Five weeks into the first full season with the next-generation race car in the Sprint Cup Series, and its hard not to surmise that the reaction is still quite mixed.
At Daytona, it was a great race car, creating more drafting and passing opportunities while also returning much of the handle to the drivers.
Since then, there really hasn't been much difference in the way the car races with the exception of Atlanta. However, the tire combination was also a significant factor in the race car there, so defining its performance at AMS would best be described as a "crapshoot".
Otherwise, "bland" might be a little better of a word for the car.
It doesn't seem that the problem of carbon monoxide (CO) exposure in the car of tomorrow gotten any better since the problem was exposed after the car's debut in Bristol.
On Monday, David Stremme was forced to relinquish the wheel of his #40 Coors Light Dodge two thirds into the race because he was ill, complaining of headaches.
Stremme claimed to be suffering from a sore throat and flu-like symptoms since Friday, but upon evaluation in the infield care center his blood showed elevated levels of carbon monoxide.
What's it gonna take to get safety-conscious NASCAR's attention focused on this issue?
You can't see or smell carbon monoxide, but at high levels it can kill a person in minutes ... Hundreds of people die accidentally every year from CO poisoning caused by malfunctioning. ~ Environmental Protection Agency
Jimmie Johnson has won the fourth of four car of tomorrow races for Hendrick Motorsports and his fourth win for the 2007 season.
Please hold while I try to muster up some excitement ...
At what point will Hendrick wins cease to become news? They are an incredible 7 for 10 on the season so far and have already celebrated a major milestone this year.
Despite my love for everything Earnhardt, I still have a lot of respect for Mr. Hendrick and HMS as a whole, so I certainly don't want to take anything away from their accomplishments.
It's just that after a while it gets B-O-R-I-N-G.
But great job all day by JJ and his teammates Kyle Busch, who rallied to a 2nd place finish from after starting in 34th, and Jeff Gordon , who finished 4th.
Casey Mears, who hasn't fared as well as his teammates all season, managed to pull off an 18th place finish despite some bad luck early in the race. He holds on to a spot in the top 35, moving up one to 34th.
NASCAR said this weekend that the tentative schedule for the Car of Tomorrow program is up to the teams for next season. Currently, the COT is supposed to appear in 29 races next year after 16 this year. A full schedule is planned for 2009.
Several teams have suggested that they would like to see the COT run full-time next season so they can get away backing two different programs for one series.
Jeff Green would especially happy with the move, considering his Best Buy car has earned two top ten finishes in the three COT races this season.
"Like I've been saying, we just seem to have a better handle on the COT than the other car," said Green.
I say bring on the COT and let's get back to focusing on racing. It's only going to hurt the lower-revenued teams by forcing them to stay competitive with two types of race cars.
And I'm starting to enjoy the visual aspects of the new car, as well.
Yesterday, I was all set to talk about how Chevy is kicking everybody's ass with the car of tomorrow. Ford driver Greg Biffle and the stats would even back me up.
"We were probably the best in 2005 as a manufacturer, and then in '06 and '07 Chevrolet is back up top where they've been most of the time. And it's not really a surprise to us to see that they're running as well as they are. They've got a bunch of great teams – Gibbs, Hendrick, Childress just off the top are very, very strong race teams. Technically, there's one of us, if you will. We have Roush and Yates over in the Ford camp. If you were to say we had three Roush conglomerates all running Fords, then the tables might be balanced a little different, but they've got three strong, strong teams and three strong teams with good drivers driving Chevys. That's something we know we have to battle. They've been a little bit better at it and, let's face it, you take Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin and all those guys and feeding a little bit of information back to Chevrolet, it'll trickle around to those teams a little bit faster. But in our organization all we have is us – we have our five teams to gather that information and use it within ourselves. It's tough to beat the odds. The odds are there are more Chevrolet teams and better cars."
The race stats definitely speak to that:
The Impalas ran the show at Bristol, leading 487 of 504 laps and finishing with eight cars in the Top 10 positions. It was more of the same in Martinsville where the Chevys led 489 of 500 laps and took the top seven positions.
But testing headlines don't tell a story of dominance:
After last week's complaints about the car of tomorrow exhaust systems, I expected we'd have more air quality complaints by the halfway mark of today's Goody Cool Orange 500.
Jimmie Johnson even tried to preempt any potential problem by preparing for today's race with oxygen therapy:
"Everybody has different beliefs with it, and it hasn't scienced out to a T yet. But the schedule I have been on is Friday for an hour, Saturday for an hour, Sunday morning for an hour. And then if I can, Sunday afternoon after the race; that is really when you can feel it the most. If you can get on some oxygen, it helps you out a lot."
