NASCAR could ease restrictions on testing

DAVID POOLE

The Charlotte Observer

Saturday, Jun. 28, 2008

• Qualifying results | Unofficial scoring
• Pole story | Carpentier a surprise pole winner at New Hampshire
• Final practice | Montoya fastest again in Saturday's late session
• Early practice | Montoya tops chart in first session on Saturday
• Videos | Pole winner's news conference, more from the track
• Slideshow | Friday's action at the track
• Friday's practice | Harvick fastest in session before qualifying

Sprint Cup teams may be allowed to test next year whenever and wherever they want to, including all tracks where they currently race.

Series director John Darby met with crew chiefs Saturday following Cup practice at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to get their input on the testing policy. For the past several years, NASCAR has held organized tests at selected tracks and then prohibited teams from testing at any other track where a Cup race is held.

But teams go frequently to other tracks where the Cup series does not race - tracks in Kentucky and Milwaukee, for instance.

"The only ones who can actually tell you what they need in regard to testing are the ones who're doing it," Darby said. "In the past, it has been a matter of selecting tracks. This year I felt it was time we just sat down with everybody and said, 'Look, we're open to any suggestions.'

"That includes anything from leaving our policy exactly like it was in '08 all the way to going to what I am going to call wide-open testing - any track, any week, any time as many times as you want to go."

Darby said there "was a pretty good gasp of air" when the idea of unlimited testing was brought up.

"The immediate perception is, 'Holy cats, we're going to be testing 38 weeks a year!' " Darby said. "But you talk for a little bit and you ask them to count the actual number of tests they currently do at all the places they go to test. ... If you take the same amount of days and apply them to where we race there probably isn't a whole lot of difference at the end of the day.

"Today you can go to Milwaukee and work really hard for two days to try to simulate being at New Hampshire. ... Is that the right way to do it? Maybe the right way to do it is to test at New Hampshire."

Darby said he would get back with crew chiefs in a couple of weeks. NASCAR will then formulate a testing plan for 2009, but it won't necessarily come down to a vote.

"We're still not a democratic society," Darby joked. "We listen a lot, but somebody still has to make the call."

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