“It was a lot of fun,” Joey Logano said. “They really rubbered up the racetrack. As a driver we all want to see that, and that also puts on a great race for the fans.

“We want to have cars that can move around and be able to pass people by going to a different lane.”

It was also the drivers’ first glimpse at a changed facility. Thousands of seats have been removed along the backstretch at RIR, leaving an empty opening where there were once grandstands.

Logano said he noticed the change right away but added that it won’t have any impact on the race.

The testing was conducted over the lunch hour, which is standard procedure for the teams, but reflected race conditions for the first time in several years.

This year’s spring race will be held in the early afternoon, instead of its traditional nighttime start.

“I love day races, and obviously it’s going to be a pretty exciting one,” said Hamlin, adding that he set a preseason goal of winning one of the Richmond races this year.