NASCAR tests new Nationwide series car at RIR

By RALPH N. PAULK
RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH
Published: September 9, 2008

A handful of drivers spent Monday Richmond International Raceway testing a new kind of car for NASCAR’s Nationwide Series.

It was the first on-track test for a Nationwide car that will have significant chassis, body and engine changes. The test had drivers in the four makes that compete in the series—Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford and Toyota.

NASCAR officials said the series’ Car of Tomorrow could make its debut as early as the Michigan race next August, and no later than 2010.

In the first of two days of testing on the .75-mile RIR, drivers responded positively to the Nationwide CoT. They said they like the way the car handles and looks.

That is a marked contrast from the reception for NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series Car of Tomorrow, introduced last year. Complaints about that car continue unabated.

Carl Edwards, taking a break from testing yesterday at RIR, said, “So far, the Ford Fusion has been really good. It looks cool and it drives really well.

“It feels a lot like the [Nationwide] car we’re driving right now. Compared to when we were first ran the [Car of Tomorrow] in the Cup series, the change is much smaller with this car.“

David Ragan, Edwards’ Roush Fenway Racing teammate, said some performance changes will be noticeable only while testing. That could mean drivers who skipped yesterday’s test—including Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick—might be at a slight disadvantage when the car is introduced.

“We’re kind of starting from scratch,“ said Ragan. “We’re just monkeys out there driving, and all we can tell [the engineers developing the CoT] is what the car is doing.“

Robin Pemberton, NASCAR’s vice president of competition, said the Nationwide CoT “is the sum of all the safety initiatives we’ve worked on in the last seven years. The differences in the aerodynamics, body and suspensions make the car handle differently.“

NASCAR officials hope the new car will diminish the competitive edge that Sprint Cup drivers have when they run in the second-tier Nationwide races.

Pemberton said the Sprint Cup and Nationwide cars will be different enough that Cup drivers from big-budget teams won’t be able to walk into the Nationwide garage “with all their technology and blueprints and setups, and . . . dominate.“

The lower-level series has been dominated for years by Cup drivers. This season, Cup regulars Clint Bowyer and Carl Edwards are first and second in the Nationwide point standings. The past two champions Edwards and Kevin Harvick—won a combined 23 events in taking titles in 2006 and 2007.

NASCAR officials said that while plenty of testing remains, the Nationwide CoT development is on schedule to have the car ready to debut no later than 2010.

“I can’t see anything that will delay us rolling the car by at least 2010,“ said Joe Balash, the series’ director. “Our engineering time frame is sooner than 2010.“
Contact Ralph N. Paulk at (804) 649-6851 or .