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Test shows repaved Michigan could set records
Four drivers top 201 mph; NASCAR expects speeds to decrease slightly by race
http://www.nascar.com/news/120614/repaved-michigan-fast-testing/index.html

The first full-scale Cup test of the newly repaved Michigan International Speedway provided the answer to one question Thursday, but not surprisingly, led to several others.

Yes, MIS is lightning-fast. But at what point does fast become too fast? After three hours of practice, the consensus is that the speeds on the 2-mile oval are certainly attention-getting but not unusual enough to require any major rules changes.

The current NASCAR track record of 194.232 mph — set by Ryan Newman in 2005 — is most assuredly on the extinction list, as three dozen drivers eclipsed it unofficially in the three-hour morning session. All 43 drivers who took to the track in the afternoon session topped that mark.

It’s been 25 years since Bill Elliott laid down a 200-plus mph lap in qualifying, but four drivers — led by Mark Martin’s scorching 201.089 mph — broke through that barrier in race trim in the morning session and seven did so in the afternoon, with Tony Stewart’s 201.896 mph the fastest lap of the day. Odds are good after this weekend, MIS can rightfully lay claim to being the fastest unrestricted track on the circuit.

“Qualifying trim will be spectacular, I am sure,” Greg Biffle said. “It is just how fast this place is. I mean, I knew it was going to be like this when they repaved this place because it has some banking and is wide. The corner entry is a real long arc. It just has a lot of grip and that is how it is going to be.”

But as the temperatures come up — Sunday’s high could come close to 90 degrees — and more rubber is laid down on the track, NASCAR vice president for competition Robin Pemberton expects the optimum conditions drivers experienced Thursday morning will abate somewhat.