BRISTOL, Tenn. -- NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow sent some drivers back in time Wednesday at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Former Nextel Cup champion Kurt Busch used Rusty Wallace's setup from 1999 during the test session. Former champ Jeff Gordon said his car handled like it did a few years ago.

The new-wave car with the rear wing had many teams going for a retro setup. Not everybody finished the 12-hour session satisfied. They'll have another chance today when the test continues at 9 a.m. and goes until at least noon or whenever predicted showers arrive.

Fifty teams participated, along with NASCAR President Mike Helton. He rarely attends tests but used this chance to quiz competitors on the car's progress. These new cars debut March 25 at Bristol and will run in 16 of the 36 points races. NASCAR officials said that owners are encouraging them to phase in the car for all races next season instead of in two years.

Drivers weren't always encouraged Wednesday. Many fought handling issues and struggled with the car's setup. Although many had tested the new car, few, if any, had tested on such a high-banked track.

Teams arrived with various setups and spent the day proving or disproving theories. That's how Busch, who has won five of the last 10 Cup races at this track, started with an 8-year-old setup. He said his biggest challenge was understanding what it took to make the car handle well.

"The car isn't all that tough to adjust to, very similar to the regular car, but it's the philosophy of setting it up," he said.

Certain changes to the shocks or springs to improve handling in the other cars actually will make these newer cars handle worse.

"You have to check yourself up real quick and remember that you're working on this," he said.

Gordon, while pleased with his car's speed, struggled to drive it. He said the Car of Tomorrow doesn't have as much downforce to help stick to the track, so the back end wants to slide out more than the car that has previously raced here. Gordon also said the new car doesn't turn as well in the corner and slides up the track exiting the turn.

"It's definitely been challenging, it's been a frustrating day for me," the five-time Bristol winner said. "We're running good times, but the car is not doing what I want it to do."

Denny Hamlin had few problems. He ran the fastest lap in the morning and afternoon sessions and was among the fastest in the evening session. He topped 122 mph in the morning session, about 3 mph off Busch's pole speed at this track last fall.

"It doesn't drive that much different," Hamlin said of the two different Cup cars. "To me it's just like any other test other than you've got the engineers going crazy over the new data that they've got."

Although Dale Earnhardt Jr., wasn't as fast as many others, he liked how the new car drove.

"It actually drives better than our other cars do here," he said.

Earnhardt and others predicted that the new cars would have little impact on the racing. Bristol is a one-groove track that forces drivers to root and gouge their way past foes and that will continue when the series returns later this month.

Also Wednesday, suspended crew chiefs Robbie Reiser and Kenny Francis were both at the track. Their suspensions did not include this test, so Reiser was back working with Matt Kenseth and Francis was with Kasey Kahne.

Michael Waltrip was not so fortunate. Crew chief David Hyder and Bobby Kennedy, vice president of competition, both indefinitely suspended at Daytona after an additive was found in Waltrip's engine, were not allowed at this test.

There were few incidents Wednesday. Juan Pablo Montoya spun, while David Gilliland and Casey Mears each brushed the wall in separate incidents.

Ward Burton hit the inside frontstretch wall seconds before the evening session ended. He destroyed the front splitter and crushed the front end. It was the team's only car. He had posted the session's second best time before the crash.