Car of Tomorrow completes two-day test

CONCORD, N.C. -- For the second straight day, drivers participating in NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow test at Lowe's Motor Speedway were impressed with how the new car handled and maneuvered on the race track.

Teams from Hendrick Motorsports (Brian Vickers), Richard Childress Racing (Jeff Burton), DEI (Dale Earnhardt, Jr.), Evernham Motorsports (Scott Riggs), Joe Gibbs Racing (Denny Hamlin), Chip Ganassi (Casey Mears), and MB2 Motorsports (Joe Nemechek) participated in Wednesday's test.

"This car drives and handles pretty well," Riggs said. "The rear wing is going to be a big help. It gives you a lot of adjustability. We made some adjustments with the wing today that allowed us to run a lot better than yesterday.

"This was the first time I had driven this car but now we have some good, solid fundamentals to take away from this test and take to the next one later this summer at Michigan."

Despite having the morning session pushed back due to a thunderstorm that passed through the area, the drivers spent more than three hours on the track in the afternoon, running solo and then also running three 10-lap group runs.

Jeff Burton said he wasn't that surprised that the new car handled so well at this test.

"We've put a lot of time and effort into this new car, so we kind of expected it to run well," Burton said. "For the first time running the wing at a big track like this, I'd say it was a successful test."

Nextel Cup Series Director John Darby says that this two-day session at Lowe's should provide NASCAR with some valuable information to prepare for the next scheduled test Aug. 21 at Michigan International Speedway.

"We made some significant gains over the past two days," Darby said. "The wing is an effective adjustable part that can be used to the driver's advantage. We have some things to work on, but for the most part, they are minor things.

"Even though we tested on a hot race track (air temperature in the mid-90s) with hard tires, the drivers were able to achieve a comfort level and give us a lot of positive feedback heading into our next test."