Atlanta Motor Speedway to Host 2012 U.S. Legend Cars Nationals

Atlanta Motor Speedway to Host 2012 U.S. Legend Cars Nationals

HAMPTON, Ga. (Oct. 29, 2011) – For the first time ever, Atlanta Motor Speedway will host to the 21^st Annual Asphalt Nationals and the 13^th Annual Thunder Car Nationals on Oct. 24-27, 2012.

Over 200 Legend Cars and Thunder Roadsters from all over the country will be on hand to compete in this yearly short track event. Pre-registration will open on Wednesday, Oct. 24. Thursday, Oct. 25 will be a practice day while qualifying will take place on Friday, Oct. 26. Saturday, Oct. 27 will be Championship Day.

Year in and year out, the Asphalt Nationals is the premier Legend Cars event in the country. Talented drivers of all ages compete for the national title with some of the most intense competition in American racing. The U.S. Legend Cars program is an affordable way for drivers to gain experience behind the wheel. This program has been a launching pad for countless NASCAR drivers, including Kyle and Kurt Busch, David Ragan, Reed Sorenson and Joey Logano.

“We are excited to welcome the U.S. Legend Cars Nationals to Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2012,” said Atlanta Motor Speedway President and General Manager Ed Clark. “The U.S. Legend Cars program has been successful throughout the United States and this event will bring out the best of the best and the future stars of NASCAR to compete here at AMS.”

For more information on U.S. Legend Cars, call (704) 455-3896 or visit www.uslegendcars.com. For more information on Atlanta Motor Speedway, visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com.

Martinsville Speedway:

Martinsville Speedway:

History

·         Opened in September 1947 by H. Clay Earles, Martinsville, originally a dirt track, is one of the oldest continuously-operating race tracks in the United States.

·         The first NASCAR-sanctioned race at Martinsville was on July 4, 1948.

·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was Sept. 25, 1949.

·         The track was paved in 1955.

·         The first 500-lap event at Martinsville was in 1956.

·         Concrete corners were added atop asphalt in 1976.

Notebook

·         There have been 125 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway, one in the inaugural year and two races per year since 1950.

·         Curtis Turner won the pole for the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Martinsville in 1949.

·         Red Byron won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

·         56 drivers have won poles, led by Darrell Waltrip with eight. Jeff Gordon, with seven poles, can tie that mark this weekend.

·         Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Darrell Waltrip share the consecutive pole record, each with three.

·         46 different drivers have won, led by Richard Petty’s 15.

·         Jeff Gordon leads active drivers with seven wins. Jimmie Johnson has six and Denny Hamlin has four.

·         19 races have been won from the pole, the last by Denny Hamlin in October 2010.

·         Petty Enterprises has won 19 races, more than any other organization. Hendrick Motorsports, with 18 wins, can tie that mark this weekend. If HMS does win this weekend, it will also be the team’s 200th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory.

·         Kurt Busch won the 2002 fall race from the 36th starting position, the furthest back a race winner has started.

·         Three active drivers average a top-10 finish: Jimmie Johnson (5.6), Denny Hamlin (6.6) and Jeff Gordon (7.0).

·         There were 31 lead changes in the April Martinsville race this season, a track record.

 

Martinsville Speedway Data

Race #: 33 of 36 (10-30-11)

Track Size: .526 mile

Race Length: 500 laps/263 miles

·     Banking/Corners: 12 degrees

·     Banking/Straights: 0 degrees

·     Frontstretch: 800 feet

·     Backstretch: 800 feet

 

Driver Rating at Martinsville
Jimmie Johnson	121.9
Jeff Gordon	119.7
Denny Hamlin	113.0
Tony Stewart	102.4
Dale Earnhardt Jr.	98.9
Kyle Busch	94.3
Kevin Harvick	93.1
Jeff Burton	89.3
Mark Martin	89.3
Ryan Newman	88.8

Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2011 races (13 total) at Martinsville Speedway.

