Most people aren't shocked to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. near the top of the speed chart at Daytona.But when a second glance at the speed charts from the first day of the second round of Sprint Cup Series Daytona testing showed eight Toyotas in the top ten, more than a few people had to be somewhat surprised.
Dave Blaney's No. 22B Toyota took the top time Monday at 185.445 mph. Blaney set the fastest single-lap time of the both last week's session and the two from Monday.
Weather in Daytona was roughly 8-10 degrees cooler Monday than any day last week which could easily contribute to faster speeds.
There were no reported incidents during the first day despite 53 different cars finding the track in the second session at some point.
The rest of the Top-5 include Earnhardt Jr. (185.426mph), No. 83 Brian Vickers (185.307mph), No. 44 Dale Jarrett (185.292mph), and No. 55 Michael Waltrip (185.227mph).
Tony Stewart, Michael Waltip's No. 55M, Dale Jarrett's No. 44B, Vickers' No. 83B, and Dario Franchitti rounded out the Top-10. Last year's Daytona 500 winner Kevin Harvick reached just 39th in the afternoon speed chart with a lap of 181.939mph.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-16-2008 @ 6:24PM
darrell champion said...
as a former crew member of what was 'winston cup', i can tell you that the new makes continue to get advantages as far as rules go until they win races....period.theres no doubt that toyotas will win racesthis year,its designed that way.a crew chief friend of mine [currently} boasts of as much as a 20hp advantage for the toyos at the end of last year,who needs a wind tunnel.
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1-16-2008 @ 7:07PM
rob said...
Mr. Champion's comment is not at all surprising. NASCAR coddles those it favors in order to make the racing "more competitive" (and more profitable). What happened to real competition? Once again, France eschews real racing for a quick buck. Who gives a s**t about the future? Well, from where I'm sitting, NASCAR's future is not looking all that rosy. Get rid of France, so we can get our sport back.
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