September 8th - September 12th, 2008
Tuesday: Subscribe to the Frontstretch Newsletter now for an honest View from the Stands on what, amidst all the complaints, is right and good about NASCAR 2008-and don't miss anouther action-packed issue!
Wednesday: Got questions about the weekend that was? The Frontstretch staff has answers and we aren't shy about sharing them with the world in another installment of Mirror Driving.
Thursday: Still got questions after Wednesday? Send them to Matt Taliaferro and he'll give all the skinny in this week's Fanning the Flames.
Friday: Excitement? Where? That's what Amy Henderson wants to know about the Chase and all its hype in the latest Holding A Pretty Wheel.
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Editor’s Note: Mike Lovecchio will be covering testing in a variety of ways for us this January at Daytona. For his Day One report, click here to read.
Mark Martin wasn't shy with his comments about single-car runs following the first day of Winter Testing in Daytona, going as far as to call the session a "waste of his time" and "idiotic." Well, Martin and each of the 26 drivers on hand for Session One got their wish Tuesday afternoon, when NASCAR allowed the teams to participate in drafting practice one day earlier than expected.
After Jimmie Johnson topped the charts for the second day in an AM session that allowed only single-car runs, teams took the CoT into packs for the first time at Daytona – and it was J.J. Yeley who was fastest, with a lap of 187.359 miles an hour. This is Yeley's first official test for the No. 96 Hall of Fame Racing team, as well as HOF's first official test with a Toyota as a satellite team to Joe Gibbs Racing – Yeley’s former employer for the 2006-07 seasons.
Surprisingly, drafting speeds jumped up only 3 mph from single-car runs, but much of that can be attributed to minimal sized packs and early handling issues for most of the drivers. Speeds should increase on the final day of testing, and again when the second group of Sprint Cup drivers return January 14th, with notes gathered from the first session.
After the conclusion of the day's events, fans gathered for the annual Fan Forum that allowed fans the opportunity to ask drivers both technical or personal questions.
Of course, the popular topic of the day concerned the drivers' thoughts of the CoT. The common answer was that the car doesn't look good or drive good, but – as Kurt Busch put it – "They're still giving out points and it's our job to go get them."
Not exactly a ringing endorsement thus far…
Notes from Daytona - Session 1, Day 2
- Jimmie Johnson topped single-car testing in the morning for the third consecutive session.
- Casey Mears and Reed Sorenson both ran into minor incidents in the afternoon session – both drivers were unhurt, and their cars suffered only minor damage.
- A number of drivers complained of blistering tires just 20 laps into a run – far short of a full fuel load.
Top 3 AM Speeds (single-car runs)
Jimmie Johnson – 184.763 MPH
Jacques Villenueve – 184.456
Travis Kvapil – 184.143
Top 3 PM Speeds (drafting)
J.J. Yeley – 187.359 MPH
Kurt Busch – 187.317
Kyle Busch – 187.149
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