I guess we can say that opposition to the Car Of Tomorrow within NASCAR has come out into the open, especially since NASCAR's own website published a piece detailing how widespread opposition to the concept really is. It's a little bit remarkable that NOL would can the spin on the COT and actually give some honest analysis of the issue. I say a little bit because the COT's failings have become too manifest to deny.
Apparantly the recent Homestead test was something of the final straw as far as glossing over the COT's failure on the racetrack. Once again the Car Of Tomorrow refused to drive well, refused to show much ability to pass, and it pushed in dirty air worse than present-generation cars. So the question thus becomes - with the car's universal record of failure in testing, can NASCAR continue this farce?
NASCAR has been pretty pigheaded on the COT - John Darby's comments in particular are pigheaded - shown by the fact it has allowed testing to continue as it has and is sticking with its schedule of phasing in the COT over the next three seasons. Somehow, though, I'm at a loss to believe that NASCAR really will go through with what is so clearly a bad idea - phasing in a racecar design that is fundamentally unsound.
Comparison with 1981's forced introduction of shorter-wheelbase cars has some validity in that those cars proved more dangerous than the late-70s models the teams had been running. The key difference then is that it wasn't economically feasible to hold onto the late-70s models. Such is not the case with the Car Of Tomorrow - there is no economic reason to convert to this model, never mind having any other kind of reason to race it.
There simply is no valid reason for the Car Of Tomorrow, and why NASCAR remains in denial about it continues to frustrate people involved in the sport.
4 comments:
Regarding the COT, is the concern how the car will perfrom on the track, the way it looks, or it's safety features? I applaud Nascar for trying to move forward, but agree with you that the jury is still out.
I like the over all 'concept' of the COT and IMO it actually does look more like a 'showroom' car of today. Like everyone else though, I want better 'driver' racing, without the aero issues. Is the COT the answer? maybe, maybe not. But it has to be better than what we had 5 or so years ago, with Nascar giving 'car make X' additional real spoiler or the opposite.
gvav1, the concern is how the car will race? In all the testing done to date, not once has the car done well in race trim. The car's grotesque looks are also a sore spot.
okla21fan, the COT can manifestly be worse than what we had several years ago with NASCAR granting spoiler concessions etc. - in the Talladega test the Fords were said to be noticably slower than the other brands.
To get rid of the aero issues, they have to make the cars faster in dirty air than clean - why not look at BGN's present-day restrictor plate package? It's an old WC package and it works.
Darn, I hate typos - sorry about the question mark, gvav1.
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