CONCORD, N.C. — Nearly 50 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams left Lowe's Motor Speedway Tuesday with a better understanding of how to prepare their race cars for the May 17 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and the May 25 Coca-Cola 600.
 With several teams struggling to learn the handling nuances of the new race car, the two days of testing gave crew chiefs and engineers ample opportunity to gather computer data and obtain driver feedback.
Jamie McMurray topped the speed chart on Tuesday with a lap of 185.720 mph in the No. 26 Crown Royal Ford. However, his lap was slower than the 186.245 mph mark Elliott Sadler put atop the scoring pylon Monday evening.
 Ryan Newman was second fastest Tuesday evening at 184.856 mph in the No. 12 Alltel Dodge.
 "We spent our time trying a lot of different combinations on the Alltel Dodge to see what would work," said Newman. "This track changes so much throughout the course of the day and night that it can be a difficult track to keep up with. We are trying to use the fact that it changes so much to our advantage and learn as much as we can about adjusting the car.
 "We've done really well in qualifying at Charlotte in the past, and we would like to continue that when we come back here," Newman added. "We focused on our qualifying trim some during the night session on Tuesday."
A.J. Allmendinger was third fastest in the No. 84 Red Bull Toyota at 184.571 with Scott Riggs fourth fastest at 184.168 mph in the No. 66b State Water Heaters Chevrolet. Rookie Patrick Carpentier rounded out the top-five at 183.955 in the No. 10 Valvoline Dodge.
 There were six minor incidents during the 10 hours of testing. Allmendinger, Robby Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Kurt Busch each brushed the yellow outside SAFER barriers. All five cars received only minor damage and each driver was able to drive back to the garage area. Regan Smith was a double-dipper, making contact with the outside wall twice. He was able to
drive into the garage following each fender-bender.
 The official speeds:
Morning Session
 1. Dale Earnhardt Jr., 88b, 182.593; 2. Jeff Burton, 31, 182.439; 3.
Jeff Gordon, 24, 182.125; 4. Johnny Sauter, 70, 181.135; 5. Juan Pablo
Montoya, 42, 180.499; 6. Jeff Burton, 31b, 180.427; 7. Stanton Barrett, 50,
179.015; 8. Brian Vickers, 83, 178.630; 9. Johnny Sauter, 70b, 178.619; 10.
Joe Nemechek, 78, 178.000; 11. Dale Earnhardt Jr., 88, 177.346; 12. Jeff
Gordon, 24b, 176.910; 13. Jeff Green, 34, 174.177.
Afternoon Session
 1. Brian Vickers, 83, 181.830; 2. Kyle Busch, 18b, 180.349; 3. Mark
Martin, 8, 180.276; 4. Carl Edwards, 99, 180.240; 5. Kyle Busch, 18,
180.162; 6. Elliott Sadler, 19b, 179.808; 7. Jamie McMurray, 26, 179.259; 8.
Travis Kvapil, 28, 179.116; 9. Jimmie Johnson, 48, 179.099; 10. Scott Riggs,
66b, 178.915; 11. Reed Sorenson, 41, 178.891; 12. A.J. Allmendinger, 84,
178.855; 13. Ryan Newman, 12b, 178.719; 14. Casey Mears, 5b, 178.678; 15.
Kurt Busch, 2b, 178.672; 16. David Gilliland, 38, 178.666; 17. Dave Blaney,
22, 178.642; 18. Robby Gordon, 7, 178.501; 19. Denny Hamlin, 11b, 178.448;
20. Reed Sorenson, 41b, 178.365; 21. David Reutimann, 44, 178.318; 22. Dave
Blaney, 22b, 178.077; 23. Jeff Gordon, 24, 178.036; 24. David Stremme, 06,
177.924; 25. Kasey Kahne, 9, 177.901; 26. Paul Menard, 15, 177.866; 27. Tony
Stewart, 20b, 177.778; 28. Kasey Kahne, 9b, 177.778; 29. Sam Hornish Jr.,
77b, 177.766; 30. Greg Biffle, 16, 177.731; 31. Regan Smith, 01, 177.684;
32. Matt Kenseth, 17, 177.667; 33. Tony Stewart, 20, 177.451; 34. David
Ragan, 6, 177.427; 35. Casey Mears, 5, 177.392; 36. Sam Hornish Jr., 77,
177.299; 37. Martin Truex Jr., 1, 177.288; 38. Joe Nemechek, 78, 177.23; 39.
