Track Smack: Are all the COT issues taken care of?

1. After two COT races, how "stinky" an issue are foam, brakes and whatever else, as we look towards Phoenix?

David Caraviello: The foam is a huge issue. You can't have something in the racecar that's going to burn up. NASCAR might have been caught a little off guard by it, and its good they immediately made it issue No. 1 to be resolved before we get to Phoenix.

Dave Rodman: The foam issue is particularly troubling, as Matt Kenseth so eloquently pointed out, because "nothing man-made that you burn can be very good for you." But having said that, the fact that relatively few teams are having issues with it is a good thing, I guess.

Raygan Swan: I agree. But after talking with the folks at Dow Automotive, they say it is not responsible for the symptoms drivers are complaining about: Headaches, dizziness, etc. They are standing behind their product and say it's safe.

Dave Rodman: Holy cow. I'm sorry to hear that, Raygan. Sounds like typical corporate CYA. I'd say it's safe if it stays in the state it was delivered in. It's good to see NASCAR jumped right on it, sent the engineering staff to Richmond and is doing what it needs to, to make sure it stays that way.

Raygan Swan: Yeah. Dow more or less passed the buck and said it's a NASCAR issue, they merely supply the foam and they aren't responsible if the crews don't know how to install it properly.

Dave Rodman: Well, that would tell you NASCAR needs to do a better job of a) explaining how to install it or b) inspecting the installation in pre-race tech -- and they've reacted so bravo to them.

David Caraviello: The fact that the first two races were on short tracks likely complicated things. Pieces like brakes and tailpipes get hotter on short tracks, because the cars can't get enough air through there to cool things down.

Dave Rodman: David, I think you make a good point about the short track phenomenon. I hardly think brakes would be an issue at Phoenix, no matter how hot it gets out there.

David Caraviello: That doesn't mean it's not an important issue, though. You can't have drivers wondering when something inside their cars is going to melt.

Dave Rodman: If that keeps occurring, NASCAR needs to mandate toxicology screens as part of medical clearance. (Continued)