NASCAR happy with Car of Tomorrow

After testing the car at the beginning of the month at the same track, Sunday's race will be the first real test of the qualities of the car, which was created with the aim of enhancing safety for drivers, improving racing for the fans and reducing costs for the teams in the long term.

"It's been longer since we've changed the race car of NASCAR's premier series than what most of us have been around. The last time was back in 1981. We have been pretty much steadfast on the same equipment for all of that period of time," said Nextel Cup Series Director John Darby.

"You can't help but be excited, whether the excitement comes from just the enthusiasm of finally getting it on the racetrack or whether that excitement is apprehension, wondering what's going to happen, to the expectations or the lack of and everything else in between."

The introduction of the Car of Tomorrow is the most significant technical change the series has seen for many years and Darby anticipates teams will find some teething problems with it at Bristol and the next few events where the car will be raced.

"I actually think the first few races we'll spend troubleshooting, just to make sure that everything's working right, making sure that engines are staying cool and that radiators are getting enough air, there's sufficient brake cooling on the cars to keep the brakes up and operational the way they should be."

Despite some drivers looking forward to the debut of the new car, others remain sceptical that the car will ultimately make the racing any closer. Darby claims that's not something the car itself will accomplish.

"Well, the number one principle behind the Car of Tomorrow is to build a safer race car. It has a lot of characteristics which potentially could help equalize the competition. But ultimately our race teams are the folks that are going to make it race better, if it does. Hopefully the indications of that are positive up to this point."

Darby also stated that teams will decide themselves whether the Car of Tommorrow will be used for the whole season next year or not. The current plan would see the car race in 26 events next year but the increasing costs of running both the current and the future car could change that.

"[The teams] are starting to become a little bit more anxious to make that move. But ultimately that decision will be handed to us by the team owners, the people that are actually writing the checks to make all of this happen. We'll honor their wishes to the best that we can. But conversations surrounding drop in '09 is already in progress. We'll just have to wait and see how the year progresses."

The Car of Tomorrow will feature only in short tracks and road-courses during the first half of the season. In October the car will be raced for the first time on a superspeedway when it hits the track at Talladega but there are currently no plans to run the car at 1.5-mile ovals this season.