A seven-year project by NASCAR s Research & Development Center, the Car of Tomorrow was tested for the first time in the summer of 2004 – at Richmond. This week s test follows the series-wide session at Bristol Motor Speedway last month, and Greg Biffle (No. 16 Ameriquest Ford) says much has come to light since.
“I think this is going to be one of the best tests for the Car of Tomorrow car other than Bristol was the first time we were all together, ” Biffle said Tuesday before teams took the track. “This is going to be an important test for guys for Phoenix and all over the place, especially when we come back here. ”
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup teams will run 16 of this season s 36 scheduled events with the Car of Tomorrow. “I think it s going to go really well, ” Biffle said of the RIR test. “We ve learned a lot about the car in the last two races. Definitely there are some things that we ve picked up on, some scenarios that we ve learned a little bit about and have made changes to. ”
As teams learn more about the Car of Tomorrow via testing and competition, so too does the sporting public. Biffle said he s noticed the fan response to the Car, and isn t surprised.
“The COT car has created some buzz and some excitement, ” he added. “Of course it s going to because there are a lot of unknowns. It would be like watching the space shuttle launch for the very first time. Everybody is going to be looking at that thing. Nobody knows what s going to happen with this new car, so a lot of people are interested in watching, and that s created some buzz. “
Along with further research, Biffle and his No. 16 team – which includes many new crew members – will be pursuing breakthroughs to better finishes this week.
Biffle, the 2005 series runner-up, is rebounding from a sub-par 13th-place finish in 2006 and is currently 21st in the standings, with just one top-five finish.
“You know, we ve run extremely, extremely well for a new team, and I think that we ve got a lot of strength, ” Biffle said.
“I think that s going to come through quick. I think we ll break through in the next five or so races and win one of these things and be a threat to win a lot more coming up in the future. ”
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