Car of Tomorrow

The Car of Tomorrow [1] (abbreviated as CoT) is the common name used for the chassis that accompanies the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (since two thousand eight as a full-time) and Xfinity Series (since two thousand eleven as a full-time) race cars. The car was part of a five-year project to create a safer vehicle following several deaths in competition, particularly the two thousand one crash that took the life of Dale Earnhardt. [Two]

Trio,250 lbs (Gen six Sprint Cup)

Three,200 lbs (Xfinity)

Best known for being used as the fifth generation car style for the Cup Series, the original Car of Tomorrow bod design was larger and boxier than the design it substituted, and criticized for its generic appearance and poor treating characteristics. [Three] The CoT, however, implemented dramatic safety improvements, cost less to maintain, and was intended to make for closer competition. [Four]

The car was introduced in the two thousand seven Cup season at the Food City five hundred on March twenty five and ran a partial schedule of sixteen races. The plan was to require all teams to use the fresh car in 2009, but NASCAR officials moved the date up to the two thousand eight season as a cost-saving measure. The fifth-generation car’s assets style was retired by NASCAR car after the two thousand twelve Ford EcoBoost 400. The sixth-generation car, which featured the extra chassis safety improvements but utilized improved figure designs, debuted in 2013; [Four] many teams simply liquidated the fifth-generation car bods, added the fresh chassis safety improvements, and installed a sixth-generation car assets.

In 2010, the Xfinity Series (then the Nationwide Series) debuted its own version of the CoT in a partial schedule, using the same chassis but different figures and a broader wheelbase; teams could take old Sprint Cup cars, switch the bods, and run them in the Nationwide Series, provided they passed recertification. The car was required for full-time competition in 2011.

Contents

On January 11, 2006, NASCAR exposed the Car of Tomorrow, also referred to as the “Car of the Future” during its development, [Five] after a five-year design program sparked mainly by the death of Dale Earnhardt Sr. in a final-lap crash during the two thousand one Daytona 500. [Two] [6] During the prior season, three drivers (Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin, Jr. and Tony Roper) had perished in on-track accidents. [7] [8] The then-current cars were based on a design by Holman Moody very first used for the one thousand nine hundred sixty six Ford Fairlane. [9] The primary design considerations for the fresh car were “safety innovations, spectacle and competition, and cost efficiency for teams.” [Ten] [11]

The CoT incorporated several safety improvements in comparison to the older car. [6] The driver’s seat was moved four inches toward the center, and the roll cell shifted three inches to the rear, while the car was designed two inches taller and four inches broader. [6] [11] [12] Larger crumple zones, designed to absorb influence energy, and influence absorbing foam were built into the car on both sides. [11] [12] Substituting the front valance was an adjustable splitter, a lump of fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP, “fiberglass”) used on the bottom front of the car to produce downforce. [12] The car’s harass exits on the right (passenger) side, which diverts fever from the driver. [6] [12] The fuel cell was strengthened using thicker material, with a smaller capacity 17.75 US gallons (67.Two L), down from twenty two US gallons (83 L), which as of two thousand seven has become standard in all cars. [11] [13]

NASCAR officials originally claimed the car was less dependent on aerodynamics, comparing its spectacle to the trucks of the Camping World Truck Series. [14] It originally featured a detached wing, which had not been used since the Dodge Charger Daytona and Plymouth Superbird in 1970, in place of a rear spoiler. [12] [15] The windshield was more upright to prevent collapse in the event of a rollover, with the added effect of enlargened haul. [11] [12] The radiator air intake was placed below the front bumper of the car, to reduce overheating caused by debris-clogged grilles. [12] The front bumper itself was more box-like and the front airdam was gapped, as opposed to being a flush lump on the older cars, to reduce aerodynamics and slow down the cars. [12]

All cars were required to fit the same set of templates (with minor differences inbetween the makes), using a laser inspection system (LIS) [16] device nicknamed “the claw” that was designed to fit over the fresh cars. [11] [17] [Eighteen] [Nineteen] In the very first two races at Bristol and Martinsville Speedway, the garages were opened one day early and the inspections took up to ten hours so that everyone (teams, officials, etc.) could get a better grip on the fresh unified template. [Legal] NASCAR’s old rules had a different set of templates for each manufacturer (Ford, Chevy, Dodge, and Toyota). [11] [17] During the CoT-era, NASCAR eliminated “gray area” and ambiguity within the rule book, and frequently adjusted the rules to ensure that different car manufacturers have relatively equal cars. [11] With the transition to the Gen6 car, the claw proceeds to be used along with manufacturer-specific templates. [17]

On Friday, January 15, 2010, Sprint Cup Series director John Darby informed teams that NASCAR would transition back to the spoiler, to increase downforce and prevent airborne accidents the rear wing was believed to cause.

