NASCAR’s “car of tomorrow” [COT] looks and drives a lot like today’s race cars. But the redesigned car could prevent injuries and provide better racing down the road. Officials and teams tested prototype versions of the redesigned car at Talladega Superspeedway on Monday. Roush Racing driver Carl Edwards tested a Ford, Kyle Petty tested a Petty Enterprises-built Dodge and Brett Bodine tested a Chevrolet that was built by NASCAR’s own engineering staff. Gary Nelson, NASCAR’s managing director of research and development, said the cars will make their full-scale debut in 2007 but might be used in one race next season. “Today’s a big step toward that,” he said. The redesigned car is slightly larger, and the driver’s seat has been shifted about 4 inches toward the center of the car. The changes provide extra room for new energy-absorbing blocks of metal that NASCAR has been developing since the death of star driver Dale Earnhardt in February 2001. The new car’s roll cage, a steel skeleton that protects the driver, also has been beefed up. The new car’s body intentionally has been designed to be boxier than current cars; officials hope less aerodynamic cars will be able to pass each other more easily on the track.(USA Today)(10-4-2005)
