Aric Almirola Leads Field in Rain-Shortened Testing

More than 2,000 fans braved the chilly January temperatures to watch more than 30 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers take to the track in the rain-shortened sixth-generation car test at Charlotte Motor Speedway. At the end of the day, Richard Petty Motorsports’ driver Aric Almirola turned the fastest lap of 27.832 seconds at 194.021 mph. Carl Edwards (27.882 seconds at 193.673 mph) and Casey Mears (27.924 seconds at 193.382 mph) clocked the second and third fastest laps respectively, with Marcos Ambrose (27.938 seconds at 193.285 mph) and Jimmie Johnson (28.009 seconds at 192.795 mph) rounding out the top five. During a morning delay, Roush Fenway Racing driver Greg Biffle told media the time on the track was important to provide teams invaluable information about the new cars. “We’ve tested a few times with a composite body and not all of the latest rules, but this is really it for us,” he said. “We needed these two days to really figure out what the car is gonna end up like. Hopeful...