Car models Edit

Albeit originally branded as the Monte Carlo SS (the same as the Generation four model), Chevrolet’s car of tomorrow debuted as the Impala SS (later the Impala). After using the Charger name on the old car since 2005, Dodge utilized the Avenger name on the CoT, coinciding with the model’s reintroduction into the production market. However, for two thousand eight the Charger name returned for use on the CoT. [20] Ford continued to use the Fusion model while Toyota continued to use the Camry.

Dimensions Edit

This chart lists the CoT’s dimensions compared with the dimensions of their production car counterparts.

*Weight displays the curb weight of the least expensive trim level available for model year two thousand eight unless otherwise specified. The Holden Commodore listed is a two thousand twelve VE model with a V8 and manual transmission (which road-cars will be imported). The VF Commodore debuted for the two thousand fourteen model year in early two thousand thirteen as the Chevrolet SS.

The Car of Tomorrow was very first tested in December two thousand five at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Next it tested at the Two.5-mile Daytona International Speedway, then on NASCAR’s two shortest tracks, Bristol (0.533 mi) and Martinsville (0.526 mi.), the 1.5-mile Lowe’s Motor Speedway, the Two.66 mile Talladega Superspeedway, and Two.0-mile Michigan International Speedway. Former NASCAR driver, current Sprint Cup rhythm car driver and Director of Cost Research Brett Bodine also tested the prototype car against cars ready by current NASCAR teams. [12]

Drivers tested the CoT concurrently with the old car at some NASCAR tests and at special NASCAR-authorized sessions. Other testing sessions occurred at the half-mile Greenville-Pickens Speedway, Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, NC, and the one-mile North Carolina Speedway (now Rockingham Speedway), none of which were Sprint Cup tracks at the time (North Carolina Speedway was a regular venue until 2005), and therefore did not fall under NASCAR’s limitations.

The Car of Tomorrow was very first raced at the two thousand seven Food City five hundred at Bristol Motor Speedway, the season’s fifth race. [Eighteen] The tracks that witnessed the CoT twice in two thousand seven besides Bristol and Martinsville International Speedway were Phoenix International Raceway, Richmond International Raceway, Dover International Speedway, and Fresh Hampshire Motor Speedway. Other than Talladega (for the fall event), Darlington Raceway and the road course races at Infineon Raceway (Sonoma, Calif.) and Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International ran the CoT once each in 2007.

Original implementation plans called for the CoT to be used at twenty six events in 2008, embarking with both races at Daytona, including the season-opening Daytona five hundred and related events (Budweiser Shootout and Gatorade Duels), the spring race at Talladega and Michigan, both races at California Speedway, Pocono Raceway and the event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Based on the success of the February twenty eight test at Bristol, NASCAR considered requiring CoT cars for the utter schedule in two thousand eight in order to avoid applying two sets of rules (as supported by a survey of NASCAR owners, with 80% favoring the switch), adding all three events (including the all-star event) at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, as well as both races at Atlanta and Texas Motor Speedway, and single races at Chicagoland Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway one year earlier than scheduled. [6] This was confirmed on Tuesday, May 22, 2007, by NASCAR. Had NASCAR continued with the original schedule of implication, the other tracks would have been added in 2009. [22]

On March 25, 2007, the CoT debuted in its very first NASCAR-sanctioned race. Kyle Busch won the race, the very first win for the Chevrolet Impala since Wendell Scott’s historic race in 1963.

Reactions to the CoT’s spectacle were mixed. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., after completing 7th, said, “It wasn’t a disaster like everybody anticipated. It worked out, I reckon. Racing was about the same.” [23] Drivers were also amazed with the car’s capability to bump other competitors without causing a spin (bumper heights were equalized due to street car development, and nose-to-rear bumper contact caused spins that pre-1988 cars would not cause), and NASCAR officials were pleased with the improvements in safety.

