bad crash

[Randy Kaar]

this was at qualifying yesterday.
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=JoxxewDYMfo[/youtube]

randy aka bh

[rchaze60]

all i can say is WOW...... so glad he walked away but the cars of today are so much safer than say 10 years ago

[Woody]

I saw it happen as it happened live yesterday, and I've seen it countless times since then.  I still get a chill up my spine and cringe watching it.  It says ALOT about the engineering behind the COT!  Too bad we didn't have this 8+ years ago.  Kudo's to NASCAR for getting one right!    (It's about dern time!) 

[Randy Kaar]

dale sr would still be alive...

randy aka bh

[ThunderCAT]

Holy cow...when is squirrled in the corner I knew it was going to get ugly. COT saved the day there...and to WALK away...amazing! That was one heck of a crash...

[Super Star!]

wow unreal... 180 MPH into the wall and he walks away...

[HD]

OK,  What's a COT?

(now, remember, I got dial up and can't watch the video till I get to work Mon.)


Hunter

[Randy Kaar]

car of tomorrow,  they all look alike to me..

randy aka bh

[Super Star!]

OK,  What's a COT?

(now, remember, I got dial up and can't watch the video till I get to work Mon.)


Hunter

I had no clue till i watched the video.

[Woody]

What Is The Car Of Tomorrow?

Over five years in design the NASCAR Car Of Tomorrow was designed from the ground up to be safer, more competitive and cheaper for the race teams. NASCAR has spent extensive time on the drawing board, computer simulations, in the wind tunnel and on the track to design the ideal NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race car for the future.

Car Of Tomorrow Safety Features

The Car Of Tomorrow is wider and taller than the current NEXTEL Cup race car. The drivers roll cage has been moved back and the driver's seat has moved in towards the center of the car.

This provides a larger crumple zone around the driver and will help protect him in a side impact.
The exhaust system in the Car Of Tomorrow has been rerouted and designed to keep heat away from the driver. This will help reduce fatigue and prevent some of the blisters and heat exhaustion that we sometimes see today.

Car Of Tomorrow Competitive Features

Another big aspect of the Car Of Tomorrow are the competitive improvements in the design. The Car Of Tomorrow was designed to provide more passing and make the cars less sensitive to other cars.

NASCAR made a number of changes designed to make the cars less aerodynamic. The windshield is now standing up much straighter causing it to catch more wind, increasing drag and slowing the cars. Also the front bumper has been redesigned with a new front splitter to catch the air instead of cut through it. 

Another competitive feature is the new, larger rear wing which should increase the stability of the cars and slow them down. This is another feature designed to make the cars punch a larger hole in the air.

The Car Of Tomorrow will be less aerodynamic and will depend less on the wind for its stability. This will help the cars drive better in traffic and will reduce the "aero push" which currently makes it very difficult for cars to pass on the track at speed.

More passing makes for better racing.

Car of Tomorrow Cost Efficient Features

NASCAR was also concerned about the financial burden that the Car Of Tomorrow would impose on the teams. Currently NEXTEL Cup teams use different cars for short tracks, road courses, superspeedways and restrictor plate races. The Car Of Tomorrow is the same frame, roll cage and body for all different types of race tracks.

This will reduce the costs of building cars as a team would require fewer cars for teams to compete in a full season. Your Bristol car could be reused in Watkins Glen, Michigan and Talladega if necessary.

[Randy Kaar]

they may be safer, but they dont look like the brand they
are advertising.. get rid of them restrictor plates and go
back to a decent body style and lets go racing boys!

randy aka bh

[Woody]

I agree!  Take the safety features of the COT car and implement them into the car of yesterday-when the Chevy looked like the Chevy,  Ford like the Ford, etc.  It's been a rumor for some time that NASCAR is also working on a universal engine as well.  If that goes through, the manufacturer won't be nothing but a badge on the car.  In which case you may as well throw a Studebaker badge on the car!   

[HD]

Thanks for the info Woody, I have to say, I don't know that much about NASCAR.
I watch it once in a while.


And I had a 1940 Studebaker, man, I loved that car!



Hunter

[HD]

I had a chance to watch it (cause, I'm at work)

That's just NUTS! I was expecting some body parts to fly out, unreal!


Hunter