Juan Pablo Montoya won't be far behind in the Car of Tomorrow. Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR

NASCAR rethinking COT superspeedway debut

CONCORD, N.C. -- At the request of several Nextel Cup Series teams, NASCAR is debating the possibility of unveiling its Car of Tomorrow superspeedway program earlier than first thought, competition director Robin Pemberton said Saturday.

Teams have voiced concern that the freshly repaved surface at Talladega Superspeedway so greatly differentiated the Alabama track from its sister track, Daytona International Speedway, that teams plan to build brand new speedway cars for the Spring 2007 Talladega event.

	Carl Edwards Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR
	TALLADEGA TESTING Thirteen teams recently put their COT setups through the paces at Talladega to test restrictor plates and aero packages.  •   Complete story, click here

And just that event.

That's $150,000 and countless man hours that would be instantly obsolete.

"The cars, the way the [Talladega] track is now, it's completely different from Daytona, so it'll mean us building three brand new cars for one race," team owner Richard Childress said. "I told them if we're gonna do [the Car of Tomorrow] then let's go on and do it."

The COT superspeedway program is currently scheduled to begin at Talladega next fall. Everyone questioned for this report agrees it should happen in the spring.

"I heard that might happen, and I think it's a good idea," team owner Ray Evernham said. "If we're going to run, let's run it."

The superspeedway cars will remain the same for the 2007 Daytona 500, which Steve Letarte, crew chief for Jeff Gordon's No. 24 Chevrolet, said is important.

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"We need to run the current cars [in the Daytona 500]," Letarte said. "We need to be sure we have a great show there. It's too important for us all."

With superspeedway cars, the numbers are staggering -- especially with major organizations like Hendrick, Gibbs, Roush, Earnhardt and Childress that put so much emphasis on restrictor-plate excellence.

Including engine, Nextel Cup cars cost roughly $150,000 regardless the type of venue, be it superspeedway, intermediate or short track. It's the man hours that separate superspeedway machines from the rest.

Primary superspeedway racecars will sit in the wind tunnel once a month, sometimes more, as teams search for the one smidgeon of fender that needs massaging.

One count of drag is considerable time on the racing surface. These things get serious TLC.

Four men need two full weeks to hang the body on a superspeedway chassis. Once that's done, two men need an entire week to massage the body -- a chore that typically takes a half day.

Some teams employ full departments just to perfect superspeedway cars.

Remember, that's just four races per year.

COT should help alleviate some of the cost. For now, NASCAR is only looking at the possibility. They've not yet committed to anything.

"The teams asked us to look at it and we're doing that," Pemberton said. "We understand the concern."