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     By  Staff Reports Published 
    7:49 am Saturday, February 2, 2002

    Pontiac gains speed among Busch drivers

    By Staff
    Amanda Vincent/NASCAR Columnist
    Feb. 2, 2002
    Preseason testing continued at Daytona International Speedway this past week with Busch teams taking to the track for four days, finishing up on Friday.
    Joe Ruttman set the pace on Friday, posting the fastest non-drafting test time of the winter on the final day of testing with a lap of 48.402 seconds, an average speed of 185.943 mph. This was the fastest speed posted by a Busch Series, Winston Cup Series or Craftsman Truck Series machine. Ruttman was substituting in the No. 1 for regular driver, Jimmy Spencer.
    Pontiacs dominated the second round of testing, claiming three of the
    top-five positions. Perhaps that's why teams that don't normally compete in Pontiacs have chosen to utilize the manufacturer at restrictor plate races at Daytona and Talladega.
    The No. 27 and 37 teams of Brewco Motorsports, usually piloting Chevrolets, competed with Pontiacs at Talladega and Daytona in 2002. That seems to be the plan again this year as both teams tested Pontiacs at the restrictor plate tracks this go-around.
    Other Chevrolet teams that tried this approach in 2001 include those of Randy LaJoie and Joe Nemechek. Nemechek captured the pole in both restrictor plate races last season and both races were won in Pontiacs.
    Apparently, that idea has caught on at Hendrick Motorsports as well. It's a
    popular opinion in the garage the Pontiac Grand Prix seems to have an
    advantage at these tracks under Busch Series rules.
    Hendrick teams, with drivers Jack Sprague and Ricky Hendrick, elected to test both Chevrolets and Pontiacs.
    would be the one we'd run," Sprague's crew chief Dennis Connor said.
    Nemechek and LaJoie also tested both a Chevrolet and a Pontiac, as did Tony Raines and Michael Waltrip.
    At the conclusion of Busch testing at Daytona, following is a run-down of the best laps:
    1. No. 1, Joe Ruttman, Pontiac
    2. No. 26, Lyndon Amick, Pontiac
    3. No. 88, Jeff Fuller, Chevrolet
    4. No. 33, Tony Raines, Chevrolet
    5. No. 99, Michael Waltrip, Chevrolet
    6. No. 74, Chad Little, Pontiac
    7. No. 5, Ricky Hendrick, Chevrolet
    8. No. 59, Stacy Compton, Chevrolet,
    9. No. 24, Jack Sprague, Chevrolet
    10. No. 37, Jeff Purvis, Pontiac
    11. No. 3, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet
    12. No. 33, Tony Raines, Pontiac
    13. No. 19, Tim Sauter, Chevrolet
    14. No. 24, Jack Sprague, Pontiac
    15. No. 99, Michael Waltrip, Pontiac
    16. No. 12, Kerry Earnhardt, Chevrolet
    17. No. 21, Jeff Green, Chevrolet
    18. No. 25, Bobby Hamilton Jr., Ford
    19. No. 00, Tim Fedewa, Pontiac
    20. No. 60, Greg Biffle, Ford
    21. No. 10, Scott Riggs, Ford
    22. No. 27, Jamie McMurray, Pontiac
    23. No. 2, Johnny Sauter, Chevrolet
    24. No. 36, Hank Parker Jr., Dodge
    25. No. 86, Jeff Fultz, Chevrolet
    26. No. 38, Christian Elder, Ford
    27. No. 14, Larry Foyt, Chevrolet
    28. No. 46, Ashton Lewis Jr., Chevrolet
    29. No. 27, Jamie McMurray, Pontiac
    30. No. 54, Kelly Denton, Chevrolet
    31. No. 23, Scott Wimmer, Pontiac
    32. No. 18, Mike McLaughlin, Pontiac
    33. No. 92, Andy Houston, Chevrolet
    34. No. 74, Chad Little, Chevrolet
    35. No. 47, Shane Hmiel, Pontiac
    36. No. 3, Jay Sauter, Chevrolet
    37. No. 66, Casey Mears, Dodge
    38. No. 5, Ricky Hendrick, Pontiac
    39. No. 57, Jason Keller, Ford
    40. No. 16, Chad Chaffin, Pontiac
    41. No. 32, Dan Pardus, Chevrolet
    42. No. 20, Coy Gibbs, Pontiac
    43. No. 63, Shane Hall, Chevrolet
    44. No. 95, Steadman Marlin, Ford
    45. No. 67, C.W. Smith, Pontiac
    46. No. 14, Larry Foyt, Pontiac
    47. No. 77, Andy Kirby, Ford
    48. No. 94, Jeff Spraker, Chevrolet
    49. No. 63, Ken Alexander, Chevrolet
    50. No. 22, David Boggs, Chevrolet

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