[Bette]

I saw CoT mentioned several times in some of the Nascar posts and had not a clue so I googled it trying to understand it. I know you have talked about it on here, but I wouldnt understand it any better here than I did when I googled it. (Eyes started to glaze over)
Car of Tomorrow. Some say Nascar sold out to it.
Explain to me Car of Tomorrow, good and bad, and why you think Nascar sold out.
BUT--please-- dont get all technical on me.

[jks812]

It's safer for the driver but the racing isn't as good now.

[nascaraddict]

The only thing good about it is that the "Greenhouse" that the driver is in, has been pushed in some. That makes it safer. And the wheelbase is different.

But other than that, the previous posts are right; the car is a piece of crap. The racing stinks up the joint now. And besides that, "the cost savings that was supposed to come along with the CoT never materialized.

[mike honcho]

And since NASCAR designed it they don't want to change it cause that would be like they were wrong about some things.

[HendrickMoto]

The COT is NASCAR's way of taking individuality away from the teams and manufactures, and creating worse racing. Is it safer? Yes. Is it improving NASCAR? No.

[Bob Tanner]

I realize that I seldom venture an opinion on NA__AR matters but I'll try and do so now in order to answer your question.

The new race car is the [apparent] culmination of NA__AR's trip into race car design. This all started back in the 1980's when one group of team owners, which fielded cars by one manufacturer, complained that cars from another manufacturer had an aerodynamic advantage due to rear fender and trunk lid design. NA__AR allowed certain consideration in changing the configuration of the complainer's cars and the flood gates were opened. It kept evolving until we are where we currently reside, the new race car.

I differ from many fans because I don't think it causes bad racing. I put that at the feet of the drivers who (a) prefer to not race to win but rather to race for points, thus creating sham racing, and (b) have become accustomed to driving cars which react as if they are on rails and are relatively "easy to drive." ("Easy" is a relative term as used here) The new race car handles much as a stock car used back in the 70's (Excessive body roll, higher center of gravity, etc., etc) would handle and it ain't always a walk in the park. I think the current crop of drivers, for the most part, want back the "slot car" race car feel they grew to love.

The car does have some safety advantages over previous cars but I have never seen any evidence that any of these new safety features required a new race car in order to be implemented.

I, personally, dislike the new race car because it is generic. With the exception of head and tail light decals, grill decals and minor cosmetic differences about the hood and deck lids, the cars are identical. There is no long anything but a suggestion of brand identification.

The reason I, personally, feel this way is that I grew up following NASCAR because I had that era's typical American love affair with the automobile. I could relate to the cars I saw on the track (and the drivers who drove them, but that's a completely difference kettle of worms). Unfortunately today most cars have a non-American heritage, they are impossible for the average person to personally maintain, and they have turned from being something which is an extension of one's self to just being a necessary evil. So, the feeling my generation felt for cars isn't the same as felt by the younger generation so many there just don't see the car as anything really different. To them it's just a "Car."

No, I don't think it's "Ruined the sport." I feel it's just a symptom of a much larger problem and besides, it quit being a "Sport" a decade ago and has transition into just "Entertainment."

I hope these humble ramblings have answered your question in some way.

[kkfan91]

I never complained about it and its safer and the racing is exactly like it was with the old car in 2003

[jay1594]

Originally Posted by kkfan91

I never complained about it and its safer and the racing is exactly like it was with the old car in 2003

I Agree Completely = ) The racing is equal to before, In fact I think I like it better now, we just need not so many multiple date tracks, One Date per track is suffice

[Quality88]

Originally Posted by kkfan91

I never complained about it and its safer and the racing is exactly like it was with the old car in 2003

Sorry, but I have to disagree.... the racing is not the same as it was with the old car.

[jay1594]

May I ask how it is different ?

[kkfan91]

Originally Posted by Quality88

Sorry, but I have to disagree.... the racing is not the same as it was with the old car.

yeah it is before there was no passing, before tracks just got single file for 2/3 of the race, the still ran in giant packs at restrictor plate tracks.

And lets remember the first few COT races all side by side last lap finishes

[jay1594]

Their very similiar and I believe much more exciting finishes now a days ! and well lets not forget Kevin and Marks last lap finish at Daytona in 2007! and Rick Craven and Kurt Busch at Darlington ? How about Jimmie and Carl at Kansas Last Year, all pretty much the same

[MikeRaceDayTek]

Ok, lemme jump in here for a sec and answer Bette's original question. The biggest difference in the CoT is that it has a redesigned "greenhouse" (area the driver sits in) and in order to implement that the exterior of the car did have to change some. The Halo (top section of the interior roll cage) sits roughly 4" higher, which changed lots of other angles on the rest of the actual roll cage. Tehy also moved the driver farther from the sides (closer to centerline) to prevent intrusion injuries.

2 of the easiest to see on the car were the addition of the splitter (the flat piece of kevlar that rides, hopefully, parallel with the track on the nose of the car), and the addition of the wing on the back of the car, instead of the old blade spoiler. I personally like the fact that there are splitters at the cup level, a splitter is much more durable than the old valance's were. Also, it has a much more discernible effect on the car. Once thing that I don't think crew chiefs are experimenting enough with is the splitter angle, and having it vary from one side of the car to the other. This could help with the turning. The rear wing on the other hand, I'm not a fan of. It restricts vision, and it is also the reason that the closure rate on the CoT is so much higher at drafting tracks.

The new car is also somewhat heavier, and has a tendency to "push" through the turns. One reason for the push is because the teams are not able to mess with the design of the nose to increase downforce on the front tires.

[bob101]

The racing "is" different. Only you can decide if it's better/same/worse.

It's different in that each week now maybe 5 cars will have a good setup. Some teams seem to hit it by chance and others know what they are doing.

Those that seem to be on it with the CoT that week can come and go thru the field. For whatever reason once you are out front you can't seem to get away from the pack.

A car can get behind 2 laps and get the lucky dog twice and come all the way to the front and take the lead....yet then when he gets there he can't get more than a 2 second lead on the pack? How can you have a car so good you can pass all 42 cars and come from 2 laps down and still not get out ahead of someone.....

Now those 5 cars can do that. They come and go. It's not always just top guys either. A guy spins and finishes in the top 5 etc...

But the other cars out there will play follow the leader all day long. Pick out the few cars that can move thru the field and watch the other 35+ cars. They will finish within a few spots (minus a crash) of where they were running 1/4 thru the race.

So right now you either log lapse (which about 90% of the field right now appears to be doing) while the other 10% actually race and can pass.

To say the setup on the car is a razor blade is right on. We're talking about teams now adding shims under springs that are 0.060" thick. That's HALF the thickness of a penny....a spring spacer. How much spring weight do you think you change by adding a 0.060" thick spacer? Enough that it makes huge differnces on the track.

The CoT was flawed from the start. Numerous car owners have said that NASCAR asked for input on "new cars" for years over and over. Owners got tired of NASCAR crying wolf about building a new car that the owners have said they just sent Joe Schmoo over to NASCAR and that's the input NASCAR took. So NASCAR gets a bunch of pepole sent by teams who didn't know jack squat (that's a direct quote by Rousch) about cars because the people who were actually knowledable were too busy actually building cars for the teams. I see their point. Why keep sending talented people over to NASCAR if they never take the advice. Use those people in the shop for the job they are paid for.

[Quality88]

Originally Posted by kkfan91

yeah it is before there was no passing, before tracks just got single file for 2/3 of the race, the still ran in giant packs at restrictor plate tracks.

And lets remember the first few COT races all side by side last lap finishes

restrictor tracks ain't gonna change because of the restrictor plates, so throw that out of your reasoning.