SCENEDAILY
10:03AM ET FRIDAY JANUARY 18, 2008
BY SCENEDAILY STAFF REPORT

More than 40 drivers - including four series champions - representing nearly 30 teams are scheduled to participate in the pair of Nationwide Series tests that started today at Daytona International Speedway. Nineteen drivers are on hand for the first test day.

The test is split into two sessions; teams ranked in odd-numbered positions in NASCAR Nationwide Series owner points after July 17, 2007 will test today through Sunday, while teams ranked in even-numbered positions after July 17 last year will test Sunday through Tuesday. There is no rain date.

The first session is highlighted by series champions with defending title winner Carl Edwards (No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford), two-time champion Kevin Harvick (No. 33 Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet) and 1994 champion David Green (No. 5 JR Motorsports Chevrolet).

Edwards is one of four Sprint Cup drivers planning to run the full Nationwide schedule as well. Harvick, Clint Bowyer and David Ragan will also attempt both full schedules.

For the first time in his nine-year series career, Harvick will not compete for Richard Childress Racing. Instead, he'll drive his own Kevin Harvick Inc. car and also help develop young teammate Cale Gale.

The JR Motorsports entry will be driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin, the series' all-time leader in wins and poles, and two-time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson. Newcomer Landon Cassill will also drive the car and will be at the track with Green.

Series veterans Mike Wallace (Germain Racing) and Johnny Sauter (Phoenix Racing), who returns to the series after a year in the Cup series, are scheduled for the first session.

Brandon Miller is in the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing entry that will be driven by Bowyer, and Tim McCreadie is in the No. 21 entry for the team.

The two sessions overlap on Sunday, when all cars will be on the track.

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SCENEDAILY
FRIDAY JANUARY 18, 2008
BY SCENEDAILY STAFF REPORT

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Kyle Busch continued to show Toyota's strength, this time in NASCAR Nationwide Series testing at Daytona International Speedway.

Busch led Friday afternoon's test session at the track with a lap of 182.556 mph in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Chip Ganassi Racing's Dario Franchitti was second fastest with a lap of 182.293 mph. Jay Robinson Racing's Robert Richardson, Phoenix Racing's Johnny Sauter and Kevin Harvick Inc.'s Kevin Harvick rounded out the top five.

JGR's Mike McLaughlin, Richard Childress Racing's Tim McCreadie, RCR's Brandon Miller and Harvick in his second car followed.

Testing for the 19 teams on hand for the opening session continues Saturday morning at Daytona.

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SCENEDAILY
4:00PM ET MONDAY JANUARY 21, 2008
BY SCENEDAILY STAFF REPORT

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Steve Wallace knocked down the fence - literally - at Daytona International Speedway on Monday.

The second-year driver was leaving the garage through an opening on pit road when he lost control of his No. 66 Rusty Wallace Racing Chevrolet and slammed into a chain-link fence and pole behind the pit wall. Part of a gate was knocked off its hinges, and another part of the fence was twisted.

"Sometimes you do the most embarrassing stuff you ever thought you'd do in your life, and today was it," Wallace said.

The front end of Wallace's car was damaged enough that track workers needed a rollback to take the car back to the team's garage stall.

Wallace said he had been making drafting runs in the afternoon, when brake pads are pulled back off the rotors.

"It usually takes four or five pumps to build the pedal back up so the car can stop, and I just honestly forgot the brakes were pulled back, went around the corner too fast, went to hit the brakes, and the brake pedal hit the floor," Wallace said. "There was nothing I could do about it."

Wallace said the damage was done to the slower of the team's two cars, and that crew chief Harold Holly was going to cut the nose off anyway to try to improve the aerodynamics.

Still, Wallace was frustrated.

"Imagine pulling into your driveway, and you make a right and hit the brakes and nothing goes, and you run your mailbox over," Wallace said.

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