Grant drove his first laps on the 2 mile Michigan International Speedway Tuesday at the ARCA open test session. When the competitors return for the June 11th race, there will be only 2 hours of pre-race practice, making yesterday’s test session crucial to dial in the cars for the 200 mile race. The BeasleyAllen.com car posted the 6th fastest time, of 29 competitors, during the afternoon session, posting lap speeds of more than 180 miles per hour. “The Michigan track is almost as big as Talladega, but relatively flat. While we reach speeds of approximately 205 miles per hour entering the turns, we must back off the gas in the turns instead of staying on the gas like we do on the high banks of Talladega.”

ROUSH YATES ENGINE BUILDER NICK RAMEY UNDER THE HOOD AT MICHIGAN TUESDAY

Grant and other racers experienced “tight” conditions during the test session. “Tight” or “Pushing” means that when the driver turns the steering wheel left, the car fails to respond as it should, causing the driver to turn the wheel more than should be done. If the front of the car doesn’t turn quick enough, the car can head up the track during the turn and hit the wall. That is what happened to one unfortunate racer Tuesday, causing a big crash. “We ran well on new tires, but old tires caused us problems with being too tight. Others reported the same thing, but we have to figure this situation out before return in a few weeks, as we are determined to continue driving the BeasleyAllen.com car to the front.”

GRANT PREPARING TO TEST AT MICHIGAN TUESDAY

The 200 mile race at Michigan will be televised live on Speed Channel June 11th.