By JENNA FRYER
AP Auto Racing Writer
February 28, 2007

BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) -- NASCAR wants to speed up implementation of its Car of Tomorrow to have it in use full-time by 2008, officials said Wednesday.

The COT will debut March 25 at Bristol Motor Speedway, the first of 16 races this season for the car designed to improve racing, bolster safety and cut team costs. The car was scheduled to run 26 races in 2008, and the full Nextel Cup schedule in 2009.

But Nextel Cup director John Darby said NASCAR is leaning toward putting the COT in full use next season.

``Whether we would expand the COT schedule for 2007 is probably not likely. But could we be all in for 2008? I think that is very possible,'' Darby said.

The announcement came on the first of NASCAR's two-day COT test at Bristol, where 50 teams were on hand to get a feel for the new car. But unlike past test sessions that were riddled with complaints and criticisms, drivers and crew chiefs seemed resigned to the car and focused only on fine tuning it for competition.

``From a driver's perspective, once you get in the car it's just a car,'' Jeff Burton said. ``In my world, it's no longer about the Car of Tomorrow. It's just about a car, trying to do it better than everybody else. The Car of Tomorrow is here today.''

That's the attitude NASCAR is hoping will lead to a push from car owners to implement the car faster. Although the COT is expected to ultimately cut productions costs, teams are currently spending through the roof to produce a fleet of stock cars while also developing the COT.

``It's a pain in the butt for the teams to run two parallel programs with two different race cars,'' Darby said. ``It's a pain for us to manipulate and work and apply two different rule books, two different inspection procedures.

``A lot of what's happening is it's settling in to all the competitors that this is the future, this is the car. Why are we going to wait three years? I don't think we will.''

But four-time series champion Jeff Gordon warned that it's too soon to declare the COT ready to run a 36-race schedule next season.

``I think it's too early to really commit to that. I understand it from a financial standpoint ... but I think until we get through some races, I really think there are some changes that might need to happen,'' Gordon said. ``That's why we are running it this year, so we can get the car out there, put in race conditions and go through the inspection process, qualifying, race prep -- everything that it's going to take and really evaluate this car fully.''

The COT is a six-year project that started under Gary Nelson, NASCAR's former vice president of research and development, when the sanctioning body was reeling from the 2001 death of Dale Earnhardt. Under fire because of its antiquated safety system, NASCAR took several steps to update its equipment, including the development of the COT.

The design changes in the care are not subtle. It's 4 inches wider and 2 inches taller than NASCAR's current race cars. The roll cage has shifted 3 inches to the rear, and the driver's seat 4 inches to the right.

An energy-absorbing material between the roll cage and the car's skin gives drivers a new layer of protection. The exhaust system runs through the body, diverting heat away from the driver and letting it out on the right side. The drive shaft is covered by a tunnel under the floorboard to keep it from tearing through the car if it should explode.

The windshield is more upright, designed to increase the amount of drag and slow the cars. The front bumper is 3 inches higher and thicker, boxier in design, and should catch air rather than deflect it.

A ``splitter'' in the form of a flat shelf is now below the front bumper. And the current rear spoiler has been replaced with a wing that looks more like something on a street car than a stock car.

Both features are designed to improve racing conditions and make the COT compatible with various tracks. The splitter and the wing are both adjustable, so teams can tinker with them to improve handling.

The wing will push air both over and under it, giving the car more stability in traffic and improving the aerodynamics of the trailing car.

It's all supposed to improve the racing on the track -- once the teams get used to it.

After Wednesday, everyone seemed to be mildly surprised.

``It actually drives better than our other cars do here,'' Earnhardt said. ``It has exceeded my expectations at this point as to how the car is driving. I anticipated it to be a little more of a struggle. The racing (at Bristol) should be about exactly the same it has been.''

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Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!!
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February 28, 2007
By Jim Ralabate PA SportsTicker Auto Racing Editor

Testing continues for the "Car of Tomorrow," which NASCAR will introduce in less than a month. At least two drivers still have a lot of cramming to do.

Kasey Kahne and circuit newcomer Juan Pablo Montoya were among a group of 39 Nextel Cup Series drivers who tested the "Car of Tomorrow" at Bristol Motor Speedway on Wednesday morning.

A newly designed, safety-oriented racer, the "Car of Tomorrow" - or COT - will make its highly anticipated debut March 26 in the Food City 500 at Bristol's crowded .533-mile oval and will be used in 16 Nextel Cup events this season.

Unveiled in January 2006, the COT began in its initial design phase nearly six years ago and features several safety and performance innovations.

One of 13 drivers to test the Dodge Avenger, Kahne clocked 120.324 miles per hour - the fastest time for a Dodge driver. Despite his positive results, Kahne said the COT was one bumpy ride.

"It's a really rough ride for a while," said Kahne, who won a series-leading six checkered flags last season. "Everybody is bouncing like crazy out there. We're not even working on going fast. We're just working on getting the car to drive better and settle down on the race track."

The COT also will see action at Phoenix, Martinsville, Richmond, Dover, New Hampshire, Darlington, the fall event at Talladega and road-course events at Infineon and Watkins Glen.

Kahne felt that the COT was more difficult to handle on banked short tracks such as Bristol and Darlington, which measures just over 1 1/3 miles.

"There was a big difference in the car at Darlington, but there wasn't a big difference on the flat short track," he said. "I have noticed a big difference at Darlington and Bristol."

A former Indianapolis 500 winner and Formula One star, Montoya has struggled in early showings on his new circuit. But the Colombian believes he will be on equal ground with the more experienced drivers when it comes to racing the COT.

