LAS VEGAS -- Soon, NASCAR team transporters will embark on their late-January trek across plains, mountains and deserts -- an annual cross-country pilgrimage crucial to a fast start.
For Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series teams, the western swing of Preseason Thunder -- the sport's annual preseason test sessions -- extends some recent learning curves.
Next week, both series test at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, with the Cup Series also testing at California Speedway. Both series are fresh off preseason sessions at Daytona International Speedway; now they head west.
"It's another test that the teams weighed in on as one of the six NASCAR-sanction tests," said NASCAR Sprint Cup director John Darby of next week's schedule. "Yes, they're in preparation for the start of the season, but this is plain-old, let-the-teams-go-test."
Such normalcy is heartening, Darby adds, since NASCAR's new car debuts fulltime with the 50th Daytona 500 on Feb. 17. Cup teams ran 16 of 36 events in 2007 with the new car and next week's tests represent some of its final preparations for fulltime competition.
"The good part of it is we're not all worried about it," Darby said, citing extensive new-car testing in the past. "All that's behind us."
Reed Sorenson, driver of the No. 41 Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge, is one of the many drivers who recognize the importance of this two-day preseason test session.
"[Las Vegas] testing is as important as the Daytona test," Sorenson said. "We don't have a lot of track time with the Car of Tomorrow on the one-and-a-half or two-mile tracks so the tests are going to give us an idea of where we stand against the competition.
"We run a lot of races on the mile-and-a-half tracks, so the Las Vegas test will be very beneficial for the team and everyone at Chip Ganassi Racing. We've been doing a lot of research-and-development on the Car of Tomorrow during the offseason and I'm anxious to get on track and see how we stack up."
Cup teams will test Monday, Jan. 28 and Tuesday, Jan. 29 at Las Vegas; and Thursday, Jan. 31 and Friday, Feb. 1 at California. Nationwide Series teams will test Wednesday, Jan. 30 and Thursday, Jan. 31 at Las Vegas. Times are 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. PT, with a noon-1 p.m. PT lunch break each day, except for Thursday, Jan. 31 at California, when Cup teams test from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. PT. That day's schedule includes a dinner break from 5-6 p.m. PT.
"I'm not aware of anybody that's going to switch out the cars," Darby said, between West Coast sessions. "I think everybody's gearing-up to bring two cars to Las Vegas and California. And that is a good part about the new car."
According to Darby, teams can adjust their schedules at California, running two sessions on Thursday and Friday, or three Thursday and one Friday, if they prefer.
"They can mix and match it any way they want as long as they run four of the five sessions," he said.
Cup teams also can use Wednesday's travel day as a garage work day at California, prior to taking the track Thursday morning.
"The garage at California will be open to the teams for maintenance and prepping the cars," Darby said. "If someone needs to change an engine and fix shocks and things like that, the garage will be open for them to work."
Fans are invited to watch the cars and stars of the Cup Series as Las Vegas Motor Speedway conducts its annual Preseason Thunder Las Vegas test session. The grandstands will be open to the public and fans are invited to watch their favorite drivers test the new Car of Tomorrow on the high banks of LVMS -- where the car has yet to race.
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