Friday, Jan. 28, 2005 | 10:16 a.m.
Johnny Borneman, Tim Fedewa, Denny Hamlin, Shane Hmiel, Michel Jourdain Jr., Justin Labonte, Paul Menard, Johnny Sauter, Brent Sherman, Reed Sorensen, Martin Truex Jr., Tyler Walker, Kenny Wallace, Paul Wolfe and J.J. Yeley.
Now that testing has concluded at Daytona International Speedway, the real preparations begin Monday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season.
Although the Nextel Cup season officially opens Feb. 20 with the 47th running of the Daytona 500, the two-day test at LVMS and an additional two days of testing at California Speedway on Wednesday and Thursday will set the tone for the remaining 35 races, according to many of the drivers who will be testing here.
Because NASCAR has mandated a shorter rear spoiler and Goodyear is introducing a softer tire compound this season, the Las Vegas test will give many of the Nextel Cup drivers their first opportunity to gauge how the cars will react to the changes on non-restrictor-plate tracks.
"We can't wait to get there," Jeremy Mayfield said of the Las Vegas test. "We're not for sure about the new body styles and the new rules; a lot of things have changed.
"Aero is important because of the new body style (and) we're not sure how it's going to react. There's so many non-restricted races that we run, (this test) is going to be very important to us and we're going to try to learn all we can to jump-start the season."
Matt Kenseth, who has won the past two Cup races at LVMS, agreed.
"This year, I think the tests out there are more important than any other year just because (of) the spoiler change," Kenseth said. "I haven't driven one of those cars with a smaller spoiler yet, but everybody that has has told me that it's very, very different and real unstable and hard to drive and tough to run side-by-side and get around anybody and that kind of stuff.
"I think it's going to be different enough (that) those tests are going to be important."
Like Mayfield, Kasey Kahne will be trying out the new Dodge Charger body as well as the new spoiler and tire configurations.
"We're going to have four critical days of testing at California and Las Vegas to learn what the Charger is going to be like at those kind of tracks, but I'm really excited about getting out there," said Kahne, who finished second in last year's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at LVMS.
Jeff Burton, who won back-to-back Cup races in Las Vegas in 1999 and 2000, said he didn't know what to expect from all the changes.
"I'm not real sure what the theory is behind it," Burton said. "I've never even asked what the theory is behind it. My assumptions are that the softer tires will make the grip and that less downforce will make these cars where you don't get the aero push. But I'm going to tell you something: You're going to have an aero push no matter what you do.
"I'd like to think that it's going to make the racing better than it was -- but I thought that the level of racing was pretty damn good; I thought it was way up there."
At least 40 Nextel Cup drivers, including all 10 who qualified for last year's "Chase for the Nextel Cup," are scheduled to participate in the Las Vegas test, which runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Tuesday. Many NASCAR Busch Series drivers will be testing at LVMS on Wednesday at Thursday, also from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The speedway's main grandstand will be open to the public, free of charge, all four days.
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