 

Qualifying/Race Data

2010 pole winner: Denny Hamlin (97.318 mph)

2010 race winner: Denny Hamlin, 71.619 mph, 10-24-10)

Track qualifying record: Tony Stewart (98.083 mph, 19.306 seconds, 10-21-05)

Race record: Jeff Gordon (82.223 mph, 09-22-96)

 

Talladega Superspeedway:

Talladega Superspeedway:

History

·         Construction began on what was then known as the Alabama International Motor Speedway on May 23, 1968.

·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on Sept. 14, 1969.

·         The name changed to Talladega Superspeedway in 1989.

·         Fourth repaving completed on Sept. 19, 2006.

 

Notebook

·         There have been 84 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Talladega Superspeedway since the track opened in 1969; two a year every year except the inaugural season, which had just one.

·         Richard Brickhouse won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

·         Bobby Isaac won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup pole in September 1969. Isaac won the first three poles there.

·         35 different drivers have won poles. Bill Elliott leads all drivers with eight poles.

·         41 different drivers have posted victories, led by Dale Earnhardt Sr. (10). Eighteen drivers have won more than once.

·         Jeff Gordon leads all other active drivers in victories, with six. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is second among active drivers in victories with five.

·         Richard Childress Racing and Hendrick Motorsports have won more than any other organization at Talladega with 11 wins each.

·         33 of 84 races have been won from the top-two starting positions, including 13 from the pole; 23 have been won from a starting position outside the top 10. The most recent driver to win from the pole was Jeff Gordon in 2007 (spring).

·         The furthest back in the field a race winner started was 36th, by Jeff Gordon in 2000.

·         Mark Martin’s pace in the 1997 spring race set an all-time NASCAR Sprint Cup record for the fastest race ever. He won the caution-free race with an average speed of 188.354 mph and covered the 500-mile distance in two hours, 39 minutes and 18 seconds.

·         The 2010 spring race set the all-time and track records for lead changes (88) and lap leaders (29). The lead change record was matched last April. The previous highs were 75 lead changes (set on May 6, 1984) and 28 lap leaders (set on Oct. 5, 2008). Both previous records also were set at Talladega.

·         Dale Earnhardt Jr. had four consecutive victories (October 2001 through April 2003), the most ever by a driver there. Buddy Baker (three – May 1975 through May 1976) is the only other driver to win more than two consecutive races there.

·         Since the inception of electronic scoring in 1993, every race that has ended under green has had a margin of victory under half a second.

·         The season’s spring race tied the March 16, 2003 Darlington race won by Ricky Craven for the all-time record of the closest series finish (0.002 seconds) since the inception of electronic scoring.

 

Talladega Superspeedway Data

Race #: 32 of 36 (10-23-11)

Track Size: 2.66 miles

·     Banking/Corners: 33 degrees

·     Banking/Frontstretch: 16.5 degrees

·     Banking/Backstretch: 2 degrees

·     Frontstretch: 4,300 feet

·     Backstretch: 4,000 feet

 

Driver Rating at Talladega 

Dale Earnhardt Jr.         92.7

 

Denny Hamlin                90.9

Joey Logano                 90.2

Jeff Burton                   88.9

David Ragan                 87.1

Kurt Busch                    86.9

Brian Vickers                 85.4

Jeff Gordon                  84.4

Jimmie Johnson                        83.8

Tony Stewart                 82.5

Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2011 races (13 total) at Talladega.

 

Qualifying/Race Data

2010 pole winner: Juan Pablo Montoya (184.640 mph, 51.863 seconds)

2010 race winner: Clint Bowyer (163.618 mph, 10-31-10)

Track qualifying record: Bill Elliott (212.809 mph, 44.998 seconds, 04-30-87)

Track race record: Mark Martin (188.354 mph, 05-10-97)

Charlotte Motor Speedway

Charlotte Motor Speedway:

History

·         Construction began on Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1959.

·         The track’s first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on June 19, 1960.

·         The track was repaved midseason in 1994.

·         The track name changed from Charlotte Motor Speedway to Lowe’s Motor Speedway in 1999. It changed back to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the 2010 season.

·         The track was re-paved again before the 2006 season.

 

Notebook

·         There have been 105 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points races at Charlotte Motor Speedway, two races per year since the track opened in 1960. In 1961, there were two 100-mile qualifying points races held the week beforethe May race. The first six fall races at Charlotte were 400-mile events (1960-65).

