Bayne tops fuel injection test

Eleven Sprint Cup Series teams on Monday at Charlotte Motor Speedway participated in the third of five NASCAR-controlled electronic-fuel-injection tests.

Several teams tested EFI at Kentucky Speedway in July and recently at Phoenix International Raceway. Other teams will test on Thursday at Talladega Superspeedway and on Oct. 31 at Martinsville Speedway. After using carburetors since its first race in 1949, NASCAR will race with electronic fuel injection for the first time next year.

Monday's day-long test featured four Chevrolets from Hendrick Motorsports, two Chevys from Stewart-Haas Racing and one Chevy each from Richard Childress Racing and Earnhardt-Ganassi-Sabates Racing. Michael Waltrip and Joe Gibbs Racing each fielded one Toyota, and Roush-Fenway Racing fielded a single Ford.

"This is one way to put the 'stock' back in stock-car racing," said Roush Yates engine-builder Doug Yates, who led an information session about EFI. "This is a good step for us. We're stepping into the forefront of technology, which is really exciting for me. It's important [for] the engineers and people who're attracted to the sport, and even for a different fan base that could be attracted. This is the best of both worlds."

"There were more differences than I expected," Kahne said of his first laps in a Hendrick-prepared Chevrolet. "But, then, I thought back to Red Bull and how much different that was from the prior year [at Petty]. It's all little things, but they keep adding up and it kind of takes time to figure out that feel."

McLaren and Freescale Semiconductor will produce the engine-control units required for NASCAR's electronic fuel injection; teams will buy the $25,000 systems from McLaren. NASCAR has expressed confidence that it can keep each team's EFI system "cheat-proof."

TEST TIMES
1. Trevor Bayne/Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 28.452 seconds (189.793 mph)
2. Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 28.620 (188.679)
3. Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 28.707 (188.107)
4. Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 28.767 (187.715)
5. Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 28.847 (187.195)
6. Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 28.895 (186.884)
7. Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 28.923 (186.703)
8. Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 28.995 (186.239)
9. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 29.011 (186.136)
10. Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 29.029 (186.843)
11. Joey Logano/Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 29.056 (186.848)