FOUNTAIN, Colorado-- The men and women of the NASCAR Grand National West Division had an open practice at Pikes Peak International Raceway today, in preparation for Sundays NAPA Auto Parts 150 presented by NAPA Belts and Hose. Twenty-three cars took part, and as far as one could tell, everything went smoothly in both the morning and afternoon sessions. Tomorrow will see another two practices for the drivers and crews, followed by qualifying in late afternoon. The event is a support race for the Indy Racing League and carries a purse of some $163,000.00. Depending on whose entry list you look at, there are either 27 or 30 entries.
Morning session -
#16 - Steve Portenga 28.53 sec.
#08 - Scott Lynch 30.27
#61 - Brett Thompson 28.79
#9 - Mike Duncan 28.61
#44 - Andrew Myers 29.75
#00 - Scott Gaylord 29.21
Afternoon session -
#16 - Steve Portenga 28.44
#88 - David Gilliland 28.34
#08 - Scott Lynch 28.89
#8 - Johnny Borneman 29.57
#9 - Mike Duncan 29.05
#2 - Mike David 28.56
These times are courtesy of Kaye Reshaw, of BMR Motorsports, and are not official electronic times.
However, it's hoped that they give you some idea of what some drivers are doing on the one mile oval.
For comparison, the track record is 26.844 sec., set by Mike Wallace in 1999. What the tires were then, and what the car specifications were then, you'll have to look it up yourself. (If they were different)
Our man Charly will be live and in person at the track bright and early tomorrow morning to bring you some practice times and qualifying. Practices are scheduled for 8:00am - 9:30am and 2:15pm - 2:45pm tomorrow, with qualifying scheduled for 5:10pm. The race is scheduled for 4:15pm Sunday. These times are Mountain Time. Subtract 1 hour for the West Coast.
