Menard ends Talladega test on top

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DEI driver Paul Menard topped the final day of Car of Tomorrow testing at Talladega Superspeedway, setting the fastest laps in the morning and also in the rain-shortened afternoon session.

In the morning drafting session Menard topped the timesheets with a lap of 49.957 seconds, at an average speed of 191.685. Hendrick's Kyle Busch was second, while Jacques Villeneuve continued to impress setting the third fastest time and the best among the Toyota drivers.

The afternoon session, which came to a halt before plan due to rain, was also a drafting one. Menard went faster than in the morning, setting a lap of 49.605 seconds, averaging 193.045 mph. Kyle Busch was second fastest again, running within the same tenth of a second, as was RCR's Kevin Harvick who ended up third to round up a Chevrolet top-three.

Ken Schrader was fourth lapping above the 192 mph mark, at the wheel of the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford, which he will be driving next weekend at New Hampshire. Behind him Kasey Kahne was the fastest Dodge in fifth, while Dale Jarrett was the fastest Toyota in 22nd with a speed of 191.229.

Speeds on the second day were overall slower than on day one, as NASCAR continued to experiment with the restrictor plate and the wicker on the rear wing. Today they ran a smaller plate with holes of 31/32nds of an inch to limit horsepower, coupled with a smaller wicker on the rear wing to decrease downforce and drag.

"We've had a tremendous amount of input from all of the teams," said NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Director John Darby. "The race on October here represents more than just a new car. It's a very different restrictor plate package that we're going to run here as well as the manifold and things which are different in the engine."

"The result of the new car and the new engine package is generating a restrictor plate larger than what we've had for many years. It's a 31/32nds of an inch, which is just a tweak under a full one-inch plate. The whole composition of the race will change because of that."

The UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega Superspeedway will take place on October 7. It is the only superspeedway race left in this season's calendar and will be the fourth event in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

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Article Number: 000129