Several drivers and pundits voiced distaste for the car and what they perceived as a less arousing style of racing created by it. Kyle Busch, despite winning at Bristol, commented that “they suck” during his victory lane interview. [24] Retired driver and TV analyst Rusty Wallace stated on ESPN that the car created a boring, single-file racing environment with little of the passing, act, or crashing that has made NASCAR popular, tho’ after NASCAR announced the CoT would run the total schedule, he stated that it was “one of the best decisions NASCAR had ever made.” Drivers who placed well at Bristol, Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton, claimed that the car permitted the use of a 2nd passing lane not usually present at Bristol. [23]

A major problem with the car’s initial race was its front splitter. One car’s splitter running into the tire of another car beside it sometimes punctured the 2nd car’s tire. [25] There were no problems with the splitter causing tire failure at the car’s 2nd race.

Another major problem has been that the safety foam used in the side of the car has caught fire, absorbing the driver’s cockpit with smoke. NASCAR determined to make modifications before the April twenty one Subway Fresh Fit five hundred in Avondale, Arizona. [26] An extra side effect of the foam occurred during side-impacts, as Brian Vickers experienced at Watkins Glen, when the foam would be sheared out of the car leaving debris on the racetrack.

During the two thousand seven UAW-Ford 500, the CoT’s very first debut on a superspeedway track at Talladega, NASCAR assigned a 31/32 inch (24.6 mm) restrictor plate to permit the engines to run at around 8,800 RPM due to the less aerodynamic design of the CoT. The previous generation car’s engine would normally run around 7,000 RPM with a ⅞ inch (22.Two mm) plate. [27] This was the most open restrictor plate (in terms of air flow) to race at Talladega since 1988. [28]

Very first Generation Bod Edit

Criticisms of the CoT began with its very first tests, with the magazine Speedway Illustrated noting the car’s poor spectacle in traffic (February two thousand six issue). The Winston-Salem Journal also noted extensive criticism of the project during two thousand six testing, with drivers becoming more vocal by July two thousand seven and most fans rejecting the model, citing the falsity of many of its technical claims; [29] one angle of criticism was the differing philosophies of NASCAR officials Gary Nelson and John Darby, with Darby a particularly ardent supporter of the CoT based on a misreading of the sport’s competition packages. [30] Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth were pointedly critical of the car’s poor spectacle in traffic, with Gordon stating after the two thousand seven Fresh England 300, “I’d like to know who it was who said this car would reduce the aero shove because I could have told you from when I very first drove this car that it would be worse.” [31] Kyle Busch, who won the very very first race with the car at Bristol in 2007, proclaimed that the car “gargles” afterward and expanded on this criticism at Dover in two thousand eight in noting how the CoT was “hitting a wall of air” in the wake of a leading car, thus neutralizing capability to close up on leaders. [32]

On April Four, 2008, while in a qualifying run for the two thousand eight Samsung five hundred at Texas Motor Speedway, Michael McDowell struck the wall outside of Turn one head-on at one hundred ninety MPH, [33] and proceeded to barrel-roll eight times as fire came from the engine compartment. McDowell emerged from the Toyota unharmed. The car, along with the SAFER barrier on the track wall, was praised for its safety, as the speed upon influence of the crash was about thirty miles an hour more than Dale Earnhardt’s fatal accident. [Four]

In the two thousand eight Brickyard 400, the longest run under green flag conditions was twelve laps due to extreme wear on right-side tires, especially the right rear. The CoT, in its very first use at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, created no improvement of the conditions on the track, which is well known for its rough surface. The lack of downforce on the car and its higher center of gravity created conditions that made it very hard on the right side tires. During the race, the tires used on the cars generally lasted no more than ten laps at a time. [34]

It has been claimed that the bulky rear wing that was affixed to the rear of the car from two thousand seven to early two thousand ten enlargened the severity of many on-track incidents by causing cars to spin over or go airborne at high speeds.