·         38 drivers have posted poles, led by David Pearson with 14.

·         Fireball Roberts won the pole for the first race, in 1960.

·         David Pearson posted 11 straight poles at Charlotte from the fall of 1973 through 1978.

·         Ryan Newman leads all active drivers in poles, with nine. Jeff Gordon has eight.

·         Jeff Gordon won five straight poles for the spring races between 1994 and 1998.

·         44 drivers have won races, led by Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip and Jimmie Johnson, with six each.

·         Joe Lee Johnson won the first race, in 1960.

·         There have been 13 back-to-back victories, including three consecutive by Fred Lorenzen (fall 1964 and both 1965) and four straight by Jimmie Johnson (both in 2004 and 2005).

·         A sweep has occurred eight times, including each season from 2004-2007.

·         14 races have been won from the pole, the last by Jimmie Johnson (October, 2009).

·         Jimmie Johnson won the 2003 Coca-Cola 600 from the 37th starting position, the furthest back a race winner has started.

·         Joey Logano is the only driver with more than two starts at Charlotte to average a top-10 finish (7.4).

·         A number of active drivers earned their first win at CMS: Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Bobby Labonte, Jamie McMurray, Casey Mears and David Reutimann. Inactive drivers David Pearson, Buddy Baker and Charlie Glotzbach also got their first series wins at Charlotte.

·         Three Chase contenders earned their first career Coors Light poles at Charlotte: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman.

 

Charlotte Motor Speedway Data

Race #: 31 of 36 (10-15-11)

Track Size: 1.5 miles

·     Banking/Corners: 24 degrees

·     Banking/Straights: 5 degrees

·     Frontstretch: 1,980 feet

·     Backstretch: 1,500 feet

 

Driver Rating at Charlotte 

Jimmie Johnson	112.8
Kyle Busch	106.5
Joey Logano	96.5
Kasey Kahne	94.5
Matt Kenseth	92.1
Mark Martin	89.7
Jeff Gordon	88.3
Greg Biffle	87.4
Denny Hamlin	87.2
Jeff Burton	87.1

Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2011 races (13 total) at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

 

Qualifying/Race Data

2010 pole winner: Jeff Gordon (191.544 mph, 28.192 seconds)

2010 race winner: Jamie McMurray (140.391 mph, 10-16-10)

Qualifying record: Elliott Sadler (193.216 mph, 27.948 seconds, (10-13-05)

600-mile race record: Bobby Labonte (151.952 mph, 05-28-95)

 

2012 Atlanta Motor Speedway Racing Schedule Announced

2012 Atlanta Motor Speedway Racing Schedule Announced

HAMPTON, Ga. (Oct. 11, 2011) – For the fourth consecutive year, Atlanta Motor Speedway will host the biggest Labor Day party in the USA with the running of the 53^rd annual AdvoCare 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series night race on Sunday, Sept. 2, 2012.

The 2012 AdvoCare 500 will be a part of NASCAR’s yearly stop at the historic 1.54-mile speedway on Labor Day weekend, Aug. 31-Sept. 2, 2012. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will race 200 miles on Friday night, Aug. 31, while the NASCAR Nationwide Series will battle under the lights for 300 miles on Saturday, Sept. 1.

            “We eagerly anticipate the return of three nights of NASCAR racing under the lights here at Atlanta Motor Speedway,” said AMS President and General Manager Ed Clark. “We will once again host our passionate fans as they celebrate the biggest Labor Day party in the USA, and we’ll be adding many activities throughout the weekend for everyone to enjoy and participate in.”

            In addition to the AMS NASCAR schedule, the popular Thursday Thunder Legends racing series will return for eight weeks of action on the quarter-mile “Thunder Ring.” The series will run June 7-July 26, with a special Wednesday, July 4 race that will include fireworks.

            The sixth season of Friday Night Drags & MCR Safety Show-N-Shine will begin with an April 27 event and will take place on Fridays through Aug. 17. There will be no racing on May 25. The series will resume for two season-concluding dates on Sept. 14-Sept. 21.

