by richard teague tinynascars@yahoo.com
You know, last week NASCAR officials seemed to relay the message that the teams were enthusiastic about the Car of Tomorrow, with the testing they were doing at Bristol, and in fact they said that the COT will most likely be full time by 2008, a full year earlier than forecasted. The Cup Series Director, John Darby, did say that the original three-year period was what the owners wanted, but since they now feel it would be easier and cheaper to start the 2008 season with the new cars, it just may happen. Sure, the owners want to go ahead and get this going so they don’t have to build two different types of bodies for two whole years. Their beef before was that putting together so many cars this season and then again next year (not to mention the facilities and transportation of the two types) was going to be very costly. Like I said, that was mid-week and Ward Burton and Clint Bowyer hadn’t made their test runs yet, and to hear what kind of tunes they sang could make ya wonder about the COT. With Dale Jr. saying, “It has exceeded my expectations at this point, as far as how the car is driving,” on Wednesday. Then Ward hit the wall that night.
For a driver that can finish the Daytona 500 on his roof and then flip back over and catch fire, Clint Bowyer sure had a few things to say about his COT test as his car hit the wall harder than he thought. Darby said there was only a “little bit of interest” from the teams about the crash. Clint said a few choice words about the car. He said it had a stronger body when it comes to racing, getting into the walls off a turn and, my personal favorite, “I’m afraid it won’t be much racing.” These guys have not been side-by-side trying to win a race just yet, and like Clint said, there will be a bunch of car with the radiator showing. “As soon as it got sideways I wasn’t able to correct it.”
Nonetheless, NASCAR is bringing the Car of Tomorrow to the races and there ain’t nothing anybody can do about it. Or is there? Now, if I could win the Mega Millions this week and want to really start some s**t (or if I had a bunch of lawyer friends, and I do really, but not many of them are NASCAR fans, I don’t think) here’s what I would do. First off, let’s go back a few years, like fifty or more, to the formation of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. Let’s see how good ole Merriam-Webster defines that. National: “of or relating to a Nation.” Association: “an organization of persons having a common interest.” How about STOCK CAR: “a racing car having the basic chassis of a commercially produced assembly-line model.” Auto racing: this one is really simple and self explanatory, I think, “cars in a contest of speed.”
You must think I’m going nuts here, but I am building to a real big finish, so pay attention. What I am saying is that NASCAR needs to change its name. It should be NAAR, The National Association of Auto Racing, because there isn’t a dad burn thing about a “Car of Tomorrow” that is STOCK, and you can’t buy one at the local dealer, now can you? Yeah, I know they have not run a stock car body for years, but remember when there was a rule that if it was going to race on the track, at least so many had to be produced by the manufacture. What about that ole saying, “Win on Sunday, Sell them on Monday”? Well we all know that’s not true, but it used to be. If my driver wins in a COT and I want to go buy one, where can I get it?
I still for the life of me cannot figure out why the automakers have let NAAR get away with the lack of car definition and all of them looking like the same type of bodies, except for a name on the front or some small difference between makes. Just like the open wheel cars or the sprint cars, where can I buy one of those on Monday? I’m sorry, but I don’t watch Formula or Indy racing or road course racing, I got better things to do, like watching paint dry. But NAAR is betting that fans will continue to watch and go to races with the Car of Tomorrow, and I just don’t understand how they can think that will happen.
OK, here’s the big finish. Like I said earlier, if I had the money or the lawyers I would file a class action lawsuit in the Federal Court nearest Bristol this week against NASCAR. I would claim that NASCAR has violated its agreement with the fans, sponsors and teams by forcing the development and use of the Car of Tomorrow in its sanctioned racing. I would demand that the COT not be used until it is available on the open market, or that NASCAR change it’s name to the National Association of Auto Racing (NAAR) and all rules about “only stock car bodies” be removed from their by-laws. I further would require that, until they comply, no races be held of any form at any tracks here in the United States.
Well I better not go any further for this week. If NAAR needs to contact me, or if y’all do, it can be done at tinynascars@yahoo.com, and, in accordance with new names, I have come up with a new last shot, as I call it. If It’s NASCAR It’s S**T!
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