Credit: Dave Rodman/NASCAR.COM

Pemberton: 'Wing is the way to go' for new design

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow tested on Monday on the track where it will make its official debut a year from now and received high marks from both NASCAR and the drivers who participated.

Three Nextel Cup teams -- Richard Childress Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, and Roush Racing -- along with NASCAR's own prototype, tested for more than seven hours at Bristol Motor Speedway, the site where the new design will run the first of 16 scheduled races for the 2007 season. Previous tests were held at Talladega Superspeedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway and Daytona International Speedway.

At this week's test, Brett Bodine, NASCAR director of cost research, drove the Car of Tomorrow. Nextel Cup drivers who participated included Carl Edwards, Jeff Burton and Reed Sorenson.

Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition, said Monday's test was a great opportunity for the teams to learn and adjust, and at the same time, provide important feedback to NASCAR.

"The primary goal for today's test session was to see how the cars would handle both in single car runs and in traffic," said Pemberton. "It was a real positive for us, as we were able to get a close look at how the cars would run here, listen to the drivers and their team members, and have a good exchange of information."

Pemberton said that the addition of the rear wing, which would replace the conventional spoiler, is in the "95 percent window of certainty" as being a new feature on the car. The wing is a bolt-on aerodynamic piece that can be adjusted so the car's handling can be tailored to different tracks. It is just one aspect of the new design that will allow for reduced costs in the teams' overall car inventory.

"The general consensus is that the wing is the way to go and we continue to get positive feedback from it," said Pemberton. "It's economical and has become a great option for us in this new design. It should be a real advantage for the teams in helping to control their costs."

Look into the futureCNN's Sanjay Gupta looks at NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836 ALSO A five-year project, the Car of Tomorrow offers important safety and performance upgrades. It also addresses cost reduction, providing teams with a more efficient car to produce and tune.  •   Complete story, click here DAYTONA TEST NASCAR made a giant step toward a hoped-for "universal car" for use in the Nextel Cup Series when Brett Bodine tested the latest Car of Tomorrow prototype at Daytona Jan. 12.  •   Complete story, click here ATLANTA TEST At Atlanta last fall, Petty Enterprises, Richard Childress Racing, Roush Racing, Hendrick Motorsports and Dale Earnhardt Incorporated tested versions of the Car of Tomorrow.   •   Complete story, click here

Burton says the new design will allow for a driver's talents and abilities to become even more prevalent than they are today.

"Even though technology and engineering become bigger and better every year, the great thing about our sport is that you've got to have the driver in order to compete, and NASCAR does a great job of seeing to it that technology doesn't take over. With the Car of Tomorrow, there's no doubt in my mind that the driver is really going to come into play."

Burton said that as Monday's test progressed, he became more and more comfortable with the car's handling and with the wing.

"When we first tested with the wing, we weren't that comfortable with it, but we made a couple of adjustments, and we became very comfortable with it," said Burton. "I'm looking forward to testing with it at a bigger track.

"The great thing about the wing is that you shouldn't pick up as big of an aero push when you get behind a guy, so when you catch a guy, you might actually be able to pass and go by him."

NASCAR focused on the car's balance during the morning portion of the test before spending the afternoon working on the car's aerodynamic features.

"We made some real significant progress here today," said Bodine. "The drivers and teams gave us some positive feedback on what they liked and what they didn't like and that's what this is about; to refine and improve what we have."