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The CoT, or more commonly know as the Car of Tomorrow, was designed by NASCAR over a period of seven years to better address the safety issue present in all styles of racing. This idea was thrust into the spotlight after the death of Dale Earnhardt.

The current car was biased on a model by Holman Moody in 1966 and thus outdated and in need of adaptation. Another side issue of the CoT was to address the cost of cars. Originally each make of car was designed differently with different templates used by NASCAR to insure the car's qualification, but with the use of the CoT all manufactures and racing teams have been again put on a level playing field.

The new car is less insistent on aerodynamics and features include a detached wing, and a more upright windshield, which increase drag. Also new on this car is the radiator intake which is below the front bumper, keeping it from becoming clogged and causing overheating.

There are also more safety features on this new car, which was only run in thirteen races this year, but is scheduled to be used in every Sprint Cup race in 2008. The driver's seat has been moved four inches to the right and the roll cage goes three inches further in the rear of the car. More box-like that the current car, the CoT is two inches taller and four inches longer. The exhaust runs on the right side of the car, diverting heat from the driver and the fuel cell is considerably smaller down from 22 gallons to the 17 gallons in the CoT car.

The most noticeable change in the car however, is the addition of a splitter. This is made of FRP (Fiber Reinforced Plastic) and replaces the valence at the bottom front of the car. This is bullet proof and provides down force on the front of the car.

There were only a few tests scheduled and NASCAR mandated that the cars could not be tested at any Sprint Cup location unless scheduled. However, there are tracks such as the North Carolina Speedway that does not host a Sprint Cup sanctioned event, where other tests have been made.

The Car of Tomorrow was first raced at the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, and Kyle Busch won the race. Mixed reviews were received on the car, as it seemed to only be able to race single file. The splitter was a concern as it caused blown tires when bump drafting. Many of these issued have been addressed, and others will be during the off-season. However, the new car was able to make contact with other cars without causing them to spin, and this makes for better control and better

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