“Overall, this was a great test session,” said Smith, whose 01 Chevrolet was fourth-fastest. “I can’t say enough about how well this new team worked together. Doug (Richert, crew chief) and all the guys put in a lot of hard work and we were able to make good changes and dial in a pretty good racecar.”

“To come down here and perform like we did makes us even more eager to get back in a couple of weeks for the (Daytona) 500,” added Smith.

The season-opening Daytona 500 will be both Smith and Menard’s first start in the Great American Race.

“It’s nice to come to Daytona with a car that drafted as well as it did,” said Menard's crew chief Doug Randolph. “This is a new team that hasn’t had much time together. I think everyone did an excellent job of working hard and coming up with a sporty race car.

“Between the (No.) 8 and (No.) 1 teams last week and these two teams (No. 15 and No. 01) this week, I think DEI had a good showing and will be ready to make a splash come February.”

All four of Dale Earnhardt Inc.’s Sprint Cup teams will head to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for a two-day test (Jan. 28-29) before visiting California Speedway for two additional days of testing (Jan. 31-Feb. 1) as NASCAR continues to prepare for its first full-season of Car of Tomorrow racing.

The 50th running of the Daytona 500 is scheduled for Feb. 17.