34 Days and Counting It seems like last week we were all waiting with bated breath to see Tony Stewart capture his NEXTEL Cup crown at Homestead, and
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| When NEXTEL Cup comes to Daytona it will have a slightly different look, as gone is the Ford Taurus, replaced by the Fusion. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada) |
I am happy to report that the Cup cars were back in action this past week at Daytona, in preparation for their 'Superbowl", the Daytona 500, which is just a few weeks away. When Daytona comes it will have a slightly different look, as gone is the Ford Taurus, replaced by the Fusion, which was impressive at Daytona - Matt Kenseth and Elliot Sadler seemed to have the edge early on. "Anytime you bring a new body type to a race track or open a season with it, you're going to have different things that you've got to do to massage on it and get it right, get it close," Sadler said. "But from a team standpoint, we've been so lucky how much testing Ford has done in the wind tunnel before we got it. They ran it through the wind tunnel time and time again, and massaged on it for us, and it really got it great. By the time the actual teams got the car, the Fusion was pretty much in race-ready trim."When
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| "But from a team standpoint, we've been so lucky how much testing Ford has done in the wind tunnel before we got it [the Fusion]", said Sadler. (Photo: RussBondAgency.com) |
we got it, the guys put the nose and tail on it, and massaged it all up and got it right. We got to the wind tunnel and we were pretty close. We were like, 'Wow, we're right here in the ballgame.' So, we knew when we unloaded [Monday] morning that the Fusion was going to be fast, and it has been. One of my cars has been pretty good, and it's driving good," Sadler added. The GM group, not to be outdone, has a reworked Monte Carlo, and Bill Elliott at the wheel of MB2's #36 showed the way around Daytona at a 187.219 mph lap. "I'm stepping in to an already good deal -- MB2 has a history of fast superspeedway cars," said Elliott, who is known for steering Fords, not GM products. In fact, the last time Elliott wheeled a GM was October of 1979. "We got by the first hurdle by having a fast car as soon as it was unloaded. If you're not fast off the trailer, it's then difficult to find that extra speed. We're in good shape after the first day of testing." By
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| During testing on Tuesday the No. 20 Chevrolet, of defending champion Tony Stewart (shown here taking last year's title) was all over the map, as at times it was 30th and other times 3rd. (Photo: Dorsey Patrick) |
Tuesday, GM had its 'regulars' up to speed. The Hendrick cars got rolling as Jeff Gordon paced the session at 188.466 mph -- up from his 186.734 showing in the morning. The No. 20 Chevrolet, of defending champion Tony Stewart was all over the map, as at times it was 30th and other times 3rd. Mike McLaughlin, filling in for an absent Stewart, posted the team's best speed to date: 186.614 mph. "It's a great luxury for me," Stewart said of not having to attend Preseason Thunder. "Graciously enough, Mike McLaughlin has [tested] for me the last two years to allow me to go to the Chili Bowl. It's always been important to me to be able to go back and not forget where I came from."