After two days of single-car runs, Nextel Cup drivers began drafting during Preseason Thunder testing Wednesday morning. And for the first time this week, the new Ford Fusion was at the top of the speed chart. In fact, there were three blue oval drivers in the top five, led by Matt Kenseth at 188.403 mph.

Chevrolet drivers had paced the previous four test sessions, but the best Monte Carlo speed Wednesday morning was Jeff Gordon's 187.250 effort, which was 10th-best among 31 cars.

Matt Kenseth broke Chevrolet's stronghold on speed by turning the fastest lap Wednesday morning. Credit: Autostock

Despite his Fusion having the top speed during drafting practice, Kenseth said he didn't expect the car to make a significant difference on the track. "I believe the spoiler size and [restrictor] plate size are the same, so unless they change that you'll see the same kind of racing.

"It's hard [Wednesday] because the biggest pack we had was maybe six cars, and obviously the more cars you have the more turbulent the air gets and the more you can move around and pass and push people by, so it seems like [the racing] will be the same."

Meanwhile, the struggle to gather more speed has proved to be overwhelming for at least one team.

Martin Truex Jr. came to Preseason Thunder looking fastball, but instead was thrown a curve that literally has the No. 1 Chevrolet team swinging (and missing) at air.

Truex, the two-time defending Busch Series champion, is one of eight rookies in the Cup Series this year, and through five test sessions the team has looked like newcomers. But with DEI backing, there is little doubt the car's issues will be addressed before Speedweeks begin Feb. 6 at Daytona International Speedway.

"I'm a little disappointed with our results right now," Truex said after Tuesday afternoon's testing, in which he was 31st and 32nd on the speed charts. The team's best effort of 183.016 mph was more than 5 mph slower than session front-runner Jeff Gordon (188.466).

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"I know everyone on this team is trying everything we can to go faster," Truex said. "There are some things going on back at the shop right now to make us better when we come back in February.

"The one thing I'm really looking toward is when we go drafting on Wednesday. Right now, this is all about qualifying by doing single-car runs. We haven't even done a qualifying run with everything taped up, yet."

On Wednesday, Truex was still run of the mill -- or worse. Car No. 1a was 18th while No. 1b was 30th, with both Truex and Dale Earnhardt Jr. taking turns behind the wheel.

Nonetheless, the team remains optimistic it will be competitive when the green flag drops for the 48th Daytona 500 on Feb. 19.

"The most impressive thing from this test has been the communication between the No. 1 and No. 8 teams," said Richie Gilmore, vice president of motorsports for DEI. "The teamwork has been great. [Monday] night, [DEI technical director] Steve Hmiel and three of our fabricators from the No. 1 team got together with Tony Eury Jr. and Kevin Manion and came up with a plan to build a new car for the team.

"They flew home [Monday] night and got to work on the car to bring it back down here for Speedweeks. That shows what this company is all about this year. Whatever it takes to win races -- we're committed.

"We're a little disappointed with the results of the No. 1 team, but the plan we came up with definitely put Martin's mind at ease for what lies ahead."

Inside the Numbers Wednesday morning testing Pos. Car Driver Speed 1 17a Matt Kenseth 188.403 2 38a Elliott Sadler 187.649 3 12a Ryan Newman 187.637 4 17b Matt Kenseth 187.512 5 41x Reed Sorenson 187.488 6 21b Ken Schrader 187.441 7 40x David Stremme 187.402 8 9a Kasey Kahne 187.367 9 19a Jeremy Mayfield 187.282 10 24b Jeff Gordon 187.250 11 48b Jimmie Johnson 187.110 12 31x Jeff Burton 186.935 13 8b Dale Earnhardt Jr. 186.908 14 36b Bill Elliott 186.834 15 12b Ryan Newman 186.803 16 31 Jeff Burton 186.800 17 9b Kasey Kahne 186.765 18 1a Martin Truex Jr. 186.359 19 80b Jeff Fuller 185.877 20 43a Bobby Labonte 185.647 21 20a Mike McLaughlin 185.613 22 43b Bobby Labonte 185.014 23 80a Jeff Fuller 184.873 24 41 Reed Sorenson 184.869 25 4 Scott Wimmer 184.862 26 8a Dale Earnhardt Jr. 184.475 27 23a Mike Skinner 183.978 28 20b Mike McLaughlin 183.932 29 23 Mike Skinner 182.737 30 1b Martin Truex Jr. 182.219 31 4a Scott Wimmer 181.324