A travel contingent of 25 persons representing NASCAR, Goodyear, Richard Childress Racing and Penske South Racing, head to Japan on Monday for next week's test session at Suzuka Circuitland in Suzuka City, Japan. The travel contingent will leave the United States on Monday. With the 14 hour time difference between Japan and the Eastern United States, the group will not land until 5:00 p.m. local time on Tuesday and won't hit the track until Wednesday. The track will open for the Richard Childress Racing Team at 9:00 a.m. Wednesday with six hours of tire testing led by NASCAR Winston Cup Series Director Gary Nelson and Tony Freund, Goodyear's group leader for stock car tire development. Earnhardt will take his #3 Goodwrench Service Chevrolet around the track's east circuit to test Goodyear Eagle Tires for the November NASCAR Suzuka Thunder Special 100. "We are taking this opportunity to do some tire comparisons by running two compound variations of Goodyear's current NASCAR Winston Cup Series road course tires, one harder and one softer," said Rick Campbell, Goodyear's chief compounder in race tire development. "We expect both Goodyear and NASCAR to receive some good feedback on how comfortably the cars will run on the track, as well as solid documentation of speeds." Among the 30 Eagle tires being provided for the test are six second-generation experimental rain tires based on the tires that initially were tested at Watkins Glen in 1995. Goodyear engineers expect to make the final Eagle tire production recommendations for the demonstration race in Japan at the end of April. Rusty Wallace, who will arrive in Japan on Wednesday, hits the track in his #2 Miller Ford Thunderbird with Earnhardt for a two-hour tire test on Thursday from 9:00- 11:00 a.m. The drivers will then take time to meet with the Japanese media followed by the two NASCAR Winston Cup Series veterans briefing a collection of Japanese motorsports drivers on how the cars handle on the East Course of the track. The Japanese drivers, following a lunch break, will hit the track themselves in a Ford Thunderbird owned by Suzuka Circuitland under the watchful eyes of Wallace and Earnhardt. The Japanese drivers, following their test drive, will brief the media on their experience in a NASCAR Winston Cup Series car. Suzuka Circuitland's NASCAR Winston Cup Ford Thunderbird, which is configured for two persons, will close the day with drives for the media, sponsors and other special guests. Next week's test is the second such time that NASCAR drivers have headed to Japan. Earnhardt visited Japan in January when he took part in the track's annual "Thanks to Motorsports Fans" appreciation weekend.
