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CUP: Deja Vu All Over Again
Written by: Tom Jensen   
01/06/2008
 
2007 Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson topped the speed charts in both test sessions on opening day at Daytona. (Sam Greenwood/Getty Images for NASCAR Photo) » More Photos


Monday afternoon's test session at Daytona International Speedway was a case of Hendrick Motorsports déjà vu all over again, with two-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson pacing the field and his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Casey Mears second- and third-fastest in his two test cars, Nos. 5B and 5A.

It was the same order that the two ran in the day's opening round of practice in the morning at DIS.

Johnson's best lap was 184.672 miles per hour, slightly slower than his fast time in the morning session of 184.782 mph. Still, his fastest circuit was more than 0.10 seconds quicker than teammate Mears, who had a best time of 184.230 mph in the P.M. practice.

"First time being here on such a rough surface, there's a lot of speed in making the car drive right," Johnson said. "It's been fun. I didn't expect today to be this much fun and really be this challenging as a driver and challenging as a team in finding the right setup and balance of the car."

Behind the all-conquering Hendrick Chevys, Toyotas continued to show impressive strength, with Kyle Busch, A.J. Allmendinger and Jacques Villeneuve fourth through sixth, respectively, in the afternoon session. Jeff Gordon was seventh in a third Hendrick entry, while Travis Kvapil was eighth, the fastest
of the Fords. Rounding out the top 10 were the Toyotas of David Reutimann and Busch's second car.

"Everything went well. I'm really proud of the way the Joe Gibbs Racing team and Toyota stepped up prepared and ready to go," said Busch, in his first official day of NASCAR practice with his new team and manufacturer. "The cars have been driving well and have had some speed, which is nice. It's hard to come down here and try to find something. I think we're pretty good. We're not as fast as some of the guys, but we're decent and where we need to be. The biggest thing will be to get the car to handle well in the draft."

As he was in the morning, Juan Pablo Montoya was best among the Dodges, running 14th, one spot behind where he was in the first session.

A total of 45 cars set times, with most drivers using more than one car. Testing continues until Wednesday for roughly half the Sprint Cup field. The remainder will test next week.

SPRINT CUP TEST SESSION 2 TIMES: DAYTONA

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