Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at [email protected] or (702) 259-4089.
Steve Park called his first test with the Las Vegas-based Orleans Racing team a success, but the veteran driver left Daytona International Speedway on Monday sounding a lot like the other 33 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series drivers who took part in the three-day test.
"Really, testing went pretty good," Park said after he posted the 12th-fastest speed of the day (180.213 mph) in the No. 62 Dodge. "We were happy with the truck in qualifying trim, we just need to find a little bit more speed in race trim. We're good, we just need to find some more speed to go fast enough to win this thing."
The 2004 NCTS season opens Feb. 13 with the Florida Dodge Dealers 250 at Daytona.
Steve Grissom led Monday morning's session with a speed of 182.994 in the No. 59 Dodge and was followed by Terry Cook (182.760), Carl Edwards (182.382), Chad Chaffin (181.594) and Steadman Marlin (181.583).
Most of the teams shifted to drafting practice in the afternoon session and Jack Sprague posted the top speed at 187.625 mph.
Park, who was named last week to replace Brendan Gaughan in the No. 62 Dodge, said the most important thing to come out of the three-day test was how he worked with his new teammates.
"Right now, jelling with the team is the main thing," Park said. "It's the first time we've had a chance to work together and a lot of positive things came out of that.
"It was our first time testing and it worked as good as you could expect. I don't think we'll ever be satisfied unless we're about a second faster than anybody else, but we're decent right now."
"The person that does the best job still wins -- that doesn't change," Burton said. "You don't have any less of a chance of winning; you just have to go about winning differently. I think in the end it will give more people the opportunity to win.
"It's radically different but that doesn't make it wrong. I do think NASCAR has to find a way for 11th place through say 15th to get into the top 10. All in all, I think it's a good thing that will make it more of a playoff scenario which in turn will make it exciting for the fans and that's what we are all about."
Greg Biffle, Burton's teammate at Roush Racing, said the revamped points system could have an effect on how future sponsorship deals are constructed.
"I think a change in the points system will have much more of an impact than people think, especially on the team and sponsor side," Biffle said.
"Eventually it might change contracts because once the top 10 is set, a sponsor and driver outside of that won't have as much to gain. It may get to the point where sponsors sign their contracts for (26) races and then sign an addendum for the final shootout for the championship. I guess it just depends on how the new system is set up."
NASCAR has yet to announce details for its new points system, which will apply only to the Nextel Cup Series.
With the addition of 15,000 seats (at $333 a crack) in the new Dale Earnhardt Terrace above the track's front stretch, Powell said he expects attendance at this year's race to be about the same as last year's, which attracted a record crowd estimated at 140,000.
Powell said ticket sales were "doing very well" for the seventh annual race but would not disclose how many tickets have been sold or how many remain.
"We're expecting as large a crowd as we've ever had," Powell said.
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