TESTING, TESTING
Hamlin, Sauter top Talladega COT test of day 1
By Greg Engle, Editor Cup Scene Daily
No rest for the weary.
A total of 52 teams headed to Talladega Superspeedway Monday only hours after the dust had settled at Richmond International Raceway for the first day of testing with NASCAR’s Car of Tomorrow.
This is the first test of the next generation cars on a superspeedway as the series prepares for its first restrictor plate race with the new cars at the 2.66 mile track in October. NASCAR’s next-generation racecar will compete fulltime in 2008 and is being used in 16 of 36 events this season. The October race will be the 14th of those 16 events, the longest thus far.
Johnny Sauter and Denny Hamlin were the fastest in Monday’s sessions, which saw single car runs in the morning followed by drafting in the afternoon.
Hamlin topped both the morning and afternoon single-car running sessions, running his quickest lap in the morning with a speed of 189.560 mph.
Sauter was the quickest driver of the day overall, topping the drafting session in the afternoon with a speed of 196.165 mph. He was the only driver to lap above the 195 mph bracket, while Martin Truex Jr was second at 195.564.
“Well, I really didn't notice that much difference,†said Hamlin. “Not really as much as what I thought. Of course, you feel a lot of wind buffering in this car versus the other car, just with the huge hole that it punches in the air. Really, other than that, the way it actually steers and everything is not that much different.â€
Look for NASCAR to run a restrictor with smaller holes on Tuesday, the second day of testing, as some felt speeds in the draft were too high. Monday the cars ran a restrictor plate with one-inch holes, combined with different rear wing angles.
"We found packages that would really let the car suck up well and create a lot of passing," said Jimmie Johnson. "The problem was [that] it pushed that threshold for the speed up too high, and we had to come down on restrictor plate and other things to get the cars back where they needed to be speed-wise.â€
NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Director John Darby said a final decision on plate size has yet to be made.
"We're working really hard to stay with the one-inch plate,†he said. “Overall speeds will ultimately make the decision."
The only incident of the day involved Reed Sorenson, who hit the wall between turns one and two during the final session of the day. Sorenson was uninjured.
Hamlin, Sauter top Talladega COT test of day 1
By Greg Engle, Editor Cup Scene Daily
No rest for the weary.
A total of 52 teams headed to Talladega Superspeedway Monday only hours after the dust had settled at Richmond International Raceway for the first day of testing with NASCAR’s Car of Tomorrow.
This is the first test of the next generation cars on a superspeedway as the series prepares for its first restrictor plate race with the new cars at the 2.66 mile track in October. NASCAR’s next-generation racecar will compete fulltime in 2008 and is being used in 16 of 36 events this season. The October race will be the 14th of those 16 events, the longest thus far.
Johnny Sauter and Denny Hamlin were the fastest in Monday’s sessions, which saw single car runs in the morning followed by drafting in the afternoon.
Hamlin topped both the morning and afternoon single-car running sessions, running his quickest lap in the morning with a speed of 189.560 mph.
Sauter was the quickest driver of the day overall, topping the drafting session in the afternoon with a speed of 196.165 mph. He was the only driver to lap above the 195 mph bracket, while Martin Truex Jr was second at 195.564.
“Well, I really didn't notice that much difference,†said Hamlin. “Not really as much as what I thought. Of course, you feel a lot of wind buffering in this car versus the other car, just with the huge hole that it punches in the air. Really, other than that, the way it actually steers and everything is not that much different.â€
Look for NASCAR to run a restrictor with smaller holes on Tuesday, the second day of testing, as some felt speeds in the draft were too high. Monday the cars ran a restrictor plate with one-inch holes, combined with different rear wing angles.
"We found packages that would really let the car suck up well and create a lot of passing," said Jimmie Johnson. "The problem was [that] it pushed that threshold for the speed up too high, and we had to come down on restrictor plate and other things to get the cars back where they needed to be speed-wise.â€
NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Director John Darby said a final decision on plate size has yet to be made.
"We're working really hard to stay with the one-inch plate,†he said. “Overall speeds will ultimately make the decision."
The only incident of the day involved Reed Sorenson, who hit the wall between turns one and two during the final session of the day. Sorenson was uninjured.