Scott Wimmer, 33, 177.119; 40. Kyle Petty, 45, 177.113; 41. Bobby Labonte,
43, 177.014; 42. Michael McDowell, 00, 176.962; 43. Jon Wood, 21, 176.765;
44. Patrick Carpentier, 10, 176.759; 45. J.J. Yeley, 96, 176.465; 46. Ryan
Newman, 12, 176.424; 47. Jeff Green, 34, 176.240; 48. Michael Waltrip 55,
176.125; 49. Joe Nemechek, 78b, 174.797; 50. Regan Smith, 01b, 173.438; 51.
Tony Raines, 08b, 173.049.
Evening Session
 1. Jamie McMurray, 26, 185.720; 2. Ryan Newman, 12b, 184.856; 3.
A.J. Allmendinger, 84, 184.571; 4. Scott Riggs, 66b, 184.168; 5. Patrick
Carpentier, 10, 183.955; 6. Robby Gordon, 7b, 183.824; 7. Travis Kvapil, 28,
183.517; 8. Carl Edwards, 99, 183.057; 9. Johnny Sauter, 70, 182.970; 10.
Scott Wimmer, 33, 182.840; 11. Jon Wood, 21, 182.322; 12. Paul Menard, 15,
182.315; 13. Denny Hamlin, 11b, 182.272; 14. Jeff Gordon, 24, 182.020; 15.
Kyle Busch, 18, 181.971; 16. David Gilliland, 38, 181.928; 17. Kevin
Harvick, 29b, 181.904; 18. Kyle Busch, 18b, 181757; 19. Elliott Sadler, 19b,
181.671; 20. Bobby Labonte, 43, 181.421; 21. Greg Biffle, 16, 181.415; 22.
Kurt Busch, 2b, 181.330; 23. Kasey Kahne, 9, 181.245; 24. Jimmie Johnson,
48, 181.226; 25. David Ragan, 6, 181.159; 26. Dave Blaney, 22b, 180.923; 27.
Reed Sorenson, 41, 180.911; 28. Sam Hornish Jr., 77b, 180.820; 29. J.J.
Yeley, 96, 180.759; 30. David Stremme, 06, 180.590; 31. Dave Blaney, 22,
180.536; 32. Martin Truex Jr., 1, 180.475; 33. Kyle Petty, 45, 180.433; 34.
Matt Kenseth, 17, 180.343; 35. Michael Waltrip, 55, 180.270; 36. Kasey
Kahne, 9b, 180.078; 37. Tony Stewart, 20, 179.880; 38. Regan Smith, 01,
179.796; 39. Reed Sorenson, 41b, 179.718; 40. Brian Vickers, 83, 179.706;
41. Dale Earnhardt Jr., 88, 179.647; 42. Casey Mears, 5, 179.629; 43.
Michael McDowell, 00, 179.563; 44. David Reutimann, 44, 179.503; 45. Dale
Earnhardt Jr., 88b, 179.360; 46. Casey Mears, 5b, 179.289; 47. Stanton
Barrett, 50, 178.980; 48. Mark Martin, 8, 178.548; 49. Jeff Green, 34,
178.347; 50. Kevin Harvick, 29, 178.283; 51. Tony Raines, 08b, 174.803.

Monday

CONCORD, N.C. — "Data" was the word of the day as nearly 50 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams tested Monday at Lowe's Motor Speedway in preparation for the May 17 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and the May 25 Coca-Cola 600.
 Throughout the garage area, engineers and crew chiefs poured through computer data gathered on the 1.5-mile superspeedway as teams continue to learn the handling nuances of the new Sprint Cup Series race car.
 Elliott Sadler ended up on top of the speed chart, posting a lap of 186.245 mph during the evening session. Sadler was driving the No. 19b Best Buy Dodge. A.J. Allmendinger was the biggest surprise of the testing session. He ended up second fastest at 184.150 mph in the No. 84 Red Bull Toyota.
 Kevin Harvick, last year's winner of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, was third fastest at 184.118 mph in the No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet with Kyle Busch fourth on the speed chart at 183.886 in the No. 18 M&Ms Toyota. Jamie McMurray rounded out the top five at 183.492 mph in the No. 26 Crown Royal Ford.
 A last-minute addition to the NASCAR schedule, teams praised NASCAR and speedway officials for hosting the two-day session.
 "It's so tough to get track time right now, especially on tracks that we compete at," said three-time Coca-Cola 600 winner Jimmie Johnson. "If you're not on the real track, it's really tough to have anything to carry over and help the team. On top of that, to get tires, because without the right tires to test with, it's a very big struggle too.
