Inspection process for COT slow and tedious

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- It's 7:58 a.m. at Bristol Motor Speedway, where the No. 83 Toyota of Team Red Bull sits with its front two tires at the edge of the ramp to pull onto NASCAR's new inspection station for the Car of Tomorrow. Bill Davis Racing's No. 22 sits directly behind it. Both are waiting on the No. 96 to be finished.

At 8:20, the 96 car is pushed away and the Red Bull crew moves its machine onto the inspection bay, where a one-piece template has replaced the multiple pieces that traditionally measure the car's body and angles. It then becomes a chain reaction:

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• The 96 Chevrolet is pushed into the second inspection bay, where it goes through the rigors of nose templates and deck-lid measurements
• Team Red Bull's crew pushes its Toyota up the ramp and onto the platform where the majority of template-checking begins.
• Bill Davis Racing's No. 22 crew moves its Toyota to next in line.

By 8:40, Team Red Bull moves to the second station while BDR's crew climbs onto the first.

By 8:59, the Red Bull crew makes a quick stop at a third station and then pushes Brian Vickers' car through the garage and back to the team's pit stall.

At 9:21, the No. 22 crew makes it back to its stall, with the team's director of competition, Tommy Baldwin Jr., clinching a notepad full of changes that need to be made.

Welcome to the new inspection process for NASCAR.

"I've only seen one car go through this thing and it's been a half-hour," said Joe Nemechek, who stood by to watch the day-long list of cars go through the process during Day 1 of the Car of Tomorrow test at BMS. "It's going to be interesting."

Instead of multiple slim pieces of metal that slap down on each manufacturer's body type, now one large shell mechanically drops onto the top of the machine as NASCAR officials secure it properly to the frame.

One official measures the distance between the rear wheel and the bumper. Another places a template in the wheel well to check it. No less than three officials scan the car bumper to bumper with tape measures and devices to check for gaps between the template and the sheet metal.

"The value of being here and working with the teams on the process is to help everyone understand the issues," said Nextel Cup Series director John Darby, "and to expedite the process when we come back. (Continued)