Teams anticipating opportunity in Atlanta test

Simulation programs have provided the bulk of the knowledge thus far about how the reduced horsepower and downforce package will affect this season’s racing. NASCAR’s limited testing policy, which took effect this season, does not allow private team testing at any sanctioned or non-sanctioned venue.

The Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 is scheduled for Sunday, March 1 at AMS (with TV coverage on FOX).

“You can get a lot done,” Rodney Childers, crew chief for defending Sprint Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick and the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet, said of the four-hour opportunity.

“You know (the abrasiveness of the track) will eat the tires off of the car at the beginning of the test. You just have to do what you think is right.”

“Going out there and running three or four laps at a time isn’t going to get you anything,” he said. “Getting a lot of cycles on your tires isn’t going to help.

“So you have to plan your stuff out, go out and run 12-15 laps at a time, take your time and learn what you can.”

Chevrolet’s Pat Suhy said holding the test before the race weekend should be beneficial for those teams that don’t have the technology available to many of the larger groups.

“The guys that can’t do the simulations, that don’t have the resources to do that kind of stuff, it’s going to give them an opportunity to put a lot of laps on their cars, learn a lot, make a lot of changes and understand the sensitivities to different setup changes,” he said. “Our teams are going to be able to go out and validate (what they’ve learned off the track).”

The drop in horsepower has been achieved through the use of a tapered spacer on engines similar to those already being used in the NASCAR XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series. The move is expected to lessen horsepower, formerly in the 850 range, to 725.

RELATED: Watch video detailing 2015 rule changes

At the same time, changes to the radiator pan under the front of the car and the rear spoiler have lessened the amount of downforce produced by the 2015 cars by approximately seven percent on the front and 17 percent on the rear. That combination has created less drag (as much as 12 percent), which should be offset by the drop in horsepower.

While today’s test is the only session at a facility leading directly into a race weekend, additional open tests are scheduled for Charlotte (March 11), Richmond (April 8), Kentucky (April 15), Indianapolis (April 29), Dover (May 13), Darlington (June 11), Chicago (July 15), Bristol (July 30), Homestead (Aug. 26), Kansas (Sept. 16), Phoenix (Oct. 14) and Fontana, California. (Oct. 29).

RELATED: Follow today’s testing from Atlanta

No tests are scheduled for nine of the 23 tracks hosting Sprint Cup events in 2015.

Here’s a complete look at the 2015 testing schedule:

MORE: