South Point Racing Completes Final Leg Of Florida Test Tour

The South Point Racing team concluded its final day of testing at Lakeland Speedway on a high note this afternoon.

“We’ve been a little bit quicker all day than we were yesterday,” said driver Brendan Gaughan. “We’re trying everything that my crew chief Bryan Berry has wanted to try, and so far my feel is really good.

“All we did at the end of the day was test different shock packages. I think Mike Roos (shock specialists) had us try six different types to try and help us know what we like the best. It was a really good day.”

The final day of testing ends a whirlwind week and a half that has seen the South Point Racing team put its new Chevrolet Silverado to the test on three different race tracks – Daytona International Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway and Lakeland Speedway.

And the overall consensus from the driver and the team on the test sessions is one of happiness and excitement as they look forward to the first race of the 2007 season on Feb. 16 at Daytona International Speedway.

“Daytona was a little bit disappointing for all of us – not just us, but all the Chevrolets speed wise,” Berry said. “But we did learn some stuff there. After the test, we sent the truck back to AJ Henry (in Concord), and we fixed some things from what we learned. We’ve been back to the wind tunnel with it, and we were able to get some information that we needed for the race which is going to be a big plus.

“As far as the next two tests went – Homestead and Lakeland – it was definitely a huge step in the right direction with this manufacturer compared to last season.”

In addition to gaining valuable information on the race track, both Gaughan and Berry agreed that the test sessions helped the guys to learn teamwork.

“Our on track performance was amazing,” Gaughan said. “But the tests also helped us in the garage. The guys really did an outstanding job. I saw the guys grow and start to work together as a team.

“They kind of picked their roles on what they would be doing on the truck at the track, and they went to work. They’re working better as a team then they ever have.”

With all the information garnered from the three test sessions and the sense of camaraderie that the team has developed, Gaughan and his South Point Racing team can’t wait to take the green flag on the 2007 season.

“We’re looking forward to California from what we learned at Homestead,” Berry said. “And if we were to go to Memphis tomorrow, we’d be on top of the board after everything that we did at Lakeland today.

“The guys have done a great job. The driver is on top of his game. We’re more than ready to get going on this season, but first things first – we have to go out there and win Daytona. And that’s our goal.”