 "This test was welcomed by everyone. We're glad to be out here and I think it will help us advance the Car of Tomorrow and put on a better show here for the 600 and All-Star weekend," concluded the driver of the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet.
 "Obviously, this was not a scheduled test, so I think it's great for us to get extra information," said Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet. "We're gathering all kinds of data with the car and obviously looking for speed. Sometimes that takes more time. When you only have a couple hours of practice at the race track, it's sometimes hard to find that. You can take your time a little more (during a test) and really try things and make changes.
 "Based on our first couple of runs out there this morning, I'm pretty glad we're here," Gordon added. "Gathering data and information is what we're really here for. I think that by having all the cars here, it's going to make for a little bit better race. The more cars and teams that test, the more we get the cars closer to one another and we won't have one car that just checks out."
 "We struggled a little bit at Texas and Atlanta and feel like we learned some good things at Nashville last week and we're looking forward to seeing how they apply here to Charlotte," said defending Coca-Cola 600 winner Casey Mears. "The 1.5-mile tracks are the ones that have been tricky for us this year.
 "This car is quite a bit different," added the driver of the No. 5 Kellogg's/CARQUEST Chevrolet. "The car is still aero tight and the speeds are pretty similar. We're getting around the tracks pretty well. I just think in a pack, it's a little bit more difficult to drive. It seems like when someone is on the outside of you, they tend to get a lot looser."
There were two incidents during the 10-hour testing session. The first came shortly after the lunch break when David Gilliland slid high in Turn 2 and brushed the outside SAFER barrier. The Riverside, Calif., resident was able to drive his No. 38 Ford back to the garage area. Then, Scott Riggs spun in Turn 4 during the evening session, but did not make wall contact.
 NASCAR Sprint Cup testing continues from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday and the frontstretch grandstand will be open free of charge.
 Also, the tradition of the "Royal Flush" continues at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday as officials and fans will test the speedway's massive sewer and water infrastructure. Fans are invited to lend a hand with the flushing and participants will receive an official "Royal Flush Society" T-shirt and have the opportunity to receive $5 off any Coca-Cola 600 ticket purchased on
Tuesday evening.
 The official speeds:

Morning Session
 1. Dale Earnhardt Jr., 88b, 182.352; 2. Dale Earnhardt Jr., 88,
180.608; 3. Jeff Burton, 31b, 180.596; 4. Brad Keselowski, 70, 180.120; 5.
Kevin Harvick, 29b, 179.611; 6. Kevin Harvick, 29, 179.241; 7. Jeff Gordon,
24, 178.672; 8. Brad Keselowski, 70b, 178.283; 9. Jeff Burton, 31, 178.247;
10. Clint Bowyer, 07, 177.026.

Afternoon Session
 1. Kyle Busch, 18b, 179.736; 2. Carl Edwards, 99, 179.42; 3. Jeff
Burton, 31, 179.200; 4. Kurt Busch, 2b, 178.838; 5. Elliott Sadler, 19b,
178.832; 6. Jamie McMurray, 26, 178.784; 7. Mark Martin, 8, 178.784; 8. Kyle
Busch, 18, 178.743; 9. Kurt Busch, 2, 178.719; 10. Greg Biffle, 16, 178.719;
11. Scott Riggs, 66b, 178.630; 12. Matt Kenseth, 17, 178.625; 13. Kasey
Kahne, 9b, 178.577; 14. Kasey Kahne, 9, 178.394; 15. Ryan Newman, 12,
178.359; 16. Jimmie Johnson, 48, 178.336; 17. Casey Mears, 5b, 178.136; 18.
A.J. Allmendinger, 84, 178.047; 19. Martin Truex Jr., 1, 178.006; 20.
Elliott Sadler, 19, 177.936; 21. Dave Blaney, 22, 177.93; 22. Sterling
Marlin, 40, 177.784; 23. Tony Stewart, 20, 177.749; 24. Kevin Harvick, 29,
177.713; 25. Denny Hamlin, 11b, 177.602; 26. Bobby Labonte, 43, 177.567; 27.
David Reutimann, 44, 177.532; 28. David Ragan, 6, 177.468; 29. Travis
Kvapil, 28, 177.404; 30. Clint Bowyer, 07b, 177.387; 31. Paul Menard, 15,
177.381; 32. Scott Wimmer, 33, 177.340; 33. Scott Riggs, 66, 177.235; 34.
