Jeff Wackerlin
Senior Editor
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Posted Wednesday, February 28, 2007 |
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Speeds | Photos | Video | Understanding the "COT" | Rain Cuts Short Final Day
BRISTOL, Tenn. – A new era in NASCAR kicked off on Wednesday as 50 teams tested the new Car of Tomorrow at Bristol Motor Speedway in preparation for its debut next month.
Today marked the start of the third - first for the COT - of seven NASCAR sanctioned test sessions in 2007 for the NEXTEL Cup Series.
With rain in the forecast for Thursday, NASCAR gave the teams an entire day of testing that started at 9:20 a.m. (ET) when Kurt Busch hit the high-banked half-mile oval in his No. 2 Dodge.
With cool temperatures in the morning and night session, Denny Hamlin had the honors of leading the first day of testing after he climbed to the top of the speed chart in a.m. session with a lap of 122.170 mph in the No. 11B Chevrolet.
"This is the first really official test where guys are bringing their race stuff," said Hamlin, who also paced the second session. "I am pretty happy about where we are standing because not only are we fast, but we are really good on the long runs and that really matters here."
Jimmie Johnson was second fastest on the day with his lap of 122.007 mph coming in the night session.
"When we unloaded, I went to the top of the board at first, I asked my guys to take a photograph of the computer monitor, document we were at Bristol," Johnson said. "Maybe things have slowed down around here. I don't know what it is. We've been strong today.
"I'm excited for this opportunity with the Car of Tomorrow. Chad (Knaus, Crew Chief) and I do a great job of working through new rules packages. We have a whole new race car to play with. I'm excited. Hopefully we can use that to our advantage."
Ward Burton, who was third fastest on the day at 121.689 mph, capped off the day with spin in his No. 4 Chevrolet just as day one came to an end at 9 p.m. Burton’s car sustained some front end damage as he hit the inside wall on the frontstrech.
Kasey Kahne had the only Dodge in the top 10 on the day with the fourth overall lap of 121.628 coming in the p.m. session.
Greg Biffle set the fifth fastest time in the a.m. (15.793 sec., 121.497 mph) in his "B" car and then was just as quick in his "A" car, which held down the sixth overall spot.
"We were able to put down some consistent, fairly quick laps – in the top five or eight – but on the first half of the first day that probably doesn't mean a whole lot yet. But I am happy that I have two cars that drive very good so far," Biffle said.
Biffle's Roush Fenway Racing teammate and two-time Sharpie 500 champion Matt Kenseth was seventh on the day with his morning speed of 121.451 mph.
Jeff Green (121.412 mph), Kyle Busch (121.259 mph) and Jeff Gordon (121.205) rounded out the overall top 10 on day one.
AJ Allmendinger was the top Toyota on the day with a lap of 119.895 mph in the afternoon.
Crew chiefs Robbie Reiser (No. 17) and Kenny Francis (No. 9), who are currently serving a four race suspension, were on hand for the test.
A spin by Juan Pablo Montoya’s Dodge and David Gilliland’s Ford slapping the wall were the only two incidents in the morning session.
"It’s been a wild experience to be honest with you," Montoya said. "I spun and kept it out of the wall. I was pretty lucky. I think we’ve been OK. We’re a little bit off the pace, but it’s a hard place to find your feet."
Casey Mears brought out the yellow flag in the afternoon when his No. 25 Chevrolet sustained right-side damage after making contact with the wall.
Prior to stepping into his car in the afternoon, David Reutimann was allowed some more recovery time following his hard crash at California Speedway, as Mark Green tested the No. 00 Toyota this morning.
"I didn't get in the car until after lunch, around two o'clock," Reutimann said. "Mark (Green) and the guys have been doing a great job making changes to the car and helping it a little bit. We still have more work to do, but it's hard to tell how we stack up because you're out here running on 100-plus lap tires and you don't know whose changed what or done whatever so it makes it hard to tell where you stack up."
The official debut for the Car of Tomorrow will take place on Friday, March 23 at BMS on qualifying day, two days prior to its first start in the Food City 500.
Built with safety in mind, the Car of Tomorrow is a culmination of a seven-year project undertaken at NASCAR's Research and Development Center in Concord, North Carolina.
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