DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 22, 2007) ? The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) announced today that the Car of Tomorrow will be fully implemented for the 2008 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season.
The move accelerates the integration of the new car into the series by one full year. In January 2006, NASCAR had announced a three-year roll-out schedule that would conclude with the new car running in every race by 2009.
As the new car began its initial phase-in program over the past several months, team owners expressed support of the new car and its full implementation by the 2008 season. Therefore, starting next year the new car will run the entire NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series schedule.
?We are proud of how the new car has performed at multiple tracks,? said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR?s Vice President of Competition. ?NASCAR, with the support of team owners, agreed that the new car is ready to compete at all NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series events in 2008. Beginning next year the Car of Tomorrow is officially ?the car?, a Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford and Toyota,? said Pemberton.
The original transition program had the new car running 16 races in 2007; 26 races in 2008; and the entire schedule in 2009. So far this season, the new car has run five times ? at Bristol, Martinsville, Phoenix, Richmond and Darlington ? with the races featuring close competition on the track and the safety and durability features of the car well-demonstrated.
The average margin of victory through the first five Car of Tomorrow races has been a mere .505 seconds (compared to .963 seconds at these same races a year ago) and there have been six fewer DNFs through this same race sequence from 2006. Additionally, 13 teams have used the same chassis for three of the five races; four teams have run the same chassis in four of the five races; and one team ? the No. 29 Chevrolet ? has run the same chassis in all five Car of Tomorrow races.
NASCAR?s Car of Tomorrow is the culmination of a seven-year project undertaken at NASCAR?s Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C. The new car was built primarily with safety in mind, but during the development process, NASCAR also discovered ways in which the car could improve competition and enable teams to be more cost-efficient.
The Car of Tomorrow design has also enabled manufacturers to have an increased product and branding opportunity. The manufacturers? 2007 Car of Tomorrow models ? the Chevrolet Impala SS, Dodge Avenger, Ford Fusion and Toyota Camry ? more closely resemble production cars than the former race car did.
What Others are Saying About the Car of Tomorrow Running Full-Time Schedule in 2008
“I think it does help level the playing field somewhat for the smaller teams. NASCAR is able to keep a tighter lid on some of the trick things teams can do, and I think that will benefit the teams that don’t have the depth of resources some of the bigger teams have. I see it as a positive move all the way around. First, the car is a safer design, and anything that can help keep drivers safe is something we should implement as soon as possible.
?As far as the racing, to me the car puts things back into the drivers? hands more. With the cars we?re using now, either you hit the setup or you miss it. If you miss it, there?s not a lot a driver can do to make up for that. With the car of tomorrow, even if the setup?s not perfect, a driver can still make things happen and have a good run.?
-Jeff Green, NASCAR Driver, 5/22/07, Associated Press
“While we will probably never again see the day when a young rookie like Ricky Rudd or Bill Elliot shows up at a track with a car they built in their home garage, we may see a return of the successful one-car operation. The end result is that in a couple years the playing field will be more level. The Car of Tomorrow will eventually create the most dynamic change in racing in the long history of NEXTEL Cup. As drivers and crews continue to adapt, the racing will be more competitive and we will see a significant increase in side-by-side racing.”
-Humpy Wheeler, President of Lowe?s Motor Speedway, 5/22/07, Associated Press
“It will help us tremendously because we’re a start-up organization and it would help us streamline our efforts. It will save everybody money. It will be more competitive going forward and I look forward to it being all-in right away.?
-Michael Waltrip, NASCAR Driver, 5/22/07, Associated Press
“NASCAR made the right decision for the drivers, the teams, the racetracks [promoters] and most importantly, the fans. I like the car. I’m impressed with how well it’s performed out of the box, and the fact that it’s put on good races is a plus.”
-Eddie Gossage, Texas Motor Speedway President, 5/22/07, Ft. Worth Star Telegram
“It’s a great move by NASCAR. I think we’ve gotten into some headaches with it in the races that we have run, but we need to race it more and more. We need to learn it and get into a rhythm. This will obviously do that in 2008. You have to applaud NASCAR for making this move. I’m all for running this car as soon as possible every week.?
-Kyle Petty, NASCAR Driver, 5/22/07, NASCAR.com
?From a cost and operations perspective, the move to the Car of Tomorrow in 2008 will benefit all the teams. Initially, NASCAR took a conservative approach to the implementation of the Car of Tomorrow, but I think that one type of car in 2008 will be more efficient for team operations and should provide good, competitive racing for the fans.?
– Roger Penske, Owner, Penske Racing
?From Joe Gibbs Racing?s standpoint, it?s clear that this is the road we?re going down with the Car of Tomorrow. NASCAR and the teams have spent many years developing it. We?re running it at a number of race tracks this year, and it was clear that we were running it full-time in the future. It?s very difficult for teams to run both the Car of Tomorrow and the current car simultaneously.
?Across the board, most everyone?s feeling in the sport is that we?ve come out of the box and have had some good experiences with it, so let?s just implement it full-time in 2008. We?re on board with that, and for us, it makes a lot of sense.
?Give NASCAR credit. We trust them to make good decisions. For the 16 years that we?ve been in the sport, we?ve seen amazing growth. A lot of that credit is due to NASCAR and the way they manage the sport and handle it. If we have problems or issues, we can go to them and address it the right way and they?ll listen. The encouraging thing for us with this project is that we?ve gone through a huge transformation within our industry and to be able to come out of it and advance the Car of Tomorrow?s timetable ? that should make everyone feel good, because it means we?re going in the right direction.?
– J.D. Gibbs, President, Joe Gibbs Racing
“The Car of Tomorrow will eventually create the most dynamic change in racing in the long history of NEXTEL Cup. As drivers and crews continue to adapt, the racing will be more competitive and we will see a significant increase in side-by-side racing.
“This car is also going to be safer and by 2010 potentially save each team $1 million per car annually. We will get away from dependence on aerodynamics and extremely soft setups. NASCAR’s inspection process will also be much faster and simpler.
“While we will probably never again see the day when a young rookie like Ricky Rudd or Bill Elliot shows up at a track with a car they built in their home garage, we may see a return of the successful one-car operation.”
“The end result is that in a couple years the playing field will be more level.”
– H.A. ?Humpy? Wheeler, President and General Manager of Lowe?s Motor Speedway