GMAC Racing Fastest in Lowe’s Testing

CONCORD, N.C. (Oct. 1, 2003) – The GMAC Racing team concluded its two-day test session Tuesday night in preparation for the Oct. 10 NASCAR Busch Series event at Lowe’s Motor Speedway with favorable results. Test sessions are invaluable to teams, especially late in the season when competing for a championship like the No. 5 team. Testing provides additional seat time for the driver and allows the crew to experiment with various setups without the pressure of an actual race weekend. Crew chief Lance McGrew elected to bring a brand new No. 5 Chevrolet Monte Carlo to the 1.5-mile track on Monday and put it through the paces before the Little Trees 300 next Friday night, but late in the session driver Brian Vickers lost control of his new ride exiting Turn 2 and made contact with the wall, causing significant damage to front of the GMAC Chevrolet. Vickers was taken to the infield care center for a checkup following the incident and was released shortly thereafter. “I hate that it happened, I really, really do,” Vickers said. “Everyone on this team works so hard, I just feel real bad.” So, the GMAC team went home Monday night and returned Tuesday afternoon focused and with another car. This time they brought a proven winner -- the same car Vickers drove into Victory Lane at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway three races ago. Vickers and his GMAC team shrugged off Monday’s mishap and capped off the test by posting the fastest lap of the two-day session. Vickers’ unofficial lap of 181.537 mph was more than one mile per hour faster than Ron Hornaday, who topped the speed charts on Monday night. “I still can’t believe how well things ended up,” said crew chief Lance McGrew. “I couldn’t be happier. At the end of a 40-lap race run, there was no one even close to the times we were running.” Maybe the accident on Monday evening was a blessing in disguise for the GMAC team. For now, everyone will just have to wait until Oct. 10 for the results. After a weekend off, the GMAC Racing team returns to action on Saturday afternoon at Kansas Speedway. Live coverage of the Busch Series race will begin at 2 p.m. ET on NBC and MRN Radio.