It might just be testing, but the Car of Tomorrow is helping the smaller teams show some promise.
Five days after failing to qualify for NASCAR's second Car of Tomorrow race, Kenny Wallace, driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet, had the honors of posting the fastest lap during the first day for COT testing at Richmond International Raceway.
Wallace’s fast lap of 122.416 mph came in the night session that also saw Clint Bowyer, Jeff Gordon and Dave Blaney break the 122 mph barrier.
The top 11 cars bested Greg Biffle’s top time of 22.214 seconds (121.545 mph) from the afternoon session.
For Biffle and the rest of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup drivers this week's test is an important one not only for next month's Crown Royal Presents The Jim Stewart 400, but also for the September Chevy Rock & Roll 400, which is the last race before the "Chase for the NEXTEL Cup."
"This is going to be a good test for all the teams because, number one, this racetrack (RIR) is a good racetrack to test at," Biffle said. "It works well. The two corners are a little bit different and it’s a fairly decent speed racetrack for the size of it, and it just works really well for testing. I think this is going to be one of the best tests for the COT car."
Along with his teammate Matt Kenseth, who was fifth quick, Biffle was the only other Ford in the top 20 in the p.m. session.
Michael Waltrip made some gains in his Toyota this evening after he moved from 34th quick in the afternoon to seventh with a lap of 122.775 mph.
Toyota saw an additional Camry hit the track as NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Johnny Benson is testing the No. 46 Toyota for Wyler Racing.
"I'm pretty excited about being here, that's for sure," Benson said. "Tony Furr and the guys are doing a great job. We've come a long way from where we unloaded to now. They've made adjustments that have just made this thing really nice to drive. I've been happy so far with how the test is going, that's for sure."
The only two incidents on the day came when Juan Pablo Montoya and Scott Riggs crashed in the night session.
68 cars among 51 teams took to the three-quarter-mile facility venue on Tuesday.
Testing of the Car of Tomorrow continues Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (ET). The grandstands are open to the public and admission is free.
