Teams representing 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series cars turned upwards of 400 miles Monday during a test of Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI) at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Both NASCAR officials and drivers were optimistic about the continued development of the system. Plans call for the full implementation of EFI in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series beginning with the 2012 season.
“The entire NASCAR community has worked very closely together in developing the EFI system,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president for competition. “Today was a positive step in the right direction for us. We have associated ourselves with some world-class technology partners, including McLaren, Freescale and Holley, and going to EFI next season is only going to enhance the racing. The horsepower should be about the same, or perhaps slightly more, the cars will be more fuel efficient, and it’s the right thing to do from an environmental standpoint. Plus, it helps us become more relevant with the production cars that our fans drive every day.”
Four Hendrick Motorsports teams, two Stewart-Haas Racing teams, one team from Richard Childress Racing, one team from Michael Waltrip Racing, one Earnhardt-Ganassi team, a team from Joe Gibbs Racing and one team from Roush-Fenway Racing participated in Monday’s test session.
The No. 6 Roush Fenway Ford, driven by Trevor Bayne, turned in the day’s fastest lap with a speed of 189.793 mph. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. also tested the No. 6 Ford on Monday.
Richard Childress Racing’s Jeff Burton said that Monday’s test provided some “great feedback for the team engineers to build upon.”
“To have the engine tuners interface with the drivers and teams at today’s test is very important in the development of this system,” said Burton. “The test is an excellent tool for the engineers to improve upon their ability to tune the engines.”
Another NASCAR EFI test is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 20 at Talladega Superspeedway. The test is set to run from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. (CT).
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