Tony Stewart, the defending race winner at Indianapolis, said this week's tire test was nothing out of the ordinary. Credit: Autostock

Indy test keeps teams solely focued on tires

Kahne, Sadler say test was crucial for development of new teams

INDIANAPOLIS -- Nextel Cup drivers Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne and Elliott Sadler took part in a private Goodyear test April 24-25 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, helping the tire company prepare for the 13th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.

	Kasey Kahne has two victories already in 2006, and he'd like to get his first at Indianapolis. Credit: Autostock
	Inside the Numbers Stewart, Kahne and Sadler statistics at Indy   Stewart Kahne Sadler Starts 7 2 7 Wins 1 0 0 Top-5s 3 2 1 Top-10s 4 2 1 Poles 1 0 1 Avg. St. 14.2 8.0 19.7 Avg. Fin. 8.4 3.0 27.1 DNFs 0 0 2

Each driver was picked to represent the three manufacturers in Nextel Cup: Chevrolet (Stewart), Dodge (Kahne) and Ford (Sadler).

The drivers focused on assisting Goodyear in finding the right combination of tires to bring back for the race on Sunday, Aug. 6.

Stewart, who was raised and resides in Columbus, Ind., fulfilled a lifelong dream by winning the 2005 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard by .794 seconds ahead of Kahne. It was a career-best finish for both drivers at the challenging 2.5-mile oval.

Stewart took the most nonchalant view of this early test at the famed Brickyard.

"We just tested like we always do every week," Stewart said. "It's no different than anywhere we go every week, you've just got to go do work. It's awesome to be here in the spring and not be sweating like crazy, and be able to do a tire test before it gets busy in the month of May here."

Asked if the test gives him an advantage toward defending his Allstate 400 victory, Stewart said, "We spent all day running sets of tires that they [Goodyear] wanted us to run. We didn't really get a chance to work on the car like the open test session [in July] would be. We just go out and do consistent 10-lap runs, give them feedback."

Kahne said the test is crucial for his Evernham Motorsports team.

"We can get a lot [of information]," he said. "We don't know which tire we'll choose [at the race] so we're not sure there, but we have a new team and to throw different setups at it in the morning, use it through out the day, it's been a good test for us."

	Elliott Sadler has struggled at Indianapolis, although he finished third there in 2004. Credit: Autostock
	NO INVITATION FOR GORDON Jeff Gordon is 0-for-4 when it comes to getting selected for tire tests this season, and he is far from happy about it.  •   Complete story, click here

Sadler, who has frequently expressed his love of IMS and desire to win the race over the years, was excited about the possibilities for the 2006 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.

"We had a good time today," Sadler said. "I think Goodyear has brought us a lot of good possibilities to come back with, something fun to race with. We tried a lot of different constructions, a lot of different compounds.

"All in all, we saw great tire wear. Goodyear was happy what they saw, and we're happy with what we saw. It was a great day at Indy.

"Indy is such a big race for us. Other than the Daytona 500, it's the biggest race for the drivers, and everybody wants to kiss the bricks. It's a big race for our sponsors, and we have so many fans here and so much heritage here -- we're concentrating on this race a lot. To be able to bring a car that we're probably going to race here a couple months early, get some laps, take it home and fine-tune it and test it again, I think it's kind of an advantage for the three teams here [Monday and Tuesday]."

Stewart led 44 laps during the 2005 race, and Kahne led 39 laps.

Sadler also led 39 laps, but his result left a bad taste in his mouth. After posting the 10th-fastest speed among 46 drivers in July 2005 testing, he won the pole for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. On race day, Sadler ran sixth or better all day long but pitted on Lap 150 because he thought a tire was going flat. He finished a disappointing 32nd, one lap down to winner Stewart.

"I want to come back and run good here," Sadler said. "I've always qualified good at this racetrack, just haven't finished where I want to finish. To come here and get the pole was cool. That was one of the special moments in my racing career, but we want to add to that this year."