"If you ask the guys who have been here before, they'll probably say (the COT) is horrible," said Montoya, who tested at 119.373 mph in a Dodge. "I've never been here in the other cars, so I didn't know what to expect. From that point of view, maybe I have an advantage."

Traditionally a venue for rough racing and messy crashes, Bristol doesn't seem to be the best site to introduce the COT. Kahne and Montoya admitted they still need time to adjust.

"If they started it right now, it would be a mess in turn 1," Kahne said. "But by the time we get to race, everybody will have it under control."

"I think you'd be lucky to make it to the end," Montoya added. "I think this is a track where you'd have to be happy just to bring the car home. You've just got to be at the right place at the right time the whole race if you're going to finish."

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Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!!
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I agree that speeding up the implementation is just a good idea for teams. DW made the point at Daytona that having to fix old cars that get wrecked among other things is just going to cost teams money. Bring it on... and let's hope it really does make for better racing.

I think it would be cool to see the COT go full time next year. It may save the teams a lot of money.

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By JENNA FRYER
AP Auto Racing Writer

February 28, 2007

BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) -- Robbie Reiser was so anxious to get back to the track, he struggled to fall asleep. Kenny Francis battled a bit of nervousness.

The crew chiefs received a temporary respite from their four-race suspensions this week when NASCAR allowed them to participate in the two-day Car of Tomorrow test at Bristol Motor Speedway. Both have been sidelined since Feb. 13, when NASCAR kicked them out of the Daytona 500 in a cheating scandal that snared five teams.

Reiser, crew chief for 2003 series champion Matt Kenseth, and Francis, crew chief for Kasey Kahne, also were fined $50,000 each. Both drivers also were docked 50 points as NASCAR took the unprecedented step of taking points before the season started.

The crew chiefs will go before an appeals committee next week as they attempt to portions of the penalties -- including the points -- reduced. But they aren't fighting the suspensions, so the COT test was the first time they have been permitted in the garage.

``I am a pretty old guy and I have been doing this a long time, and this is going to sound stupid, but I almost couldn't sleep last night,'' Reiser said Wednesday.

Forced to miss the season-opening Daytona 500 and Kenseth's win last week in California, Reiser has been filling his weekends by clearing land at his North Carolina property. He said he occasionally flipped on the races, but struggled emotionally to sit through them from start to finish. Daytona was the first race Reiser has missed since the No. 17 team was formed in 1999 -- a streak of 255 races.

``I don't know how to explain what it was like,'' Reiser said. ``It's like if you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers fan and you are watching the game, are you emotional? Of course. That's how I feel when I watch something I can't be a part of.''

It was mixed feelings on Sunday when team engineer Chip Bolin led Kenseth to victory.

On one hand, Reiser was thrilled to see his hand-picked crew rally in his absence. But he missed being part of Kenseth's win -- the first celebration he's missed in 15 trips to Victory Lane.

``Our team has been built from family and years of loyal employees, so if you look at our team now, it's probably one of the only teams that's been that way,'' Reiser said. ``Chip's been here since we started the program. When you look at the core group, that kind of team together, and you look at it on TV you just think `That's the way it's supposed to be.'

``But it's tough not being there. There's no way around that.''

So Reiser couldn't wait to get back into the action this week -- albeit briefly. He has two more races to sit out before he's cleared to return for the March 25 race here.

``Did you ever have a Lab, a hunting dog? The kind you keep in a cage all year long and you only let it out when it's time to go hunting? That was Robbie this morning,'' Kenseth said. ``His tail was wagging and he was ready to go. Came running into the garage.''

Things were a little more subdued with Francis and Kahne, who were eager to get some work in and get their program back on track. Although Kahne was seventh at Daytona, an engine failure led to his 38th-place finish last week in California. The poor finish and the loss of points has Kahne sitting 32nd in the standings right now.

``We have good people and a good system in place for when Kenny's not here, but I still feel like there's something missing,'' Kahne said. ``The communication we have is just so good, he asks me so many questions and works so hard with me to get the car right where it has to be. We just clicked as soon as we got together, and it's hard to replace that.''

Unlike Reiser, who said he stayed out of the loop on race day, Francis said he tried to remain involved through instant messaging on the computer. NASCAR only prohibits the crew chiefs from being in radio or phone contact with the team on race day.

Still, Francis said his contribution level was minimal.

``You listen on TrackPass and follow it as closely as you can, but it's not the same as being right there on the box,'' Francis said. ``All I can do is make some suggestions. They've got to make all the calls. I can't do anything to help them with that.''

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Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!!
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Ya know when I first heard they/NASCAR was going to debut the COT at Bristol my reaction was " WHAT THE #$^% ARE THEY THINKING? " Well it just dawned on me that NASCARs got it covered; If all goes well and its a Great Race NASCAR will say " Told Ya SO " if it turns into a CrAsH FeSt NASCAR will say " Typical Bristol race, when are these guys gonna learn "

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The JACK CREW!!!

No more Chevy and Fords etc. Just put a sticker on ,then It's a Dodge or what ever. I would like to see a car that I can go buy on Monday, just like you could in the 50's - 70's. How many times have you seen a 2 door Ford or Dodge. If Nascar wants to slow the race down , then keep the cars in the bodies that the were designed with.

Well I guess I'll have to see how the COT does on the track before I decied if I'm mad about this or not but I ain't happy with the idea of slowing the cars down becasue SPEED is what racing is about.

COT= super gay
toyota in nascar = even more gay

COT= safer
toyota in nascar=bad luck?
haha
I do hope COT is full time because from what I've heard it is safer than the car we have now and we don't want any of our drivers to have bad experiences like earnhardt did so I'm all for it!

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