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Johnson leads short testing session at Indy

July 16, 2003
10:45 AM EDT (1445 GMT)

INDIANAPOLIS -- Jimmie Johnson led a rain-shortened testing session Tuesday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in preparation for the Aug. 3 Brickyard 400.


	Rest has been in short supply for Jimmie Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus. Credit: Autostock

A series of rain showers caused testing to last only 37 minutes. A group of 23 drivers turned a total of 175 laps in a little more than a 30 minutes with Johnson leading the way at 182.960 mph in the Hendrick Motorsports' No. 48 Chevrolet.

Johnson's speed was less than 1 mph off Tony Stewart's NASCAR track record set during qualifying for the 2002 Brickyard 400.

Before the rain arrived, conditions were unusual for a July day in Indiana: cool and overcast. While conditions were ideal for speed, Johnson said they likely will not be helpful when teams return for the big show.

"I've only raced here last year, and with that in mind, conditions on race day were so hot and so slick that a day like today that's cool and overcast, we won't learn a lot to transfer over," Johnson said.

"We worked on qualifying setup today. We qualify in the morning on race weekend, so there might be something that we learn. It's getting me laps. We're picking up data, so we are getting some information. I wish it was hot and really slick."

Due to the limited track time, NASCAR officials ruled that teams could have the option to test on July 16 to complete a full day of testing. The track will open at 9 a.m. ET and close at 5 p.m.

More than 20 teams are expected to return for at least part of Wednesday. The only drivers confirmed to not participate July 16 are Robby Gordon, Ted Musgrave, Ken Schrader and Sprague.

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Johnson's crew chief, Chad Knaus, said the greatest challenge facing teams now is to complete the information-gathering process at Indianapolis, get back to their Charlotte-area shops and hit the road once again for the New England 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway on Sunday.

"The guys are getting tired," Knaus said. "They've been on the road for eight days almost. They'd like to see their wives and girlfriends and do some laundry. There's not really a whole we can do about it, so we'll come in tomorrow, probably run until about noon, hop on the airplane and go home."

Knaus said the decision to stay an extra day is an easy one, given that NASCAR allows each team only five tests per year.

"I would do the same thing at (any track)," he said. "Yes, it's Indianapolis, and yes, it's a bigger race, but when you look at the big picture, it's still 180 points. If you don't take advantage of every opportunity, you're done."

John Andretti continued his impressive return to the driver's seat, recording the second-fastest lap of the rain-shortened day at 181.246 in the Dale Earnhardt, Inc. No. 81 Chevrolet, and rookie Jack Sprague was third fastest in the No. 0 Pontiac, fielded by Haas CNC Racing, at 181.235.

Testing is tentatively scheduled to continue next week at Indianapolis, as Ryan Newman and the No. 12 Penske Racing team are scheduled to test July 22-23. Other teams may participate as well.

Reserved-seat Race Day tickets for the Brickyard 400 remain available. Tickets and parking can be purchased on the World Wide Web via www.imstix.com or by calling the IMS Ticket Office at (800) 822-INDY or (317) 492-6700.