The beginning of any new season in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series gets its "unofficial" start with annual testing at Daytona International Speedway. Every January, the majority of teams planning to compete in the Nextel Cup Series make the annual trek to Daytona for one of the two test sessions that take place over the course of a three-day period. It's NASCAR's version of "spring training."
Daytona testing, however, is only a small part of the equation in preparing for a new season. Restrictor-plate racing - the type of racing that takes place at Daytona and its sister track Talladega Superspeedway - makes up only four races of the 36-race schedule.
Before the start of the 2006 season, the sanctioning body decided to change the testing policy by dictating dates and locations of test sessions. The policy allows teams to only test during specific dates and at certain tracks determined by NASCAR. Each season, NASCAR determines the test schedule with the input and cooperation of each of the teams' crew chiefs. The policy implemented in 2006 continues for the 2007 NASCAR season, and a universal theme evolved from the selected testing sites with the "Car of Tomorrow" being the focus for next year.
Of the seven tracks at which teams will be allowed to test in 2007, four are tracks where the car of tomorrow (COT) is scheduled to be raced during the second half of next season. Bristol Motor Speedway is scheduled to be the first track at which NASCAR Nextel Cup Series teams will be required to race the COT, with the spring race being the first such race. Richmond International Raceway, Dover International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway are also scheduled to be COT events and are tracks at which teams will be able to test during the 2007 season, in addition to the aforementioned test at Bristol.
"It's going to be interesting next year with the introduction of the Car of Tomorrow," said Dale Jarrett, driver of the UPS Ford, who will be competing in a Michael Waltrip-owned Toyota Camry during the 2007 NASCAR season. "The testing for that car is going to be important and I think NASCAR is conveying that with this test schedule."
The testing schedule for 2007 will start in Daytona with the annual NASCAR Preseason Thunder at Daytona Monday, January 8th through Wednesday, January 10th for approximately half the teams. Thursday, January 11th is the rain date if necessary. Daytona testing will resume on Monday, January 15th through Wednesday January 17th, with Thursday, January 18th serving as the rain date for the remaining teams participating in the Daytona test session.
Since Jarrett and the UPS Toyota team will be one of the new teams scheduled to compete during the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season, it has yet to be determined at which of the two Daytona test sessions they will participate. The remaining six test sessions start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway January 29th running through January 30th. Bristol Motor Speedway will host its test session February 28th through March 1st, while Richmond International Raceway hosts its two-day test session April 3-4. The fifth and sixth test sessions will take place at Lowe's Motor Speedway on May 7-8 and at Dover International Speedway May 14-15. The 2007 test schedule will conclude with the seventh and final test session at Talladega Superspeedway September 10-11th.