But being short on oxygen at Martinsville isn't exclusive to the COT.
Check out this video from 1998 when race winner Ricky Rudd suffered a broken air conditioner in 90 degree heat. He gave his post-race interview lying on the ground in victory lane with oxygen in hand:
Yes. There will be increased accidents in NASCAR, despite increased safety efforts--at least according to two college economics professor who produced a study in 2006 that explored how drivers react to having cars so safe that they can generally walk away with no injuries after crashing into a concrete wall or another car at a very high rate of speed.
Based on the results of the study, Todd Nesbit, Assistant Professor of Economics at Penn State Behrend and an avid NASCAR fan, projects that drivers will drive more recklessly and take more risks while driving the Car of Tomorrow:
"Initially, there will be a learning curve for everyone, which will likely increase the number of accidents as drivers and crews get used to the vehicles. Once the learning curve has passed, we predict that the new normal rate of crashes will be higher than it is currently because of the response to additional safety features on the Car of Tomorrow."
The study, "Automobile safety regulation and the incentive to drive recklessly: Evidence from NASCAR," shows that NASCAR drivers, in fact, do drive more recklessly in response to the increased safety of their vehicles. However, even with an increase in accidents, there is a reduction in total injuries-because the increase in riskier driving is not enough to offset the benefits from an increase in safety features.
Nesbit also noted that while NASCAR promises the COT will save the teams money, profitability could be offset by the cost of repairs due to increased accidents.
So ... let me get this straight. NASCAR exhausts all of this effort to improve safety just so the drivers can drive more recklessly?
Hell yeah! You wouldn't expect 'em to get off the gas, would you?
The debut of the car of tomorrow came and went without coming close to living up to its hype yesterday in the Food City 500. There was the usual Bristol bumpin' of fenders, spinning cars and plenty of lead changes.
The only noticeable difference was for the drivers. Most of them agree that the COTs don't handle as well and some are still skeptical about it--even the race winner:
Kyle Busch: "I can't stand to drive this thing but we have to."
Jeff Gordon: "I'm concerned what that might be like at the bigger tracks."
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: "Passing was tougher 'cause nobody's cars handled quite as good."
Some didn't notice too much of a difference ... several of them weigh in with their pre- and post-race opinions in this ESPN segment, which also includes additional anaylsis of the COT:
The car of tomorrow is here to stay--most likely NASCAR will expect drivers and fans to fully embrace it in 2008.
The burning question I have is: How long will it be before the top of those ugly big black "wings" are covered with pretty sponsor's paint and/or stickers? That's prime pristine real estate!
This week saw tragic accidents in both the NHRA and IRL leagues.
John Force Racing's funny car driver Eric Medlen, 33, who had emerged as one of the most popular young drivers in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, succumbed Friday afternoon to injuries suffered when his race car crashed into a guardwall during a Monday test session at Gainesville Raceway.
These tragedies make me think I have it easier as a stock car racing fan. And I can't help but find myself grateful to NASCAR for stepping up their commitment to driver safety.
Since 2001, several tracks have been upgraded with safer barriers and all drivers are now required to wear the HANS device.
The energy of the impact is managed through a series of controlled reactions within the foam. The result is a controlled release of energy, allowing forces to be better spread throughout the vehicle from the time of impact to the end of the crash sequence.
Bristol Motor Speedway is certainly a fine choice of racetrack for IMPAXX to make its debut.
Five weeks into the first full season with the next-generation race car in the Sprint Cup Series, and its hard not to surmise that the reaction is still quite mixed.
It doesn't seem that the problem of carbon monoxide (CO) exposure in the car of tomorrow gotten any better since the problem was 
Jimmie Johnson has won the fourth of four car of tomorrow races for Hendrick Motorsports and his fourth win for the 2007 season.
NASCAR said this weekend that the tentative 
Yesterday, I was all set to talk about how Chevy is kicking everybody's ass with the car of tomorrow. Ford driver Greg Biffle and the stats would even back me up.
Prior to today's race, Kevin Harvick was "
After 
The debut of the car of tomorrow came and went without coming close to living up to its hype yesterday in the Food City 500. There was the usual Bristol bumpin' of fenders, spinning cars and plenty of lead changes. 
These tragedies make me think I have it easier as a stock car racing fan. And I can't help but find myself grateful to NASCAR for stepping up their commitment to driver safety.
