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Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the Budweiser #8 Chevy brought in a different aspect, "I particularly don't ever want to see it. I don't ever want to race it. But it's not up to me. But I think it's a big mistake. Given the state of the sport and how expensive it is, I think the timing is not right. Obviously it's a great idea. There's nothing wrong with the car in particular. We've made a lot of gains with these cars we've got now with safety. Obviously they've got some great ideas on the car of tomorrow, but the timing of the whole deal is going to be hard on a lot of these teams." Jr. was referring to the fact that the COT is definitely not a retrofit. Every team would have to replace their entire fleet of cars with new COTs. The bigger teams usually keep a stable of anywhere from 16 to over 20 cars per driver in active inventory and rotation. A ready to race, turn-key car goes for over $150K so you do the math.
But most of the trashing was about its looks. With a greenhouse (the occupant area under the roof including the window sides and roof pillars) that is two inches taller and four inches wider than today, there’s a method to NASCAR’s madness – actually two. One is that the wider greenhouse body (and new front and rear end designs) will slow speeds and yield better race handling characteristics. It might just eliminate or reduce what is called ‘Aero Push.’ That happens when one car catches up with another and the ‘air’ between the cars affects both. Often, the lead car loses rear downforce and grip, wanting to spin out and the trailing car wants to ‘Push’ straight instead of turning. The other benefit is perhaps the biggest and best. With a wider greenhouse, the driver can be moved over four inches towards the center of the car, keeping him further away from contact in the event of a driver’s door impact. There’s also a completely new style frame section in the same location designed to give the driver even more protection. It works like an energy absorbing bumper with the main point being a slower crash or crush rate. Remember, it’s not always the crash that injures or kills a driver; it is often the rate that the driver absorbs the G’s of a crash. The changes in the new chassis and roll cage designs should make it considerably safer. But with such wholesale changes come total replacement so NASCAR countered with phased-in usage that will take over two full years.
Richard Childress, owner of three Chevy Nextel Cup teams brought up a number of valid points. "Safety has always been number one," he said. “I think it's a great thing they're doing with this car of tomorrow. It's an opportunity to get everything back in the box. I think if they make the templates and make everything and stand tall when you roll through that (inspection) room, I think it's going to make for better racing. I was thinking about how we used to slingshot here (Daytona). It's been so long since we've done that down here. I think these new cars are going to be a lot closer to racing like the trucks. I think they put on a heck of a show. I'm excited about the racing. I'm excited about the safety part. We built one of them and we went down to Atlanta and ran it (test) and we're excited about it."
And if the COT isn’t enough to give the owners vapor lock in their checking accounts, we hear strong rumors that NASCAR has another big change down track. The Engine of Tomorrow (EOT) hasn’t made been made public yet but is unofficially scheduled to be in effect by 2010. It’s big difference is size going from the standard 358 cubic inches that’s been around since 1973 down to about 330 inches or even less. All the manufacturers have been in contact with NASCAR about it and the main attraction is to reduce the power output and thereby speeds. NASCAR 358 inch engines today are revving over 10 grand and cranking out an amazing 800 plus horses! Remember, that’s on one carb and racing fuel. The EOT, with its four-inch bore and three-inch stroke should only yield about 700hp. So all engine parts submitted to NASCAR this year for approval for next year’s racing – and that includes the new engine that Chevy has already submitted this summer – will have to be able to exist in the new configuration. The smaller motor, inside the drag-challenged COT body will slow the cars down, a point that everyone seems to agree that is greatly needed in NASCAR racing. So if all this comes to be, Chevy NASCAR fans might just see something that even Chevy never made – a Monte Carlo with a 327.
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