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What's the NASCAR car of the future?

With all factors considered it is very easy for one of these NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racecars to reach $1 million in production costs. As opposed to the old racecar, the new COT can be used at virtually any track. Instead of a race team building special superspeedway cars, short track cars, road course cars and intermediate cars, it is possible for a single car to be used at any one of these. Of course it is a huge exaggeration to say that one car can do any of these at any given time, but for example, it would be much easier and cost efficient to use closely related cars like short track cars and road course cars interchangeably. Instead of having a fleet of cars for each of the four track styles, it is much easier to build fewer, more versatile cars that will produce the same results. The adjustable rear wing and front splitter, along with other older, more traditional characteristics allow for this flexibility.

The COT, because of its distinct body configuration, can easily allow each manufacturer to better show off their true production model. Chevrolet dominated the first year of the COT capturing wins in 13 of the 16 races, and the first six consecutively. Kyle Busch won the first COT race in the #5 Kellogg's Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. Chevy's 13 wins were accompanied by two wins by Ford and one by Dodge. Toyota failed to win any race in its first year, not even in the old model car, and did not win until March 9th, 2008 with Kyle Busch at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Hendrick Motorsports won nine COT races in 2007 and still leads NASCAR teams to date with 11 wins over Joe Gibbs Racing's 9 victories.* To date the Chevrolet is still the winningest manufacturer with 17 wins; Toyota follows with 6, while Ford and Dodge trail with five apiece. Kyle Busch leads Sprint Cup drivers with the most COT wins. Busch has logged one win in the #5 Kellogg's Chevrolet Impala (in 2007) and six in his new ride the #18 M&M's/Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry. Jimmie Johnson is second all-time with all of his six wins in his #48 Lowe's Impala. Carl Edwards is the third with five wins.
[* as of 7/5/08]

Only will the COT's true strengths and weaknesses be seen after the 2008 Sprint Cup season, but so far it seems that the COT has done well. NASCAR seems to be happy with its performance, and so are most of the drivers. It has proven so far to be much safer and even more durable than the older style racecars despite its supposed crush under impact design. Overall, the COT has done everything it has been designed to do and beyond.

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