Post by dalejrfan on Oct 21, 2006 15:05:02 GMT -5
MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- A Nextel Cup crewmember reached beneath the counter in the back of his team's hauler and pulled out a black T-shirt with the initials COT circled in red and a red slash through the middle.
Plenty more circulated through the garage at Martinsville Speedway where NASCAR's premier series will race on Sunday.
They apparently originated at Robert Yates Racing, one of the strongest adversaries to the Car of Tomorrow (COT) that will be used in 16 races next season.
"I don't know anything about it," RYR co-owner Doug Yates said with a laugh.
Few are laughing about the COT, which is scheduled to debut in the March 25 race at Bristol and under consideration for use at the Budweiser Shootout before the season opener.
Since Jeff Gordon publicly blasted the car during Tuesday's testing at Homestead-Miami Speedway people are coming out of the woodwork against the car.
Some hate it because of its boxy look and front-end splitters. Gordon said it doesn't look like a stock car. Penske Racing South president Don Miller described it as "butt ugly."
Others hate it because of the added costs in developing while trying to develop better current cars for the remaining races next season. Evernham Motorsports owner Ray Evernham said the costs will run some smaller teams out of business.
Some hate it because the car hasn't handled well in traffic during several tests and made passing harder than it is in the current cars. Jimmie Johnson said the car is more aerodynamic-dependant than anticipated.
Others hate it because of the design that includes a transmission and rear-end package totally different from current cars.
"It's a step backwards as far as technology," said Yates, whose organization only recently built a car. "We're all here for safety and a good competitive race, but some of what they're doing is a step backwards."
Miller agreed.
"There's nothing on the Car of Tomorrow that we couldn't have done to the cars now," he said.
Although five races remain in this season, teams are getting nervous because next season is less than three months away and NASCAR continues to tweak the COT. There also are concerns about the inspection process that hasn't been finalized.
"If we bring that car without having the entire inspection process sorted out it's going to be a zoo like we've never seen before," Evernham said. "I'm more concerned that they have consistency in their inspection, because we've spent a lot of money to get ready to do this."
Money is a big issue, period. NASCAR insists the car will cut costs in the long run, saying teams theoretically will need fewer cars because they can use the same car at a short track such as Martinsville as they do on a superspeedway such as Talladega.
Todd Berrier, crew chief for Kevin Harvick, said he'll need more cars because the COT can't be repaired as fast as the current car.
"If you hit the wall like Mark Martin did [during Friday's practice] the complete body has to come off of it because of the way the templates are all integrated," Berrier said. "It's not like you can roll it into the fab shop and get it back by lunch time and have a side on it.
"You have to cut the body off and put another body on it. You can't turn them around as fast."
Berrier said RCR has added 90,000 square feet of work space and 50 new employees just to accommodate preparation of the COT.
"That puts us in an awkward position for the following year," he said of the 2008 season. "We're going to add 50 people, so now we're going to be forced to add another team to keep 50 people's jobs or get rid of 50 people."
Larry McClure, the co-owner of Morgan-McClure Motorsports, said he can't afford to do that. He agreed with Evernham that smaller teams such as his could be run out of business.
"Where [larger teams] get the cars built and make them better, we'll just be building cars," he said. "We've just got to work harder and smarter than they do."
McClure isn't convinced the COT will save money down the road.
"I haven't seen anything that we've changed lately that's saved us money," he said. "I just don't understand why [the COT is] here. I don't see how it's going to make for better racing. The way we're getting beat is not by the designs of this car.
"We've been running five reasons without a [full-time] sponsorship. That's what makes it hard to compete with other people."
Greg Zipadelli, the crew chief for defending Cup champion Tony Stewart, said the COT also will put a strain on larger teams such as Joe Gibbs Racing.
"The problem is we can't stop working on our current car because 50 percent of the races basically are that to make the Chase [in 2007]," he said. "We're building new current cars and Cars of Tomorrow. It's a waste of money."
Zipadelli is glad NASCAR apparently has squelched plans to add the first Talladega race -- No. 9 on the schedule -- to next year's COT schedule.
"It's too much," he said. "With the effort we put forth for the Daytona 500 and then throwing in the current cars and going to Las Vegas which has a new surface and then to Bristol [with the COT], you're just asking people to do too much.
"All it's doing is stressing people out. Yeah, you can look at the big picture. Will it be better? Will it be safer? That's stuff you look at and hopefully all of your work and effort, that's what becomes of it."
As for the black-market COT shirts, Zipadelli has seen them.
"I haven't purchased one, though," he said. "It doesn't matter. If that's what they choose to do, then that's what we're going to do. Our attitude is to try to be the best with the new car, the best to be able to adapt to it.
