LAS VEGAS, NV.- - Jeff Gordon tested at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Monday-Tuesday, January 28-29. On Monday, Gordon turned the unofficial fastest lap of the session in race trim touring the 1.5-mile track at 167.96 miles per hour. Gordon's teammate Jimmie Johnson was about a tenth of a second slower with a fast lap of 167.18. On Tuesday, Gordon worked on qualifying setups as well as race setups under longer runs.

Gordon won last year's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas and earned the Winston No Bull 5 $1 million bonus. Gordon tested two cars during the session. Car 24A was primer black while 24B had the blue and red fire and flames scheme devoid of any sponsor logos.

Looking back on his 2001 season, Gordon said it is impossible to underestimate the significance of his victory at LVMS. "I think it was huge; it definitely set the tone for us," Gordon said. I think it was really a turning point for this team in general and was what really got us started in a championship run. This is a track that offers a lot of information to us -- not just for this racetrack, but also for other racetracks. It's a good downforce track so we can try a lot of things with shocks and springs to see where we've made improvement over the winter, and if we need to make more before we get back here. Not to mention the weather in Las Vegas is pretty good this time of year. It's a good place for us to know that we can get a good, solid test in and get ready for our season to start."

Tuesday Test Speeds (speeds provided by team members):

Qualifying Setups
Kurt Busch, Ford 31.82 seconds
Kyle Petty, Dodge 31.90
Dave Blaney, Ford 31.90
Jeff Gordon, Chevy 31.95
Jeremy Mayfield, Dodge 32.54
Todd Bodine, Ford 32.54
Jeff Burton, Ford 32.54

Race Setups
Ryan Newman, Ford 32.27 seconds
Matt Kenseth, Ford 32.27
Jeff Gordon, Chevy 32.30
Kurt Busch, Ford 32.30
Elliott Sadler, Ford 32.30
Kevin Harvick, Chevy 32.38
Tony Stewart, Pontiac 32.43
Mark Martin, Ford 32.49
Jimmie Johnson, Chevy 32.50
Ken Schrader, Pontiac 32.52
Robby Gordon, Chevy 32.57
Bobby Hamilton, Chevy 32.80
Dale Earnhardt Jr, Chevy 32.88
Buckshot Jones, Dodge 33.00
Michael Waltrip, Chevy 33.05
Derrike Cope, Ford 33.07
Bobby Labonte, Pontiac 33.12
Dale Jarrett, Ford 32.50

Monday Test Speeds (speeds provided by team members):

Mark Martin - 32.90 sec.
Matt Kenseth - 32.35 sec.
Jeremy Mayfield - 32.92 sec.
Elliott Sadler - 31.93 sec (qualifying trim)
Jeff Gordon - 32.15 sec.
Kevin Harvick - 32.80 sec.
Robby Gordon - 32.81 sec.
Jimmie Johnson - 32.30 sec.
Derrike Cope - 32.72 sec.
Dale Jarrett - 33.20 sec.
Kurt Busch - 32.85 sec.
Jeff Burton - 32.85 sec.

2002 Las Vegas Testing Photos:
+24A in the garage | +24B in the garage
+Another view of 24A | +24B on track

Flashback Las Vegas Testing Photo from 2001:
+Jeff Gordon and Jerry Nadeau

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