I don't know much about it yet, but here are some links for those who are interested.
General info.
http://www.nascar.com/news/headlines...row/index.html
Story from TIME magazine archive
http://www.time.com/time/archive/pre...172257,00.html
excerpt follows:
The basic principle of the new model is to get the driver farther away from points of impact. So engineers have made it wider and and taller, creating what the drivers call a bigger greenhouse. That could be important when the car, say, rolls onto its roof. The driver's seat has been moved 4 in. to the center, which is supposed to achieve two things: it lets NASCAR reinforce the driver's side with energy-absorbing, staggered steel plates and gives the driver more comfort. Over the years, as NASCAR began adding such safety devices as the HANS head-and-neck restraint system, the cockpit began getting cramped. Older drivers in particular were demanding their space. Says Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of competition, about the changing environment for drivers: "They have gone through the cycle of very limited restrictions in the cars to what we have today. The world has closed in."
What's key is that the wider car addresses what Pemberton calls G-force spikes, known to the rest of us as the crash. "It's the amount of energy absorbed over time," he explains. The farther the driver is from the impact, the more time the energy has to dissipate. To help it along, NASCAR has added front and rear crumple zones. It is also studying the addition of more crash protection for the right front, the most frequent collision point.
Another story from insiderracingnews.com
NASCAR Car of Tomorrow Implementation to Begin in 2007
"Teams will use the newly-designed race car for 16 events next season, beginning with the spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway – currently the fifth event on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series schedule."
http://insiderracingnews.com/PR2006/...n/012306a.html
Testing
http://www.nascar.com/2005/news/head...nta/index.html