Speeds Similar in Talladega COT Test

Two days after wrapping up the weekend on Saturday at Richmond, the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series teams headed to Talladega Superspeedway for two days of Car of Tomorrow testing.

The Cup boys will race the COT's for the first time on a superspeedway during the Chase on October 7 for the UAW-Ford 500.

Denny Hamlin led the single-car run times Monday morning with a speed of 189.560 mph. In the afternoon, Johnny Sauter hit a top one-lap drafting speed 196.165 mph to lead that session.

Jimmie Johnson seemed a little worried about racing at Talladega with the new COT and the way that bumpers line up perfectly with each car.

"The cars line up better, and you can get away with a lot more pushing and shoving," Johnson said.

"The cars have a lot of downforce and are comfortable to drive, so I think that will lead to a little bit more aggressive driving."

Hamlin, though, seemed pretty stoked about the October race.

"I think you're going to see a very similar race to what the truck races are," Hamlin said.

"Everyone would argue that the truck races are probably the best superspeedway races, simply because guys can just pull out and pass at will."

My bet? You'll see a darned exciting race in October.