, 176.344; 28. Kevin Harvick, 33, 176.229; 29. David Reutimann, 99, 176.200; 30. Chase Miller, 19, 176.074; 31. Greg Biffle, 16b, 175.867; 32. Kelly Bires, 47b, 175.695; 33. Mike Wallace, 7t, 175.564; 34. Brad Keselowski, 88b, 175.376; 35. Cale Gale, 77b, 175.205; 36. Jeff Burton, 29, 175.080; 37. Jason Leffler, 38, 174.972; 38. Steve Wallace, 66b, 174.961; 39. Mark Green, 70, 174.893; 40. Brad Coleman, 27, 174.729; 41. Mike Bliss, 1b, 174.036; 42. Bryan Clauson, 40, 173.930; 43. Bobby Hamilton Jr., 25b, 173.210; 44. Carl Edwards, 60, 172.933; 45. David Green, 83, 172.035; 46. Robert Richardson Jr., 23, 171.821.

Evening Session

1. Denny Hamlin, 20, 182.217; 2. Carl Edwards, 60b, 182.014; 3. Kasey Kahne, 9, 181.947; 4. Greg Biffle, 16, 181.708; 5. Chase Miller, 19, 181.549; 6. Davie Stremme/Steve Wallace, 64, 181.068; 7. Marcos Ambrose, 59, 180.995; 8. Johnny Benson, 18, 180.765; 9. Jeff Burton, 29b, 180.668; 10. Brad Keselowski, 88b, 180.644; 11. Steve Wallace/David Stremme, 66b, 180.554; 12. Brian Vickers, 10, 180.505; 13. David Reutimann, 99b, 180.463; 14. Mike Bliss, 1, 180.246; 15. David Ragan, 6, 180.228; 16. Kyle Busch, 32, 180.222; 17. Stephen Leicht, 2b, 180.114; 18. Sam Hornish Jr., 12, 180.048; 19. Kelly Bires, 47, 179.994; 20. Kevin Harvick, 33b, 179.988; 21. Stephen Leicht, 2, 179.946; 22. Jason Keller, 11, 179.659; 23. Bryan Clauson, 40b, 179.659; 24. Brad Keselowski, 88, 179.480; 25. David Ragan, 6b, 179.474; 26. Greg Biffle/Colin Braun, 16b, 179.325; 27. Bobby Hamilton Jr., 25, 179.188; 28. Jason Leffler, 38, 179.158; 29. Mike Wallace, 7t, 179.146; 30. Cale Gale, 77, 178.489; 31. Mike Wallace, 7, 178.230; 32. Derrike Cope, 4, 178.141; 33. Kenny Wallace, 28, 178.071; 34. Mike Bliss, 1b, 177.901; 35. Cale Gale, 77b, 177.223; 36. Jeff Fuller/Robert Richardson Jr., 23, 176.811; 37. Mark Green, 70, 176.650; 38. Jeff Burton, 29, 176.586; 39. Jason Keller, 11b, 176.263; 40. Brad Coleman, 27, 176.183; 41. Mark Green, 70b, 175.953; 42. Kelly Bires, 47b, 164.810.

-credit: lms