DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The second open week of the NASCAR Nationwide Series season actually starts with on-track activity as the majority of teams trek to their “home” track – Lowe’s Motor Speedway – for the fourth scheduled test of the year.
More than 40 drivers representing more than 20 teams are expected to participate and gather notes for the six remaining intermediate tracks on the 2008 series schedule. Seven races are left at those tracks, including the next event after the open week – the CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 at LMS on May 24. The track also hosts the Dollar General 300 in October.
“The teams are basically testing at home,” said NASCAR Nationwide Series Director Joe Balash. “It will be good for the teams to get back to a 1.5-mile track to not only gather valuable data, but for the most part, sleep in their own beds.
“Lowes Motor Speedway is very challenging. This test is important for the upcoming event and it gives the teams track time to work on set-ups that translate to other tracks later in the year.”
Standings leader Clint Bowyer (No. 2 BB&T/Camping World Chevrolet) has started three spring races at Lowe’s Motor Speedway and had his best finish – third – in this event last year after posting an average finish of 34.0 in his first two tries there.
He’s registered two other third-place finishes and a 19th at intermediate tracks this year, so this test is a valuable one for his run at the championship.
Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Gillette Evernham Dodge) is the defending champion of the spring race at LMS and will be at the test along with Jeff Burton (No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet – 3), Greg Biffle (No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford – 2) and white-hot Kyle Busch (No. 32 Braun Racing Toyota – 2), who all have multiple series wins at the track.
Another former winner is Mike Bliss (No. 1 Miccosukee Resorts Chevrolet), who is the highest-ranking series-only regular in the top 10 in the standings (fifth).
His win in October 2004 was special as it stands as his lone victory in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
In one of the most exciting races that season, Bliss split Jimmie Johnson (No. 5 JR Motorsports Chevrolet) and Matt Kenseth on the frontstretch late in the race and went on to claim the win.
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