SONOMA, CA - JUNE 23: Billy Johnson, driver of the #43 Smithfield Ford, sits in his car during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on June 23, 2017 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

Ford has accidentally set an American track's lap record


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Ford's initial test for the pre-production GT didn't go very smoothly. The car suffered some mechanical issues a few months ago, so the company sent racer Billy Johnson to Virginia International Raceway to test it out again to see what went wrong.

Naturally, Johnson set a track record in the GT at VIR.

Johnson ran a 2:38.62 in the GT, which beat the Dodge Viper's previous record of 2:40.02. He told Road and Track that they weren't even trying to break the record.

"It was a last minute deal," Johnson said. "I think I had a two-day notice before I was on a plane to go up [to VIR]. It was to validate an issue with another car... We just happened to turn a fast time when we were testing something else."

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Related: Ford could be in store for a difficult season in the Cup Series

The record was set despite there not being ideal track conditions, and the car supposedly wasn't even equipped to be able to set a record.

 

Johnson said it wasn't a Competition Series car, and the GT didn't have the ideal titanium exhaust. The track also didn't have the ideal grip that it normally would under regular racing conditions.

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It's an impressive accomplishment for Johnson and the GT, and it's safe to say the recent testing went more smoothly than the initial testing.