For ticket information and a complete listing of 2012 racing schedules at Atlanta Motor Speedway, call the AMS Ticket Office at (877) 9-AMS-TIX, (770) 946-4211 or visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com.

Talladega Superspeedway Creating Special Award For 100 Lead Changes

October 08, 2011       (11-45)

Talladega Superspeedway Creating Special Award For 100 Lead Changes

TALLADEGA, Ala. - Talladega Superspeedway has long been known as NASCAR’s Most Competitive Track…and now it’s looking to back up that reputation with cold hard cash.  Track officials believe that this month’s running of the Good Sam Club 500 could eclipse 100 lead changes during the race and should that happen, the driver who takes the lead the most times throughout the race will earn $100,000.

“There’s a real excitement and buzz going into our race weekend,” said Talladega Superspeedway Chairman Grant Lynch.  “Our fans look forward to seeing a lot of passing and a lot of lead changes.  It makes sense to put an extra incentive on giving our fans what they want.  The new rules package, that includes a larger restrictor plate opening, should give drivers the opportunity to really mix it up and pass even more in traffic. This is going to be an exciting race on Oct. 23 and we look forward to potentially setting another NASCAR record.”

Talladega Superspeedway currently holds the NASCAR record of 88 lead changes in a race, a mark that has been reached twice.  Both instances occurred in the spring race at Talladega Superspeedway (2010 & 2011) with the 2010 fall race narrowly missing the mark with 87 lead changes.

Talladega also holds NASCAR records for leaders (29), fastest average race speed (188.354 mph) and fastest qualifying speed (212.809 mph).    

Race fans that want to experience true southern hospitality combined with the most competitive racing in NASCAR should call the Talladega Superspeedway Ticket Office today at 1-877-Go2-DEGA.  Guests that purchase their tickets in advance have the opportunity to save over those who purchase during race week.  Tickets are available online at www.talladegasuperspeedway.com.

Final Preparations For The Fall Chase Weekend At Phoenix

Final Preparations For The Fall Chase Weekend At Phoenix Officially In The Books

DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. (Oct. 5, 2011) — On-track preparations for the 2011 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup weekend at Phoenix International Raceway are officially complete as teams concluded a two-day test session on Wednesday.

This second day of testing hosted 35 teams on the newly repaved and reconfigured one-mile oval. There were a variety of reactions to the new track, but change seems to be the one constant that drivers have seen to the 47-year-old facility.

“As we ran the track, it got a lot better with rubber,” said Carl Edwards (No. 99 AFLAC Ford). “As treacherous as this place was in the Goodyear tire test, as tough as it was to drive, it got better the whole day. I think we have a lot to look forward to once the track gets more rubber on it.

“To me it's going to be pretty amazing to be the penultimate race and have all those opportunities for something crazy to happen, it could shake everything up. I don't know how all those dynamics are going to work out. I think as we see the other series run, we'll learn where the problem spots are.”

Crew chiefs have also had to adjust a little over the last two days and try a variety of set ups and strategy.

“It's awesome,” said Steve Addington, crew chief No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge and driver Kurt Busch. “They've done an awesome job with the racetrack, plus they've done an awesome job on pit road. You look forward to picking a pit. All the pits should be good when we come back to race.

“I think that's going to be the action place. We were talking about it last night, about the double file restarts, getting through two. Getting into the dogleg is going to be exciting. During the test, everybody is giving. When you catch a car, they let you go. But when they start racing, it's going to be pretty interesting through there. That's going to open up another can of worms to see how all the action takes place back through there. Getting into it, positioning yourself, where you get a run on the guy, whether it's on the outside or inside of him, the give and take is going to be pretty interesting.”

As teams took their last lap around the track and completed their final notes, the new Phoenix International Raceway certainly has teams and NASCAR ready for an exciting Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race come November.

“Testing here has allowed the teams to really focus on their strategy and gather crucial data as they prepare for the upcoming race weekend,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition. “This is a totally new race track and as with all newly repaved facilities, time is going to play a factor in how these cars compete. It will certainly be an exciting weekend in Phoenix for sure.”