Dave Blaney, 22b, 177.212; 35. David Stremme, 06, 177.183; 36. Sam Hornish
Jr., 77, 177.078; 37. Clint Bowyer, 07, 176.765; 38. Casey Mears, 5,
176.690; 39. Denny Hamlin, 11, 176.684; 40. David Gilliland, 38, 176.621;
41. Tony Stewart, 20b, 176.586; 42. Reed Sorenson, 41b, 176.580; 43. Brian
Vickers, 83, 176.499; 44. Kevin Harvick, 29b, 176.102; 45. Regan Smith, 01,
176.102; 46. J.J. Yeley, 96, 175.953; 47. Patrick Carpentier, 10, 175.816;
48. Joe Nemechek, 78, 175.633; 49. Jon Wood, 21, 175.570; 50. Michael
Waltrip, 55, 175.262; 51. Robby Gordon, 7b, 175.058; 52. Robby Gordon, 7,
174.967; 53. Juan Pablo Montoya, 42, 174.933; 54. Kyle Petty, 45, 174.729;
55. Juan Pablo Montoya, 42b, 174.661; 56. Michael McDowell, 00, 174.492; 57.
Bobby Labonte, 43b, 174.436; 58. Sam Hornish Jr., 77b, 174.121; 59. Tony
Raines, 08, 173.975: 60. Stanton Barrett, 50, 172.695.

Evening Session
 1. Elliott Sadler, 19b, 186.245; 2. A.J. Allmendinger, 84, 184.150;
3. Kevin Harvick, 29b, 184.118; 4. Kyle Busch, 18, 183.886; 5. Jamie
McMurray, 26, 183.492; 6. Brad Keselowski, 70, 183.113; 7. Scott Wimmer, 33,
182.599; 8. Ryan Newman, 12b, 182.556; 9. Sam Hornish Jr., 182.328; 10. Paul
Menard, 15, 182.315; 11. Denny Hamlin, 11b, 182.285; 12. Jimmie Johnson, 48,
182.211; 13. Kyle Busch 18b, 182.168; 14. Kasey Kahne, 9b, 182.156; 15.
Robby Gordon, 7, 182.149; 16. Travis Kvapil, 28, 182.137; 17. Carl Edwards,
99, 182.002; 18. 18. Dale Earnhardt Jr., 88b, 181.837; 19. Mark Martin, 8,
181.83; 20. Greg Biffle, 16,181.677; 21. Kurt Busch, 2b, 181.629; 22. Jeff
Burton, 31, 181.586; 23. Scott Riggs, 66b, 181.555; 24. Kurt Busch, 2,
181.409; 25. Sam Hornish Jr., 77b, 181.269; 26. Casey Mears, 5b, 181.245;
27. Brian Vickers, 83, 181.068; 28. Tony Stewart, 20, 181.026; 29. Dave
Blaney, 22b, 181.002; 30. Juan Pablo Montoya, 42, 180.953; 31. Dave Blaney,
22, 180.838; 32. Matt Kenseth, 17, 180.783; 33. David Gilliland, 38,
180.783; 34. David Ragan, 6, 180.717; 35. Sterling Marlin, 40, 180.705; 36.
David Reutimann, 44, 180.638; 37. Tony Stewart, 20b, 180.572; 38. Dale
Earnhardt Jr., 88, 180.536; 39. Reagan Smith, 01, 180.475; 40. Ryan Newman,
12, 180.445; 41. Kasey Kahne, 9, 180.439; 42. Martin Truex Jr., 1, 180.301;
43. J.J. Yeley, 96, 180.264; 44. Jeff Burton, 31b, 180.240; 45. Michael
Waltrip, 55, 180.228; 46. Clint Bowyer, 07b, 180.192; 47. Jon Wood, 21,
180.066; 48. David Stremme, 06, 179.892; 49. Clint Bowyer, 07, 179.671. 50.
Bobby Labonte, 43, 179.551; 51. Scott Riggs, 66, 179.390; 52. Casey Mears,
5, 179.372; 53. Reed Sorenson, 41b, 179.307; 54. Joe Nemechek, 78, 179.206;
55. Patrick Carpentier, 10, 179.194; 56. Stanton Barrett, 50, 179.063; 57.
Robby Gordon, 7b, 178.595; 58. Bobby Labonte, 43b, 178.436; 59. Kevin
Harvick, 29, 178.235; 60. Kyle Petty, 45, 178.094; 61. Michael McDowell, 00,
177.813; 62. Tony Raines, 08, 176.684.