Kyle Larson - Las Vegas Motor Speedway test (Photo: NASCAR)
2018 Las Vegas Test Speeds – January 31, 2018
Racing News
Las Vegas Motor Speedway: 2018 Testing Speeds
Kyle Larson is quickest in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series test at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Chip Ganassi Racing has a new model on the grid this year. The Camaro ZL1 goes right to the top of the board.
View 2018 Las Vegas testing speeds below.
Larson: “It’s nice to get back in a stock car,” Larson said from the media center. “I’ve still done a fair bit of racing this offseason. But it’s been a couple of months since I’ve been in a (stock) car. It was nice to get some laps here and feel like we’ve got some pretty good speed and good balance with our new Camaro ZL1.”
It’s far from his first laps of 2018. However, it is his first time back in a stock car, in the last several months.
“I think when you get going out there to make your first laps — Not necessarily that you’re nervous. But, you’re just a little rusty and trying to get that off.”
“No nerves or anything like that. Excited, to strap in and get going fast,” Larson concluded.
Ty Dillon was another driver in the test at Las Vegas. He ranked 12th on the board in the new Camaro. But, Ty. Dillon explains that you can’t look too much into testing speeds.
Ty Dillon: “I don’t think there’s a whole lot to be put into it,” Ty Dillon refers to the speeds. “Especially with the Chevy drivers. There’s a lot to be learned with the Camaro.”
“For us, in the first day, we’re not even focusing on the handling of the car. We’re just trying to learn the body and what things we need to do to it, that it likes and doesn’t like. I wouldn’t put a whole lot into it right now.”
“Speed is speed though. I think the fastest guys are a good view of what you’re going to have. But, people don’t always bring their best piece to the race track, they don’t always bring their best motor. If you don’t know the intricate details of what’s going on with the radio, I don’t think you can really judge it to the fullest,” Dillon concluded.
Kurt Busch mirrors those thoughts. He was 4th on the time sheets at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway test.
Ku Busch: “I’m hopeful that we learn all the right things and we don’t jade ourselves in a wrong direction,” Kurt Busch says after the test. “That happens a lot at test sessions.”
“A lot of times, test sessions are cooler temperatures, than when we race. And the track grip level is higher, than when we race. You can easily get a skew from what the race raceday setup numbers are gunna be.”
“I mean, you can move the car 3/16 of an inch, as far as travel — That really changes the cars balance,” Busch concluded.