• On the final lap of the two thousand nine Aaron’s four hundred ninety nine at Talladega, leader Carl Edwards swerved into the path of Brad Keselowski in order to prevent Keselowski from passing; Keselowski turned Edwards into the air and Edwards’s car bounced off of the spandex hood of Ryan Newman’s car and flipped into the catch fence, then came to a rest in the middle of the track further down. Edwards was uninjured, but the crash was compared to an accident at Talladega in one thousand nine hundred eighty seven where Bobby Allison went airborne and hit the catch fence in a similar location. Allison’s crash (coming at speeds twenty MPH swifter than Edwards’ crash) ripped out a 100-foot section of the catch fence, while Edwards’ crash only arched the support poles. Seven spectators were injured in Edwards’ accident from debris. [35] The aftermath of the accident spawned questions about the aerodynamic features of the CoT, the nature of pack racing with restrictor plates, and the safety features of Talladega Superspeedway. Movie replay demonstrated that despite deploying, the car’s roof flaps did nothing to stop the car from rolling – a common failing of the devices dating to their very very first month in use – and the 2nd hit from Newman flipped the car higher. [36]
• In the two thousand nine AMP Energy five hundred – the fall race at Talladega, Ryan Newman was spun rearwards at high speed in a late race crash, and then flipped rearwards (landing upside down on Kevin Harvick’s rubber hood) and ended up on his roof. Mark Martin also barrel spinned in a crash during the same race, but instead of lifting in the air like Newman, his car was hit from behind, causing the weight of the car to shift to one side and pull the car onto its roof, rolling once.
• At the two thousand ten Kobalt Implements five hundred at Atlanta – the 2nd to last race to use the rear wing – Carl Edwards made deliberate contact with Brad Keselowski (in retaliation for several events including the Talladega race the prior season), causing Keselowski to turn rearwards and once more roll over despite the roof flaps being deployed. Keselowski flipped over once and crashed on his side door. Edwards was parked for the rest of the race and put on three-race probation. [37]

These three accidents – as well as the general consensus that the wing made the car look like a sports car rather than a stock car [Four] – were factors in NASCAR’s eventual decision, in February 2010, to substitute the wing with a more traditional rear spoiler commencing at Martinsville in late March. [37] Denny Hamlin won the very first race with the fresh/old spoiler, striking out Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth.

For the two thousand eleven season, the car’s splitter and nose configuration were redesigned: the splitter’s braces were liquidated, and the splitter was made nonadjustable. The nose as a entire was given a cleaner, rounder look that resembled that of NASCAR’s previous model (now dubbed the fourth-generation car) and manufacturers were given free rein to construct the lower grille area to reflect that of their NASCAR models’ production-car counterparts. In the past, all cars were required to run the same exact grille arrangement, permitting for very little, if any, real differentiation inbetween them. [Four]

The very first racing with the redesigned car was the two thousand eleven Daytona five hundred and its supporting races (Budweiser Shootout and Gatorade Duels), all held on brand fresh pavement for Daytona International Speedway. The Daytona five hundred broke long-standing records for leaders and lead switches, as twenty two drivers switched the lead seventy four times. It also witnessed a very first time winner, rookie Trevor Bayne, go to victory lane. [Four] But the story of the fresh car was a phenomenon of lock-bumper superdrafts – two cars would literally lock together and shove into a clear lead, with speeds up to ten MPH swifter than with a conventional draft (on numerous occasions 2-car superdrafts topped two hundred six MPH); this phenomenon had debuted at Talladega Superspeedway in the spring of two thousand eight when Denny Hamlin discovered he could shove Kevin Harvick all the way around the track during practice, resulting in a lap time about a half a 2nd quicker than the rest of the field. Hamlin used the budge numerous times in that race to get the lead, and by the next spring the mechanism was used by the majority of the field via the entire race. The phenomenon also led to a fresh level of “team” racing reminiscent of the team orders ethos common to Formula One; drivers would communicate with each other over radio to coordinate “exchanges” instead of actually fighting for position. This was present in the two thousand eleven Aaron’s four hundred ninety nine at Talladega, leading to a three-wide finish with three drafting teams contending for the win: Clint Bowyer (shoved by Kevin Harvick), Jeff Gordon (who was being shoved by Mark Martin, but separated before the finish line), and winner Jimmie Johnson (shoved by Dale Earnhardt, Jr.), who won by two-thousandths of a 2nd over Bowyer. A fourth drafting team, consisting of Roush-Fenway teammates Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle (Biffle was pushing), squeezed in inbetween the Bowyer/Harvick tandem and the wall, but only completing 6th (Edwards) and 7th (Biffle).

