THIRD DAY OF NASCAR TESTING AT LVMS COMPLETE; SCHRADER UNHURT IN AFTERNOON MISHAP

LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- The third of four days of NASCAR testing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is now history. A total of 17 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and 13 NASCAR Busch Series teams participated under slightly better weather conditions than Monday and Tuesday. Today’s session began an hour late due to track maintenance, and testing was extended to 6 p.m.

Kenny Schrader hit the wall in Turn 2 at 3:40 p.m. but was uninjured. The engine in his M&M’s Pontiac expired, causing the car to spin in its own oil. Cleanup of debris and fluids delayed testing by approximately 45 minutes.

NASCAR testing at LVMS will conclude tomorrow. NHRA Pro and Sportsman testing at The Strip at LVMS will begin Friday, Feb. 1, and end on Sunday, Feb. 3. A number of prominent drag racers are expected to participate, including Top Fuel pilot Andrew Cowin (new driver of the Gwynn-Steinbrenner N.Y. Yankees car), Funny Car star Cruz Pedregon and Pro Stock legend Warren Johnson. NHRA testing is open to the public, with an admission fee of $15 for adults.

Good seats for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 and Sam’s Town 300 are still available. Tickets may be purchased by calling the LasVegas Motor Speedway ticket office at (702) 644-4444 or by visiting the speedway’s website anytime at LVMS.com.

Winston Cup Series lap times (reported by team members):
5 – Terry Labonte – 32.41 sec.(qualifying trim)
8 – Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 32.61 sec.(race trim)
10 – Johnny Benson – 32.20 sec.(race trim)
12 – Ryan Newman – N/A
15 – Michael Waltrip – 32.61 sec. (race trim)
18 – Bobby Labonte – 32.80 sec. (race trim)
20 – Tony Stewart – 32.17 sec. (race trim)
23 – Hut Stricklin – 32.40 sec. (race trim)
25 – Jerry Nadeau – 32.42 sec. (qualifying trim)
26 – Joe Nemechek – N/A
36 – Ken Schrader – N/A
41 – Jimmy Spencer – 32.00 sec. (race trim)
44 – Buckshot Jones – 31.79 sec. (qualifying trim)
45 – Kyle Petty – 31.65 sec. (qualifying trim)
55 – Bobby Hamilton – 32.00 sec. (race trim)
66 – Todd Bodine – N/A
77 – Dave Blaney – 32.30 sec. (race trim)

The following NASCAR Busch Series teams also tested today: Jimmy Spencer, Ricky Hendrick, Jeff Burton, Kerry Earnhardt, Mike McLaughlin, Jack Sprague, Dan Pardus, Hank Parker Jr., Jeff Purvis, Brian Vickers, Shane Hmiel, Casey Mears and Joe Nemechek.