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Envernham, Dodge Wrap up Kentucky Test A few comments from Ray Evernham, team owner of Evernham Motorsports and lead developer of the Dodge Intrepid R/T NASCAR Winston Cup racecar, following three days of testing at Kentucky Speedway. The Dodge team logged more than 500 miles with two cars during the test session. One was set up to test the current aerodynamic package and the other was testing the second phase Dodge Winston Cup engine. On the Testing Program "This was our first test of the second phase motor and I'm very pleased with its performance. We ran more than 500 miles at high speeds with four different drivers -- problem-free -- so it got a good workout. Although there is not a lot of history at this track, our lap times were very competitive with what we would expect at a new track of this size, shape and banking." "We also challenged our team this week by testing two cars at the same time. That fact alone added a great deal of complexity and made this the most extensive test to date. We are beginning to approach the conditions we'll encounter every weekend next season when we are racing." "We weren't here to go fast, we wanted to make sure the engine worked and that we had the endurance. Next, we'll work on going fast." "We had no mechanical problems with either car. We got the information we were looking for on the engine. The second car helped us collect a lot of data on our aerodynamic and chassis setups, which we'll use in preparing the car for presentation to NASCAR next month." "Our team, including the folks from Petty Enterprises, Evernham Motorsports and the Dodge engineers who participated in the test, will be taking this data back to the development labs and race shops to continue working on the engine, aero and chassis development. We'll be in the wind tunnel next week, then we'll probably be back on track in Kentucky or Greenville." On the New Kentucky Speedway "The Kentucky Speedway is a nice facility. It's great for testing because we can run at high speeds and it's similar to tracks we will race on next year, like Las Vegas. The corners have a different shape than Las Vegas and it has more banking. It's a good two-groove racetrack." On the Dodge Drivers Participating in the Test Drivers participating in the tests were Bill Elliott, who next season will drive the number 9 Dodge Dealers Intrepid R/T prepared by Evernham Motorsports; Casey Atwood, a current NASCAR Busch Series competitor who next year will drive the number 19 Dodge Dealers Intrepid R/T prepared by Evernham Motorsports; Stacey Compton, driver for Melling Racing who next year will be a Dodge team; and Steve Grissom, a current NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competitor who has driven in Winston Cup events and serves as a test driver for Petty Enterprises. "Casey has done a great job testing, both here and at Greenville. He has some really good skills in the car, and he has been able to run some good fast laps. He has a real ability to relate to the crew what the car is doing on the track and this helps everyone on the team build a better race car." "Steve Grissom has a good baseline feel for race cars and a lot of experience in helping teams prepare cars for different series and tracks. He has already spent a good bit of time on this track, testing here in the spring and running the Craftsman truck race, so he knows how to handle a car here at Kentucky Speedway." "Having a veteran like Bill Elliott as part of your testing program is really valuable. There are few drivers who have his experience on the track and his understanding of a race car, and he has given us some great compliments about the engine development and how the car is handling on the track." "Stacey Compton was really good in the car. He didn't make many changes to the setup, and seconded what Casey and Bill had to say about the car's performance." "We gave out two awards during this test. Stacey Compton won the Dodge 500 Mile Award for completing the 500th mile on this race car and engine. Casey Atwood won the Dodge 500 Lap Award for completing the first 500 laps of testing for the Dodge team."
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