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and veteran drivers such as Richard Petty and David Pearson were sharply critical of this fresh style of racing, especially in the wake of a race-record sixteen caution flags, most of them for crashes caused when pushing cars spun out leaders; Earnhardt, Jr. himself crashed during an attempt at a green-white-checker finish in the 500.

To dissuade the two-car tandem and comeback to pack racing, a fresh superspeedway package was introduced for the two thousand twelve season, including a curved spoiler and a lower and longer rear bumper. The tandem remained prevalent in the Nationwide Series until 2014, when pushing was banned after a massive crash at the end of the two thousand thirteen DRIVE4COPD 300, in which twenty eight spectators were injured by flying debris off of Kyle Larson’s airborne car.

In spite of strong criticisms of the CoT’s treating characteristics and the racing styles it created, it also produced one of the most competitive periods of time in NASCAR history. the very first four CoT races in two thousand seven produced more “quality passes” (a pass of a top-15 car under green-flag conditions) than their two thousand six counterparts. [38] From two thousand seven to 2012, twenty eight different drivers scored a victory (in one hundred ninety six races), including several first-time winners. [Four]

Following the elimination of the CoT in 2013, NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France identified the model as his thickest failure as the head of the sport due to the lack of manufacturer identity. [Trio] [39]

2nd Generation Figure (“Gen 6”) Edit

Fuel injection substituted the carburetor as the fuel distributor in the Car of the Tomorrow embarking in 2012. [40] For 2013, NASCAR permitted manufacturers to design a brand-new bod style for the COT chassis that will resemble a given production car even more. [41] The switches were largely cosmetic, with hopes of returning mechanical grip to drivers. At the two thousand twelve Ford Championship Weekend the bod of the car made it the Gen six car by NASCAR. During the two thousand twelve season, it was announced that Ford would use the Mk.V Ford Mondeo, known as the Fusion in the Americas, Toyota would proceed to use the two thousand thirteen Camry, while the Holden VF Commodore, rebadged in North America as the Chevrolet Super Sport (SS), substituted the Chevrolet Impala [42] and Dodge announced they would use the Charger. However, soon after, Dodge announced their withdrawal from the sport, after being incapable to woo other teams to switch to Dodge to substitute Penske Racing (which returned to Ford). [43]

Key among the switches for the car included a carbon fibre rubber hood and decklid, pruning one hundred sixty pounds from Sprint Cup cars, and fresh improved safety bars added to the roll box. The roof flaps were enhanced in size to prevent the airborne accidents that marked the CoT’s early life. [44]

This fresh “Generation Six” racecar debuted at the two thousand thirteen Daytona five hundred and its supporting races. The testing and design of the car began in May two thousand ten and involved an unusual level of cooperation inbetween the manufacturers (Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota) involved. [45] The five hundred and subsequent race at Phoenix International Raceway, however, caused controversy, as passing was limited and drivers such as Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin were critical of the car’s capability to pass; the controversy was exacerbated when NASCAR fined Hamlin $25,000 over his comments. [46] The view was also voiced that the car’s slow development time and lack of available parts made drivers reluctant to take chances, with improvement expected with more time invested into the car. [47]

Xfinity Series Edit

The Nationwide Series (now Xfinity Series) debuted its own version of the CoT in July two thousand ten at Daytona International Speedway, running four races that season before fully implementing the car in 2011. [48] The Xfinity car uses the same chassis as the Sprint Cup Series, but features an extended wheelbase of one hundred ten inches (2794 millimeters). The second-tier series also utilizes different figure style, primarily marketing American pony cars such as the Ford Mustang. [49] [50]

K&N Pro Series Edit

In 2015, NASCAR’s regional K&N Pro Series East and West along with the ARCA Racing Series, the final series to still use the Generation four style assets, introduced a fresh bod style based off the Gen-6 Sprint Cup cars. Unlike the Gen-6, the K&N Pro Series car resumes to use a front valence instead of a splitter. Again, three bods are available—the Camry, SS, and Fusion. [51] [52] [53]

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