Car of today — Revamped racer allows for fewer personal touches
That's because they were all the same. When introduced they were tagged the "Car of Tomorrow." The identical shells are now being called the "Car of Today" or the "New Car."
They were previewed last year in 16 races. This year they will be running all 36 NASCAR races. They will be the only cars allowed on the track.
It took NASCAR's experiment lab five years to come up with the new-car design.
The purpose was threefold:
• Cut cost
• Level the driving field
• Safety
What was required is that owners had to dump the old NASCAR body, which took on a reasonable semblance to the manufactured model it was named after, and buy all new ones, something Jack Roush, owner of one of the more success race teams wasn't exactly happy about and thought was wasteful.
He said he had to get rid of up to 20 racing bodies per team and 15 show cars per team, "and replace them with the new cars. Of the 20 (bodies), drivers found at least four were possessed with demons, so we ended up with 16 cars that were now all the same. It was a huge, huge cost. I'm against wasting things that still have a useful life ... but I knew it would happen."
Not all drivers find the car that much better, however.
Greg Biffle, who finished third, complimented Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished second, for using his head in a slower car.
"I know we had the faster car than he did, and he drove a great race and ended up finishing in front of us because he used his head and he drove his car as fast as he could get his car to go, kept his track position. So, that's the kind of people it takes to run well in these race cars."
He has also been frustrated, as have other drivers, over the fact that the cars have not responded as he had hoped, but he admitted the setup for the Las Vegas race made the car "drivable from the green flag to the checkered flag."
Fans have been less than receptive to the change. A quick canvas of those attending the Las Vegas race drew mixed comments, but the one common thread was the word "Why?"
The old cars seemed to most of those quizzed to have been just fine.
Several fans who found brand identity important complained they now can't tell the difference between a Chevrolet and a Toyota, which diehard fans were able to do when the old bodies were racing. Now the identifying marks are the paint, number and sponsor decals.
Recent comments
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