[Quality88]

HAMPTON, Ga. -- NASCAR officials confirmed Sunday plans to have a Car of Tomorrow chassis tentatively in place for the 2009 Nationwide Series season.
During Saturday's Busch Series broadcast from Memphis, Rusty Wallace mentioned a Nationwide Series COT chassis that is on display at NASCAR's research and development center in Concord, N.C. NASCAR's director of cost and research, Brett Bodine, confirmed that a prototype has been built and is undergoing tests.
"We're working on an '09 [Nationwide] car," Bodine said. "[Having it ready for] '09 is tentative. It's not set in stone but we're working on it. We've informed some of the Busch owners and we've got a prototype at the R&D center."
At 110 inches, the wheelbase would match the current Nextel Cup chassis and includes all of the safety initiatives added in the COT design. However, Bodine said there will be significant differences between the two series, although the specifics have yet to be worked out.
"There will be a different body style and different aerodynamic package," Bodine said. "We're working on all that stuff. We're just not there yet, still working through all that process.
"Aerodynamically, we're not there yet. We don't know what package we're going to settle on. But it's the NASCAR chassis. It incorporates all the safety features. That's the key thing. We want to get those safety features in the Nationwide Series."
Wallace said as a team owner, he has mixed feelings about the decision to switch chassis.
"It's a big change," Wallace said Sunday morning at Atlanta Motor Speedway. "It's good for the sport in the long run but it's hard for the owners right now because we're going to have to scrap all of our cars."
Wallace said he expects the new chassis to incorporate a spoiler design rather than a rear wing and a front nose more like the conventional car. However, Bodine said no decisions have been made on the final design of the car.

NASCAR.COM - COT planned for 2009 Nationwide Series debut - Oct 28, 2007

[Quality88]

Bullsh!t!.......,

[jks812]

Noooooooooooo

[3fanforever]

Crap! Wonder what this does to the idea of using Pony cars?

[Quality88]

Originally Posted by 3fanforever

Crap! Wonder what this does to the idea of using Pony cars?

They said it would be different in aero package and body design.... I don't see it happenin. They just killed the possibility of teh Cup-lite series gainin it's own identity again. Hope I'm wrong, but don't think I am.

[NASCAR Gnome]

This is going to sound anti-prophetic but about a month or two ago I was watching a Speed channel show and they had Dale Jr. on as a guest. In the course of conversation, when they asked him about his Busch race team, Jr. mentioned in passing almost that Busch was going to the COT. I thought nothing of it because I was under the assumption that everyone knew and that this "COT" was actually the Pony cars everyone was talking about! Only now do I realize that what was said was true!

[Jeffrey4318]

I wouldn't get too upset yet. Just becaust is will be a COT doesn't mean it will be like anything the Cup uses. They can still go down the route of having a Mustang and Camaro COT. I'd say we wait to see the finish product before we start ranting and raving.

[jks812]

I heard Jeff Burton say one time that after cup goes to the COT full time, he'd stop running as many busch races, because since the cars would be so different he wouldn't learn anything in the busch race that would help his cup race. Maybe this is nascar's way to make sure a good many cup drivers do still race in the busch series. I wish they wouldn't do it. I was looking forward to maybe having an actual busch series with busch drivers and it no longer being a cup drivers practice race.

[Racer Duck]

Originally Posted by 3fanforever

Crap! Wonder what this does to the idea of using Pony cars?

I think it ties in very well with what Bodine said. think about it: they're gonna use the same chassis as Cup, but change the body. makes sense to me they're gonna use pony car bodies which are gonna have entirely different aero characteristics than the Cup COT. And, there'll be a difference in the motor (and if they stay true to form, they'll be lighter than Cup cars) .. so other than the low speed handling and built in safety features, the cars will be different .. or at least different enough that there's little or no benefit to the Cup teams to "raid" the Busch (Nationwide) series.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by Racer Duck

I think it ties in very well with what Bodine said. think about it: they're gonna use the same chassis as Cup, but change the body. makes sense to me they're gonna use pony car bodies which are gonna have entirely different aero characteristics than the Cup COT. And, there'll be a difference in the motor (and if they stay true to form, they'll be lighter than Cup cars) .. so other than the low speed handling and built in safety features, the cars will be different .. or at least different enough that there's little or no benefit to the Cup teams to "raid" the Busch (Nationwide) series.

You're more knowledgeable with the technicalities of these cars, Duck. What I have heard is that they'll be the same 110" wheelbase and the same engine package except for a different compression ratio. They'll use the same sheet metal except for modifications designed to make the cars look more like pony cars. The bodies will be moved forward on the chassis a bit. I also understand that there will be no wing but a spoiler instead.

From my experience, which isn't with the newer chassis but with much older ones, it seems as though there will be differences. The cars will be close enough that a lot could be learned from a Cup driver running the BGN Series.

In keeping with my credo of not *****ing about something without having a possible solution, I'd suggest that if they wish to go the same chassis route how about working a deal with Goodyear? How about making Cup a 100% Goodyear Series, the Cup Lite Series 100% Firestone and the CTS 100% Hoosier? In my mind's eye THAT would make each series 100% different from the other two and would go a long way in giving each Series its own identity.

[Racer Duck]

I know Hoosier would jump at the idea, but as I remember, when Firestone left, there were some hard feelings so it may not fiy with one or the other of the entities... ('course, since then there's been mgmt change by St. Gabriel, so maybe....)

on the bodies for the NWS COT: the pony car models NASCAR listed are nowhere near 110" wheelbase models .. the Camaro is 101", the Mustang is 107" and the Charger is 116" .. so it's obvious there's gonna be some sheetmetal shenanigans. also believe the frontal area for the NWS COT will be smaller even though they're using the same chassis. interesting about the wing vs spoiler .. spoiler will definitely affect drafting more than wing, though rear visibility will improve. haven't heard anything about whether there'll be a splitter or not...

I guess in time we'll find out

[3fanforever]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

How about making Cup a 100% Goodyear Series, the Cup Lite Series 100% Firestone and the CTS 100% Hoosier? In my mind's eye THAT would make each series 100% different from the other two and would go a long way in giving each Series its own identity.

Interesting idea to ponder. That would probably work out better for Hoosier than it did in '94. If I remember correctly, they had to pull out because of money issues due to the competition with Goodyear, and NASCAR's rules for both providing tires in the same series (Cup). If they were the only tire company for one series (CTS), they could afford it and bring safe tires every week.