COT vs. regular car: The numbers tell the real story (cont'd)

In total, there have been 2,363 quality passes in 2007 compared to 1,827 in 2006 -- a difference of 536 and a 29.33-percent increase this year over last. That's a thumping so far.

Lap-by-Lap

Jeff Gordon stayed out as Jimmie Johnson pitted, and despite driving an overheating car, held the lead en route to the victory at Darlington.

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We're only five COT races into the 16-race COT season, so don't take those numbers to the bank just yet. But the trend does spell promise for NASCAR and its fans. There was a lot of concern going into Darlington about whether or not the car would pass its first superspeedway test. In terms of competitiveness, the numbers say it has.

What surprised me even more than that was the toughness of the car.

Honestly, when was the last time you saw so much damage on so many front-running cars at Darlington? The 24, the 11, the 48, the 2, the 12, the 8, the 17 and so many more all wore very pronounced Darlington Stripes. They all ricocheted off the wall like they meant it, then rocketed down the road only to do it again next time around. Tell me that's not old school.

"I think it took [hits] maybe a little bit better than what our current car does and I really thought that there was going to be a lot more accidents," said Denny Hamlin after the race.

Carl Edwards agreed, "It was pretty good for me. You could hit the wall harder with these cars and not mess them up, so that was fun. It was just a fun race. I thought they did a good job here. I wasn't too happy with these cars at Phoenix and Richmond, but this was alright."

Actually, Sunday's race was more than alright. It was great (watch videos). Typical awesome Darlington, and the numbers prove it. Even those who lament a fifth consecutive COT victory for Hendrick Motorsports can take comfort in knowing that some teams are just one flawed pit stop or so away from their own domination of COT races.

And if that happens, I wonder if more people will come around and not flat-out hate the car quite so much.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.