Ford finally fast

Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth were among the fastest drivers in testing at California Speedway on Friday morning and Thursday night in fields that did not include drivers from Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports.
It’s going to be a long season for Roush Fenway Racing if this is the only way to get to the top of the speed charts.
The drivers for Joe Gibbs Racing, Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch, left the race track Thursday night and did not participate in either the night test or the Friday sessions.
Three of the four Hendrick drivers, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Casey Mears, opted out of the Thursday night test, but participated in the Friday sessions.
Gordon said the track conditions were too cold Thursday night to collect any beneficial data. Dale Earnhardt Jr., the newest member of Hendrick Motorsports, did test during the night session and was 21st out of 42 cars that were on the track.
Edwards had the top speeds in the Thursday night and Friday morning sessions. Kenseth was second Thursday night and eighth Friday morning. Jimmie Johnson had the best lap in Friday’s afternoon session, a depleted field with only 17 cars.
Toyota drivers, including those from Joe Gibbs Racing, have been especially fast in preseason testing at Daytona International Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the past two days at California Speedway. Hendrick drivers won the past two Cup championships with Johnson and 18 Cup races between its four drivers last year.
Kenseth was asked by reporters if he feels his team in playing catch-up with Hendrick Motorsports.
“The goal isn’t really to catch up,” said Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing. “The goal is to be the best. Our goal is to win races, win championships.”
Kenseth has won the three of the past four February Cup races at California Speedway and the Cup championship in 2003. Roush drivers have won four straight Cup races at California Speedway in February and the 2003 Cup race that was in May. Kenseth made the Chase last year and is one of only two drivers to make the Chase every year since its inception.
“But the goal is to be the best,” Kenseth said. “To do that, you have to be a step ahead of everybody, not a step behind, not even at the same level they’re at. That’s the big thing, is just to keep working as hard as we can and try to get the right people and parts and equipment, all that stuff, in place to try to get better.”