Eighteen NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers participated in Wednesday's opening round of a two-day Goodyear tire test at Daytona International Speedway, their first opportunity to tour the 2.5-mile track at high speed on the new asphalt surface.

Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin, Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, David Ragan, Jeff Burton, Paul Menard, Jamie McMurray, Juan Pablo Montoya and Bobby Labonte were among the drivers who turned laps in Wednesday's session.

"It's amazing the job that they did here," said Jeff Gordon, who has won the  Daytona 500 three times. "It's really smooth. It's got a lot of grip. I think we learned a tremendous amount by being here. Not only did we get a chance to really see what we're going to be dealing with here in February for the Daytona 500, but it gets us prepared for the test coming up in January."

Gordon's teammate at Hendrick Motorsports, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., also gave the new surface high marks.

"They smoothed out all the bumps," said Earnhardt Jr., the 2004 Daytona 500 champion. "The track is real smooth. It's got a lot of grip. The track reminds me a lot like Talladega was like when they first finished it. "The racing during the drafting was exciting and I think it is going to be a good show, a more exciting show for the fans because the cars are going to stay real tight on each other throughout entire runs."

Daytona Speedway and NASCAR officials were pleased with the results of Wednesday's on track activities.

"The sound of cars on the racetrack today was music to my ears," said Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III. "We are glad to have this project completed ahead of schedule so Goodyear can have a good opportunity to develop a tire for our events in 2011. We were also thrilled to see so many fans come out to watch the race cars turn the first laps on the new pavement. We can't wait for Speedweeks 2011 and the Daytona 500."

HardcoreRaceFans will be admitted free to the Oldfield Grandstands during Thursday's final day of testing.

Fans can also watch a web stream beginning Thursday at noon by visiting
www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com/tiretest<http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com/tiretest>.

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