Day Two: NASCAR Test At Phoenix International Raceway

Day Two: NASCAR Test At Phoenix International Raceway

Final Preparations For The Fall Chase Weekend At Phoenix Officially In The Books

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Oct. 5, 2011) — On-track preparations for the 2011 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup weekend at Phoenix International Raceway are officially complete as teams concluded a two-day test session on Wednesday.

This second day of testing hosted 35 teams on the newly repaved and reconfigured one-mile oval. There were a variety of reactions to the new track, but change seems to be the one constant that drivers have seen to the 47-year-old facility.

“As we ran the track, it got a lot better with rubber,” said Carl Edwards (No. 99 AFLAC Ford). “As treacherous as this place was in the Goodyear tire test, as tough as it was to drive, it got better the whole day. I think we have a lot to look forward to once the track gets more rubber on it.

“To me it's going to be pretty amazing to be the penultimate race and have all those opportunities for something crazy to happen, it could shake everything up. I don't know how all those dynamics are going to work out. I think as we see the other series run, we'll learn where the problem spots are.”

Crew chiefs have also had to adjust a little over the last two days and try a variety of set ups and strategy.

“It's awesome,” said Steve Addington, crew chief No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge and driver Kurt Busch. “They've done an awesome job with the racetrack, plus they've done an awesome job on pit road. You look forward to picking a pit. All the pits should be good when we come back to race.

“I think that's going to be the action place. We were talking about it last night, about the double file restarts, getting through two. Getting into the dogleg is going to be exciting. During the test, everybody is giving. When you catch a car, they let you go. But when they start racing, it's going to be pretty interesting through there. That's going to open up another can of worms to see how all the action takes place back through there. Getting into it, positioning yourself, where you get a run on the guy, whether it's on the outside or inside of him, the give and take is going to be pretty interesting.”

As teams took their last lap around the track and completed their final notes, the new Phoenix International Raceway certainly has teams and NASCAR ready for an exciting Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race come November.

“Testing here has allowed the teams to really focus on their strategy and gather crucial data as they prepare for the upcoming race weekend,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition. “This is a totally new race track and as with all newly repaved facilities, time is going to play a factor in how these cars compete. It will certainly be an exciting weekend in Phoenix for sure.”

Kansas Speedway:

Kansas Speedway:

History

·      Groundbreaking was held on May 25, 1999.

·      The official opening of Kansas Speedway was in 2001, with the first events being an ARCA race and a NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race on the same day – June 2.

·      The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was Sept. 30, 2001.

Notebook

·         There have been 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Kansas

      since the track opened in 2001.

·         All of the races have been scheduled for 267 laps.

·         10 drivers have competed in all 11 races at Kansas.

·         Jeff Gordon won the first two NASCAR Sprint Cup races.

·         Jason Leffler won the first pole in September 2001.

·         Eight different drivers have won poles, led by Jimmie Johnson with three.

·         Eight different drivers have posted victories, led by Greg Biffle, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart (each with two).

·         Seven of the 11 races have been won from a top-10 starting position.

·         Two drivers have won from the pole: Joe Nemechek in 2004 and Jimmie Johnson in 2008.

·         The furthest back in the field that a race winner started was 25th, by Brad Keselowski earlier this season.

·         Three active drivers with more than one start have averaged a top-10 finish: Greg Biffle (8.3), Jeff Gordon (8.1) and Jimmie Johnson (9.1).

·         Jeff Gordon leads all drivers in top fives (eight) and top 10s (nine). Gordon’s only two non-top 10s were a 39th in 2006 and a 13th in 2004.

·         Seven of the 11 races that ended under green had a margin of victory under one second. The 2007 race ended under caution.

Repaved Phoenix track is new Chase wild card

Repaved Phoenix track is new Chase wild card

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

(October 4, 2011)

AVONDALE, Ariz.—Chances are that wider, smoother, slicker Phoenix International Raceway will have serious implications in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Fortunately for the Cup teams, they have two days to figure out the repaved, reconfigured one-mile track.

As part of a massive renovation project, Phoenix widened its frontstretch to 62 feet (an increase of 10 feet), moved the dogleg on the backstretch out 95 feet—shifting the apex by approximately 200 feet—and added graduated banking to the corners (though the difference from the bottom of the track to the top is only one degree).

