Post by Diamondback on Apr 2, 2007 13:56:21 GMT -6
Two things kind of stick out in my head after watching the Martinsville race this weekend.
First, The COT.
Wasn't the COT supposed to make racing safer, cheaper, and bring parity to cup racing? I saw anything but that this weekend.
I know it's only two weeks old, but I'm not liking what I'm seeing out of this car that has been in development for over five years.
Parity? Not so fast... seemed to be a very Chevy heavy top 10 for most of the race, and by teams that have very deep pockets as far as testing and research goes. These are supposed to be "one size fits all" cars designed to close the gap between the haves and the have-nots. Haven't really seen that happen, IMO.
As for cheaper, I don't think we'll see returns on that until next year. I fail to see how forcing teams to build two different types of cars... the COT for short tracks, and the "standard" cars for road courses, speedways, superspeedways, etc.,... is cost efficient.
Safer? Depends on your definition of "safety". Sure, no one has been knocked unconscious or anything, but when your "safety foam" ignites... not once, but twice*... in a race, you've really got to question how much R&D went into the COT.
*TrackPass listeners who happened to be listening to Harvick's in-car radio know that after the first fire had been extinguished, he returned to the racetrack, only to have it light up again near the end of the race.
Second thought:
What's up with Toyota?
Is it just me, or are some Toyota teams struggling much more than others?
Anybody remember when Dodge came back to Nascar?
Their philosophy upon returning was simple. We've been out of cup racing for a long time, and have a huge learning curve. Therefore, it's all for one. All the teams shared information, whether they were in the same organization or not, as to what worked and didn't work. It payed dividends, too. It was rare, iirc, to see a Dodge team struggle with even making a race, much less finishing a race.
Toyota, on the other hand, just seems to have missed the mark completely. Rather than hearing stories about how the Manufacturer has pulled the teams together and pooled information to make their program stronger, you hear stories about how this driver and that driver didn't make the field for the nth time.
Case in point, Jimmy Johnson and Jeff Gordon. Gordon qualifies third, and Johnson is junk. Jeff goes to Jimmy, hands him his setup and says "Go to town". Jimmy beats Jeff to the finish line by a nose. Sure, these are two well-funded teams that have done extensive testing on the COT's, but why hasn't Toyota done this? Or, if they have, why haven't we heard about it? Is there a media bias based on fan response to the introduction of Toyota? Or is Toyota just letting the teams hang themselves?
That's what it's beginning to look like to me. Toyota, based on the news (or lack thereof) and results, seems to be interested in nothing more than being able to say that they are involved in cup racing. If the teams can figure out how to run the cars, great. If not, no biggie... at least we're here.
Again, just some random thoughts.
First, The COT.
Wasn't the COT supposed to make racing safer, cheaper, and bring parity to cup racing? I saw anything but that this weekend.
I know it's only two weeks old, but I'm not liking what I'm seeing out of this car that has been in development for over five years.
Parity? Not so fast... seemed to be a very Chevy heavy top 10 for most of the race, and by teams that have very deep pockets as far as testing and research goes. These are supposed to be "one size fits all" cars designed to close the gap between the haves and the have-nots. Haven't really seen that happen, IMO.
As for cheaper, I don't think we'll see returns on that until next year. I fail to see how forcing teams to build two different types of cars... the COT for short tracks, and the "standard" cars for road courses, speedways, superspeedways, etc.,... is cost efficient.
Safer? Depends on your definition of "safety". Sure, no one has been knocked unconscious or anything, but when your "safety foam" ignites... not once, but twice*... in a race, you've really got to question how much R&D went into the COT.
*TrackPass listeners who happened to be listening to Harvick's in-car radio know that after the first fire had been extinguished, he returned to the racetrack, only to have it light up again near the end of the race.
Second thought:
What's up with Toyota?
Is it just me, or are some Toyota teams struggling much more than others?
Anybody remember when Dodge came back to Nascar?
Their philosophy upon returning was simple. We've been out of cup racing for a long time, and have a huge learning curve. Therefore, it's all for one. All the teams shared information, whether they were in the same organization or not, as to what worked and didn't work. It payed dividends, too. It was rare, iirc, to see a Dodge team struggle with even making a race, much less finishing a race.
Toyota, on the other hand, just seems to have missed the mark completely. Rather than hearing stories about how the Manufacturer has pulled the teams together and pooled information to make their program stronger, you hear stories about how this driver and that driver didn't make the field for the nth time.
Case in point, Jimmy Johnson and Jeff Gordon. Gordon qualifies third, and Johnson is junk. Jeff goes to Jimmy, hands him his setup and says "Go to town". Jimmy beats Jeff to the finish line by a nose. Sure, these are two well-funded teams that have done extensive testing on the COT's, but why hasn't Toyota done this? Or, if they have, why haven't we heard about it? Is there a media bias based on fan response to the introduction of Toyota? Or is Toyota just letting the teams hang themselves?
That's what it's beginning to look like to me. Toyota, based on the news (or lack thereof) and results, seems to be interested in nothing more than being able to say that they are involved in cup racing. If the teams can figure out how to run the cars, great. If not, no biggie... at least we're here.
Again, just some random thoughts.