Nationwide drivers praise car of tomorrow in testing at Lowe's Motor Speedway
By Lee Montgomery - Associate Editor
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
CONCORD, N.C. – Praise for the new model car that NASCAR plans to start using in the Nationwide Series in 2010 continued at the second official test, as drivers like the way the new car felt on the 1.5-mile oval at Lowe’s Motor Speedway Monday and Tuesday.
The test is the first of the Nationwide car of tomorrow on a 1.5-mile track, and even though drivers haven’t raced side by side yet, NASCAR seems to have met its goals for the car so far.
NASCAR wants the Nationwide car to be easier to drive than the Sprint Cup car and a little harder to drive than a Truck series vehicle. Drivers complained loudly after the new Cup car was introduced, but so far, only admiration has been heard for the Nationwide COT.
“This car feels pretty good,” defending series champion Carl Edwards said. “It’s a lot faster than I thought it was going to be. It’s a little different than the other cars we run because it seems like has a little bit more front downforce, which makes it turn real well. That’s good. At a place like this, it seems like you can’t ever get them to turn. It’s nice to have a car that turns like that.”
Speeds with the new car weren’t far off those of the current model. Jamie McMurray won the pole for last weekend’s Dollar General 300 here with a lap time of 29.267 seconds in the current model car. A number of teams were in the 30- and 31-second lap bracket in the test.
Chip Ganassi Racing’s Bryan Clauson said his Dodge could run consistent 32-second lap times, though he said his team has struggled to get a handle on the car.
“It’s a little bit different,” Clauson said of the new car. “It’s kind of right in the middle of the [Cup] COT car and the current [Nationwide] car. You’ve got a little less downforce, and they act a little bit different. You’re slower down the straightaways.
“They’ve been better than I expected. For us, it’s not quite as good as Richmond went, but it’s definitely not bad. It’s close. We’ve got to get it a little bit more drivable for us so we’d be able to race it.”
NASCAR will unveil the car in races in 2010. It’s based on the Cup chassis, with a different body and suspension.
Roush Fenway Racing’s David Ragan said it drives well and compared it to the Cup car, with less horsepower.
“I like the different combination without the bump rubber and the spoiler in the back,” Ragan said. “It gives it a little different feel, but it’s really comfortable here.”
Clauson said he hoped to be able to run side by side with other cars during the two-day test because that will be the real indicator of how the car reacts.
“It won’t really matter how they drive by themselves as long as they’re drivable around other cars,” Clauson said.
Nationwide drivers praise car of tomorrow in testing at Lowe's Motor Speedway - Nationwide Series | SceneDaily.com - NASCAR News