To Regan Smith, it might as well be a different racetrack.

"The only place that seems familiar to me is Turn 3," Smith told Sporting News during a break in Tuesday's test session at PIR. "It seems kind of similar in the feeling and how it drives. When we first got here, it was a handful, but now that it's taking rubber, it's starting to turn into a normal racetrack again.

"I think by the time we race here (Nov. 13), it might not be two grooves, but it'll at least be a lane and a half, and we'll have a little wider area to work with."

Smith said the reconfiguration radically changed the entry points to the corners.

"It feels like you can run lower into (Turn) 1 than you used to, because your turn-in point is so much earlier," Smith said. "The whole dynamic of the angles that you run is a lot different now."

By the time the series gets to Phoenix this fall, the Cup championship will be on the line. The Subway Fresh Fit 500 is the penultimate race in the Chase.

David Reutimann, who is not in the Chase, doesn't believe the importance of the race in determining a champion should have delayed the repaving project, as some have suggested. The renovation began after the February race at PIR and was completed in August.

"I don't know," Reutimann said. "I mean, the track wanted to redesign. The sooner the better really is kind of how I look at it. We have to get laps on the racetrack, rubber on the racetrack and get used to it. I think the more laps we get on it, the better it'll be, but right now it's pretty scary.

"As far as the Chase guys go and determining a championship—I guess we'll find out when we get here. We all have to race on the same racetrack, and no one has an advantage or disadvantage on a new racetrack. As long as we all know ahead of time what to expect, I don't have a problem with doing it now."

While most teams took the opportunity to try to dial in their cars for the November race, several cars came to the track equipped with electronic fuel injection—a look ahead to 2012, when fuel injection is scheduled to replace carburetors on Sprint Cup cars.

Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of competition, said Tuesday at PIR that fuel injection is still on track to debut in the Daytona 500. The first test of the new system on a restrictor-plate superspeedway is scheduled for Oct. 20 at Talladega, three days before the Chase race there.

Day One: NASCAR Test At Phoenix International Raceway

Day One: NASCAR Test At Phoenix International Raceway

New Asphalt, New Configuration And A New Notebook for Teams At Phoenix

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Oct. 4, 2011) — Among the grocery list of items needed to repave a one-mile race track located just outside of Phoenix: 23,000 tons of asphalt, 7,000 cubic yards of concrete and 600 pounds of rebar. Combine all of that, and you have cars on the race track in Arizona, and the first opportunity for a full-scale NASCAR Sprint Cup Series test on the newly repaved Phoenix International Raceway.

Testing on the repaved and reconfigured one-mile Phoenix oval kicked off Tuesday, the first of a two-day NASCAR Sprint Cup Series test session. This was the first opportunity for most teams to test the new track surface following the five-driver Goodyear tire test in late August.

“I think it is a really unique layout,” said Jeff Burton (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet) of the new track. “The exit of Turn 2 is very unique; very different; the back straightaway has a lot of banking and it’s like falling into a hole; it’s pretty cool and it is neat to do something different here.”

In February, the 47-year-old facility announced it would undergo its first major paving project since 1990. While protecting the integrity of the one-mile oval, changes were implemented to the banking and configuration to promote side-by-side racing.

“It’s cool with the new banking,” said David Ragan (No. 6 UPS Ford). “There is a little bit more speed. Anytime you repave a race track you always have that 6-8 month period where the asphalt is wearing. It is curing and it is coming into its own. It gives us a hard time to figure it out, but the track will only get better with time. I think it is going to be a good race.”

Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition, noted that the test session is an opportunity for teams to prepare for next month’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Phoenix. “This is a brand new facility,” said Pemberton. “These teams will have to throw out their notebooks and start over. It takes time for these newly paved tracks and that’s why we are here testing. The teams are experimenting with a lot of different options and that’s what they need to do.”

In addition to testing the new asphalt and configuration, three teams were also here testing Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI) cars. Hendrick Motorsports, Penske Motorsports and Michael Waltrip Racing brought additional cars to test in preparation for the launch of EFI in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series beginning in 2012.