The Car Of Tomorrow Will Evolve
As time goes by, the Car of Tomorrow will evolve
There is no denying the fact that the Car Of Tomorrow has received unenthusiastic reactions from a majority of drivers and teams throughout their preliminary testing.
From the way the car handles all to way to the superficial exterior. Someone even referred to it as a step backwards in technology. But could this disinclination be due to a person’s natural tendency to balk at change? People, by and large, are not fond of change, or entering into the unknown.
When NASCAR revealed the Chase for the Championship format, 95% of fans were against the idea. After three seasons, at least 50% of those fans have either changed their opinion on the matter, or at least come to terms with it. If you think about it, just about every major change that NASCAR has made over the years has been profoundly scrutinized, even issues such as engine and spoiler packages and tire compounds.
The Car Of Tomorrow, which is two inches higher and four inches wider than the Car of Today, will take to the track for the first time at Bristol in March, and will appear in all races on tracks that are 1-mile in length or less, plus Darlington, the two road courses, and the fall Talladega race. The car was designed primarily to enhance safety for drivers, but many skeptics in the garage feel that NASCAR is sacrificing other attributes, such as the quality of racing.
But as the Car Of Tomorrow becomes more prevalently used as time goes by, setups and engine packages will evolve accordingly. Initially, there may be a select few that find a package that works effectively, but eventually, with research and development, the playing field will become leveled.
And the appearance of the Car Of Tomorrow, which I admit is somewhat of an eyesore, will too evolve into a more attractive model as years go by. More and more, teams are passing NASCAR’s inspections; in fact, over 14 chassis passed inspection earlier in the week. Previous inspections had a majority of chassis being turned away. The more these teams failed inspection, the more they learned what NASCAR is looking for in the Car of Tomorrow.
Regardless if you are on board with the Car Of Tomorrow agenda or not, you will likely tune in to the March Bristol race if not out of intrigue alone. Many consider the spring race in Thunder Valley as the most pivotal race for NASCAR’s future. Pretty soon, the cars we are used to seeing today will become a distant memory.
