Nemechek Fastest at Wednesday Indy Test

INDIANAPOLIS (July 17, 2003) – Joe Nemechek turned the fastest lap on an extra day of NASCAR Winston Cup Series testing on July 16 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, circling the legendary 2.5-mile oval at 181.029 mph in the No. 25 UAW-Delphi Chevrolet. Nemechek’s Hendrick Motorsports teammates, Jimmie Johnson and Terry Labonte, were third and eighth, respectively, on Wednesday. Johnson remained fastest overall among the 38 drivers that have taken part in private test sessions at IMS on either July 8-9 or 14-16, after recording a lap of 182.028 on July 15. The track record, set during qualifying for the 2002 Brickyard 400, is 182.960 mph. Persistent thundershowers and storms washed out all but 37 minutes of practice on July 15, so NASCAR granted teams another day of practice. Weather conditions Wednesday were sunny with light winds and a high temperature in the mid-80s -- more to the liking of teams and similar to what drivers will encounter when they return for the 10th Brickyard 400 on Aug. 1-3. “It’s a perfect day today,” Nemechek said. “It’s just something you go through, you fight the weather every once in a while. “It’s been a very good test; we’ve learned a lot. We brought one new car (and) one car we ran at Pocono, and both were very fast. (We) just did a lot of stuff in race trim, did a few qualifying runs this morning, found a couple things, and the car drives really consistent. If we can do that when we come back, we may have a shot at pole.”