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Car of Tomorrow wings it, may discourage Buschwhackers

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Larry McReynolds

FOX race analyst Larry McReynolds has more than 30 years of NASCAR experience as a mechanic, Daytona 500-winning crew chief and broadcaster. He earned 23 Cup wins as a crew chief, including two victories in the prestigious Daytona 500, as well as a pair of non-points victories in the annual all-star race.

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Updated Apr 5, 2006 12:12 PM ET
     
 
Tony from Brooklyn, Mich.: What do you think of the "Car of Tomorrow" in relation to keeping the sport competitive and still safe at the same time? And what are your thoughts on the COT's wing?

Larry McReynolds: If the wing fixes downforce problems, so be it, but I hate seeing it on our cars. It's NASCAR, the National Association of Stock Car Automobile Racing. I'm not a big fan of the wing because it takes the total stock look away from the cars.

Back in the 1970's, some Dodges had wings and raced well so who am I to say that's not the way to go? Of course, our cars are a far cry from stock today vs. where they were 10, 20 or 30 years ago. Safety is the first goal of the COT, but it's also trying to take away aero dependency at bigger racetracks like Fontana, Las Vegas and Michigan. When you catch someone, and you're better than they are, you won't hit a wall of air. You will be able complete the pass and race side-by-side. The COT may slow down the speeds so the drivers don't have any apprehension about running side-by-side going off into the corner. It should also reduce the number of cars that an operation has to have. If a wing complements all of those things, put two wings on it. Andrew from Las Vegas, Nev.: Much has been reported on this new "Car of Tomorrow," but nothing has been said of a new Truck/Busch Series Car of Tomorrow? Is anything in the works from NASCAR? Is it going to take a serious incident in the Truck/Busch series to bring up any serious discussion on this issue? Larry McReynolds: I haven't heard of any plans to do anything with the Busch cars and Craftsman Trucks right now. Trucks already have a lot of things that the Car of Tomorrow is trying to accomplish. They're bigger so they poke a larger hole in the air, have more drag and aren't as aero-dependent. Plus, teams don't have to have that many vehicles. They will run the same truck at Michigan, Texas, Daytona and Talladega.

Speed Mail Larry
If anything, the Car of Tomorrow could differentiate the Busch and Cup Series and help solve the perceived problem of too many Cup guys running in the Busch Series. Busch owner Greg Pollex told me that he doesn't have a problem racing against Ryan Newman, Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle, Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. It actually helps the series when those drivers run on Saturday. When Darrell Waltrip drove for DiGard and Junior Johnson in Cup, he ran the Busch Series with his own stuff. Back in the '70's, '80's and '90's, drivers raced with their own equipment. While Pollex said his team can outrun individual Cup drivers, they can't outrun Penske Racing, Roush Racing, Richard Childress Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing. There's no way to control the Cup organizations that are running satellite Cup teams in the Busch Series, but that's where the real issue lies. I don't see NASCAR running the COT in Busch so maybe it will be a big enough point of differentiation to discourage Cup teams from running in the Busch Series.

FOX race analyst Larry McReynolds has more than 25 years of NASCAR experience as a mechanic, crew chief and broadcaster. He and his fellow Crew Chief Club members take you behind the wall at www.crewchiefclub.com.

"How to Become a Winning Crew Chief" is on bookstore shelves, or you may order your own autographed copy from www.DWStore.com.

Tagged: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Greg Biffle, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick

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