Daytona Ford test: Roush fastest of the slow

The 2000 Rookie of the Year Matt Kenseth finished top of the Taurus heap, with fellow Roush drivers Mark Martin and 2001 rookie contender Kurt Busch in fourth and fifth. Robert Pressley's Jasper Engines Taurus and the Wood Bros machine of Elliott Sadler were second and third.

An early morning shower kept the 2.5-mile Florida tri-oval closed until 1.05pm, meaning that the Blue Oval's only official test before the season-opening Daytona 500 on February 18 will be extended into Wednesday.

A total of 20 drivers signed on at the speedway, with 36 cars present in the garages. Several drivers are also entered in the big money, non-points Bud Shoot-out on the Sunday before the Daytona 500 and many teams will use the test to choose their chassis for each race.

With NASCAR's revised restrictor plate regulations in force at Daytona for the first time after a successful introduction at Talladega last October, speeds were well down on the 2000 benchmark. For 2001, a larger restrictor plate gives more horsepower, but larger rear spoilers and a mandatory roof tab mean extra drag. Kenseth's 181.848mph Monday best was just under 10mph shy of last year's Daytona 500 pole time set by Dale Jarrett, but speeds are set to rise as teams tune their shock and aero packages and try qualifying set-ups.

General Motors' Chevrolet and Pontiac hordes descend on the speedway for two days of testing beginning on Thursday, with Winston Cup newcomers Dodge getting the chance to compare its Intrepids against the Ford/GM benchmark on Sunday and Monday.


1 Matt Kenseth (Roush Racing) 49.492s 181.848mph
2 Robert Pressley (Jasper Engines) 49.960, 180.144
3 Elliott Sadler (Wood Bros) 50.022s, 179.921
4 Mark Martin (Roush Racing) 50.028, 179.899
5 Kurt Busch (Roush Racing) 50.045, 179.838
6 Dale Jarrett (Robert Yates) 50.111, 179.601


7 Rusty Wallace (Penske South) 50.257, 179.080
11Ricky Rudd (Robert Yates) 50.360, 178.713
12 Jeremy Mayfield (Penske South) 50.415, 178.518
17 Jeff Burton (Roush Racing) 50.785, 177.218