"There's no sense bitching and moaning about it. There's no sense complaining and getting upset about it. It is what it is. Let's go see how to be the best with that."
Plenty more circulated through the garage at Martinsville Speedway where NASCAR's premier series will race on Sunday.
They apparently originated at Robert Yates Racing, one of the strongest adversaries to the Car of Tomorrow (COT) that will be used in 16 races next season.
"I don't know anything about it," RYR co-owner Doug Yates said with a laugh.
Few are laughing about the COT, which is scheduled to debut in the March 25 race at Bristol and under consideration for use at the Budweiser Shootout before the season opener.
Since Jeff Gordon publicly blasted the car during Tuesday's testing at Homestead-Miami Speedway people are coming out of the woodwork against the car.
Some hate it because of its boxy look and front-end splitters. Gordon said it doesn't look like a stock car. Penske Racing South president Don Miller described it as "butt ugly."
Others hate it because of the added costs in developing while trying to develop better current cars for the remaining races next season. Evernham Motorsports owner Ray Evernham said the costs will run some smaller teams out of business.
Some hate it because the car hasn't handled well in traffic during several tests and made passing harder than it is in the current cars. Jimmie Johnson said the car is more aerodynamic-dependant than anticipated.
Others hate it because of the design that includes a transmission and rear-end package totally different from current cars.
"It's a step backwards as far as technology," said Yates, whose organization only recently built a car. "We're all here for safety and a good competitive race, but some of what they're doing is a step backwards."
Miller agreed.
"There's nothing on the Car of Tomorrow that we couldn't have done to the cars now," he said.
Although five races remain in this season, teams are getting nervous because next season is less than three months away and NASCAR continues to tweak the COT. There also are concerns about the inspection process that hasn't been finalized.
"If we bring that car without having the entire inspection process sorted out it's going to be a zoo like we've never seen before," Evernham said. "I'm more concerned that they have consistency in their inspection, because we've spent a lot of money to get ready to do this."
Money is a big issue, period. NASCAR insists the car will cut costs in the long run, saying teams theoretically will need fewer cars because they can use the same car at a short track such as Martinsville as they do on a superspeedway such as Talladega.
Todd Berrier, crew chief for Kevin Harvick, said he'll need more cars because the COT can't be repaired as fast as the current car.
"If you hit the wall like Mark Martin did [during Friday's practice] the complete body has to come off of it because of the way the templates are all integrated," Berrier said. "It's not like you can roll it into the fab shop and get it back by lunch time and have a side on it.
"You have to cut the body off and put another body on it. You can't turn them around as fast."
Berrier said RCR has added 90,000 square feet of work space and 50 new employees just to accommodate preparation of the COT.
"That puts us in an awkward position for the following year," he said of the 2008 season. "We're going to add 50 people, so now we're going to be forced to add another team to keep 50 people's jobs or get rid of 50 people."
Larry McClure, the co-owner of Morgan-McClure Motorsports, said he can't afford to do that. He agreed with Evernham that smaller teams such as his could be run out of business.
"Where [larger teams] get the cars built and make them better, we'll just be building cars," he said. "We've just got to work harder and smarter than they do."
McClure isn't convinced the COT will save money down the road.
"I haven't seen anything that we've changed lately that's saved us money," he said. "I just don't understand why [the COT is] here. I don't see how it's going to make for better racing. The way we're getting beat is not by the designs of this car.
"We've been running five reasons without a [full-time] sponsorship. That's what makes it hard to compete with other people."
Greg Zipadelli, the crew chief for defending Cup champion Tony Stewart, said the COT also will put a strain on larger teams such as Joe Gibbs Racing.
"The problem is we can't stop working on our current car because 50 percent of the races basically are that to make the Chase [in 2007]," he said. "We're building new current cars and Cars of Tomorrow. It's a waste of money."
Zipadelli is glad NASCAR apparently has squelched plans to add the first Talladega race -- No. 9 on the schedule -- to next year's COT schedule.
"It's too much," he said. "With the effort we put forth for the Daytona 500 and then throwing in the current cars and going to Las Vegas which has a new surface and then to Bristol [with the COT], you're just asking people to do too much.
"All it's doing is stressing people out. Yeah, you can look at the big picture. Will it be better? Will it be safer? That's stuff you look at and hopefully all of your work and effort, that's what becomes of it."
As for the black-market COT shirts, Zipadelli has seen them.
"I haven't purchased one, though," he said. "It doesn't matter. If that's what they choose to do, then that's what we're going to do. Our attitude is to try to be the best with the new car, the best to be able to adapt to it.
"There's no sense bitching and moaning about it. There's no sense complaining and getting upset about it. It is what it is. Let's go see how to be the best with that."