Track Smack: Bristol and the COT, top 35 and Juan (cont'd)

Mark Aumann: I measured it, Joe. It's 13-inch diagonal. Even Jimmy Spencer looks small on it.

Joe Menzer: Now we can't get you off talking about your darn TV! And Jimmy Spencer doesn't look small anywhere!

Car of Tomorrow

• Cost Management
• Driver Safety
• Improved Competition
• A New Era

David Caraviello: Thing about the COT is, many drivers compare it to the Craftsman Truck. And the trucks produce the best racing in NASCAR. That's a best-case scenario.

Mark Aumann: But there aren't many trucks that survive the Bristol race.

David Caraviello: There aren't many cars that survive the Bristol race either, Mark. But if this thing gives us truck-style racing at Bristol and Martinsville, it's gonna be a big hit in the grandstands.

Joe Menzer: Again, the beating and banging and wrecking because there are so many cars racing so close together in tight quarters is what makes Bristol a blast to watch.

David Caraviello: And that's going to happen, COT or not.

Joe Menzer: And that's what it's all about. I got a kick out of Tony Stewart and so many other guys complaining about Vegas -- and how it was so hard to race there on the reconfigured track.

Mark Aumann: Fifty-three of the 200 laps during last year's truck race at Bristol were under caution. Not sure that's "great racing."

Joe Menzer: Well, guess what? It provided an entertaining show -- and this will, too. That is what these guys get paid to do: put on an entertaining show and deal with whatever circumstances are handed them.

David Caraviello: That's because you have CTS drivers, Mark. The competitive nature of the CTS is clearly the best in NASCAR.

Mark Aumann: Well, the spread from top to bottom in CTS is so much larger. You really never know what might happen at the back of the pack in a truck race.

Joe Menzer: CTS, COT -- man, I'm having trouble keeping all of this straight.

David Caraviello: Get your COT ABCs together ASAP, JM.

2. Who's going to be under more pressure this weekend: Regan Smith -- or Dale Jarrett, Kyle Petty, Jeff Green, Scott Riggs, Kasey Kahne, Ken Schrader, Dave Blaney and anyone else around that top-35 cutoff point?

Joe Menzer: I say the veterans more than Regan Smith. They're trying to secure a top-35 spot; he's just trying to get his feet wet and gain valuable experience.

Mark Aumann: The veteran guys, by far. They can't afford to get caught up in anything. Regan expects to struggle.

Joe Menzer: Yeah, Regan will just be trying to survive and finish the race.

David Caraviello: Scott Riggs. He's walked this tightrope before and fallen off.

Joe Menzer: Of course, that's what everybody does at Bristol.

Mark Aumann: I think the biggest pressure might be on Johnny Sauter and Sterling Marlin. If they make the show, they basically have guaranteed themselves top-35 spots. If they don't, they could get caught, because all of those other guys are at least in the show and know they can make up ground. (Continued)