virgivaughn: Aric Almirola Leads Field in Rain-Shortened Testing Of NASCAR’s Gen-6 Car at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Aric Almirol on Track During CMS Testing - Photo Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

CONCORD, N.C. (Jan. 18, 2013) – More than 2,000 fans braved the chilly January temperatures to watch more than 30 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers take to the track in the rain-shortened sixth-generation car test at Charlotte Motor Speedway. At the end of the day, Richard Petty Motorsports’ driver Aric Almirola turned the fastest lap of 27.832 seconds at 194.021 mph.

Carl Edwards (27.882 seconds at 193.673 mph) and Casey Mears (27.924 seconds at 193.382 mph) clocked the second and third fastest laps respectively, with Marcos Ambrose (27.938 seconds at 193.285 mph) and Jimmie Johnson (28.009 seconds at 192.795 mph) rounding out the top five.

During a morning delay, Roush Fenway Racing driver Greg Biffle told media the time on the track was important to provide teams invaluable information about the new cars.

“We’ve tested a few times with a composite body and not all of the latest rules, but this is really it for us,” he said. “We needed these two days to really figure out what the car is gonna end up like. Hopefully, we can test into the evening and it won’t get too cold too fast because I’d rather stay as long as we can and get as much information as we can, versus having to pack this whole show up and go somewhere else again, or come back later.”

NASCAR’s Gen-6 cars return to Charlotte Motor Speedway during the 10 greatest days in racing, highlighted by the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600. Fans can catch all the action, including reserved seats with the best views of pit road and the world’s largest HDTV with weekend packages starting at just $99.

For additional information about tickets and camping for any Charlotte Motor Speedway event, call 1-800-455-FANS (3267) or visit www.charlottemotorspeedway.com. Stay up to date on all the latest from the Mecca of Motorsports, follow Charlotte Motor Speedway on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/charlottemotorspeedway or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cltmotorspdwy.

Source: Charlotte Motor Speedway, Press Release

Pos Car# Drivers Name        Make Laps  Best Time Best Speed   1. 43   Aric Almirola       Frd   74   27.832    194.021  2. 99   Carl Edwards        Frd   93   27.882    193.673  3. 13   Casey Mears         Frd  109   27.924    193.382  4.  9   Marcos Ambrose      Frd  131   27.938    193.285  5. 48   Jimmie Johnson      Chv  138   28.009    192.795  6. 55   Mark Martin         Tyt   97   28.032    192.637  7. 16   Greg Biffle         Frd   92   28.036    192.610  8. 56   Martin Truex Jr.    Tyt   94   28.063    192.424  9. 15   Clint Bowyer        Tyt  109   28.070    192.376 10. 17   Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Frd  131   28.075    192.342 11. 42   Juan Pablo Montoya  Chv   85   28.092    192.226 12.  5   Kasey Kahne         Chv  101   28.095    192.205 13. 20   Matt Kenseth        Tyt   92   28.104    192.143 14. 29   Kevin Harvick       Chv  121   28.108    192.116 15. 22   Joey Logano         Frd  139   28.123    192.014 16. 14   Tony Stewart        Chv   70   28.134    191.939 17. 18   Kyle Busch          Tyt  156   28.158    191.775 18. 78   Kurt Busch          Chv   67   28.172    191.680 19. 88   Dale Earnhardt Jr.  Chv   97   28.194    191.530 20. 39   Ryan Newman         Chv   66   28.196    191.517 21.  1   Jamie McMurray      Chv   79   28.214    191.394 22. 24   Jeff Gordon         Chv   62   28.216    191.381 23. 31   Jeff Burton         Chv   97   28.241    191.211 24. 21   Trevor Bayne        Frd  122   28.278    190.961 25. 11   Michael McDowell    Tyt  204   28.315    190.712 26. 30   David Stremme       Tyt   80   28.332    190.597 27. 10   Danica Patrick      Chv  114   28.342    190.53 28.  2   Brad Keselowski     Frd   96   28.355    190.443 29. 47   Bobby Labonte       Tyt   46   28.468    189.687 30. 27   Paul Menard         Chv  107   28.469    189.680 31.  7   Dave Blaney         Chv   64   28.645    188.515 32. 34   David Ragan         Frd   96   28.752    187.813 33. 95   Scott Speed         Frd   41   28.882    186.968

Source: Timing and Scoring provided by NASCAR Media