DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Weather put a damper on the final day of NASCAR Preseason Thunder testing at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. Cloudy skies and intermittent rain caused NASCAR to allow the drivers to practice without a break. From 9 a.m. ET to 12 noon, single-car runs were completed, while teams were allowed to draft from noon until shortly before 2 p.m.

Michael Waltrip, driver of the No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS TOYOTA Camry, ran in qualifying trim as NAPA crew chief David Hyder worked on set-up combinations and aerodynamic adjustments. In the morning session, Waltrip climbed to eighth place on the speed chart (48.998 seconds/183.681 mph) in the No. 55A NAPA Camry. His time behind the wheel of the 55B was 49.599 seconds (181.455 mph), good for 29th place.

Quickest in the single-car run session was Kurt Busch (47.074 seconds/191.188 mph). However, his run was recorded in a Car of Tomorrow car with no restrictor plate. Following Busch were Jeff Gordon, David Stremme, David Gilliland, Juan Pablo Montoya and Kyle Busch.

The NAPA AUTO PARTS team continued to work on solo runs with the 55A chassis during the afternoon drafting session. Waltrip’s best lap was 32nd quickest (49.088 seconds/183.344 mph).

In the draft, Paul Menard led the way with a speed of 187.099 mph (48.103 seconds). He was followed by Kyle Busch, Kenny Schrader, Regan Smith and Mike Wallace.

Complete rundown of today’s Preseason Thunder practice times:
Morning Practice Times | Afternoon Practice Times

More NASCAR testing is just around the corner for the NEXTEL Cup teams. On Jan. 29-30, with a rain date of the Jan. 31, teams will hit the 1.5-mile, newly repaved, Las Vegas Motor Speedway.