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Car of Tomorrow
Specifications
The Car
of Tomorrow is a car body style for NASCAR's NEXTEL Cup.
STOCKING UP:
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The new design of the Nextel Cup's "car of tomorrow," like this
Dodge Avenger unveiled at the 2008 Detroit auto show, will
eventually yield safer, more competitive and less
expensive racing. (Photograph by Jim Dunne)
This season, astute race fans are noticing something different
about champion Jimmie Johnson s Nextel Cup car. Aside from the
paint, headlights, grille and number decals, his Chevy looks
exactly the same as Matt Kenseth s Ford, Juan Pablo Montoya s
Dodge even Michael Waltrip s Toyota. It s been a long time since
Cup cars bore much of a physical or mechanical resemblance to
their namesakes. However, up until this year, the race cars did
look different from each other. A NASCAR Dodge didn't t look a lot
like the production model, but a fan could never mistake it for
a Monte Carlo. Now, that s all changed.
Beginning with 16 races this year and expanding to 26 races in
08 and the full season in 09, NASCAR s premier series is
essentially a spec series. In other words, the cars are
basically identical except for their engines all built to the
same exacting specifications. It s taken NASCAR five years to
create the blueprint for the new racer, which it has dubbed the
Car of Tomorrow. Its purpose is threefold: Increase safety,
reduce costs and provide closer competition with racer
protection topping the list. According to NASCAR communications
director Kerry Tharp: From the very beginning of this project,
the Car of Tomorrow has been all about improving driver safety.
The new vehicle is, essentially, a big crash-survival cocoon.
Outliving the Car
The new race car is larger than its predecessor, leaving more
space around the driver. The cockpit is 2 in. taller and 4 in.
wider, and the driver sits 4 in. closer to the car s centerline,
all to increase crush space. In addition, the windshield is more
upright, and the car has double frame rails with one rail
stacked on top of the other on the left side. That extra rail
means better protection in a car-to-car crash, says John Probst,
technical director for Team Red Bull.
To further boost safety, about 4 in. of impact-absorbing foam
has been added to both doors. The windows are bigger, to help a
driver escape more quickly. NASCAR also mandated a stout
360-degree tapered containment tunnel for the driveshaft, to
eliminate cockpit intrusion in a crash.
Finally, the car s fuel cell is smaller. The cell s bladder has
thicker walls, and a flapper valve replaces the previous fuel
system s potentially leaky ball-check valve.
NASCAR has spelled out the construction to a much higher level
of detail than ever before. That posed challenges for engineers
and mechanics as did the fact that the rules were still being
tweaked just weeks before the start of race season. Teams are
definitely struggling, says Eric Warren, technical director for
Evernham Motorsports. When they try and build these new
chassis, they can t hold the tolerances required. I would say
they are borderline petrified of going through the inspection
process.
The new rules aren't t all about safety: According to officials,
the the new carbon-fiber rear wing and front splitter, or
airdam, should allow better balance and more control, and
promote passing. That, the sanctioning body says, equals better
racing. But not everyone agrees. Some teams claim that the
dramatic, come-from-the-back slingshot passes that are popular
with many fans will become less common. If you lose the
pack, you won t be able to catch up, Probst says.
The reason, teams say, is twofold. The cars are larger and less
aerodynamic than before, and the shape is so regulated that
teams will have a hard time finding any aerodynamic edge. Teams
will also have less room to tinker with the chassis setup.
You re still able to play a little bit with the front clip in
terms of geometry, Probst says. You can decide whether or not
to run a crossbrace to add stiffness, but they re closing up the
gray areas when it comes to design.
The Tech Race
NASCAR s final goal for the rules overhaul, Tharp says, was to
cut costs. The new body s adjustable down force devices (front
splitter and rear wing) will allow teams to use the same racer
on short tracks, superspeedways and road courses, saving them
lots of money. Today, the wealthiest Cup teams have as many as
18 different cars for NASCAR s 23 tracks. Officials say that a
universal car levels the playing field. On the other hand, teams
could end up spending more in a sort of technological arms race
to gain an edge. This forces more advanced engineering because
the gains you can find are so much smaller, Probst says.
The new Cup cars may indeed lead to technical innovation within
the sport. They will almost certainly save lives on the track.
But will NASCAR still be as fun to watch? That, only the fans
can say.
continued-
Design
On January 12, 2006,
NASCAR announced a universal car named "Car of Tomorrow" after a
five-year design program.
The primary design considerations are
"safety innovations, performance and competition, and cost efficiency
for teams.
[1]
All cars will be required to fit the same set of templates. NASCAR currently has a different set of templates for each
manufacturer (Ford, Chevy, Dodge, and Toyota). NASCAR has frequently adjusted the rules to ensure that different car manufacturers have
relatively equal cars. The universal body of the Car of Tomorrow will eliminate these problems.
The car has reduced
dependence on aerodynamics and improved handling. The car will probably
feature a detachable wing, which has not been used since the Dodge
Charger Daytona and Plymouth Superbird in the 1970s.
[2] The windshield
is more upright, which increases drag. The air intake is below the
front bumper of the car, which eliminates overheating caused by
clogged grills. The
front bumper is more box-like, which slows the
car down by catching more air.
The Car of Tomorrow
has improved safety features over the current car.
The driver's
seat has been moved four inches to the right, the roll cage has
been shifted three inches to the rear, and the car is two inches
taller and four inches wider.
More "crush-ability" is built into
the car on both sides, ensuring even more protection.
The car's
exhaust runs through the body, and exits on the right side, which
diverts heat away from the driver.
The fuel cell is stronger, and
has a smaller capacity (17.5 gallons, down from 22 gallons).
Testing
The Car of Tomorrow
was first tested at the 2.5 mile Daytona International Speedway,
then on NASCAR's two shortest tracks, Bristol (0.533 mi) and Martinsville
(0.526 mi.), the 1.5 mile Lowe's Motor Speedway outside Charlotte,
North Carolina, and Michigan. Former NASCAR driver, current Nextel
Cup pace car driver and Director of Cost Research Brett Bodine has
tested the prototype car against cars prepared by current NASCAR
teams.
Schedule
The Car of Tomorrow will be first raced at the 2007 spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway. The car will be used at
sixteen events in 2007, consisting of all tracks less than a mile and a half in length, the road courses, and the second Talladega race. In
2008, tracks 2 miles or more in length will use it.
The Car of Tomorrow will be used at all events starting in
2009.
National Guard/GMAC Car -Monte Carlo SS Specs
YOUR
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CAR
VS. NASCAR
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Exterior
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Wheelbase: |
110
in. |
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Length: |
200.7
in. |
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Width: |
72.5
in. |
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Height: |
51
in. |
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Tread
width: |
60.5
in. (max.) |
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Curb
weight: |
3,400
lbs. (w/o driver) |
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Chassis
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Design: |
Rear-wheel
drive |
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Type: |
Tubular |
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Front
suspension: |
Independent,
coil springs, control arms |
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Rear
suspension: |
Trailing
arms, coil springs, panhard bar |
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Steering: |
Power,
heavy-duty |
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Brakes: |
Four-wheel
disc |
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Wheels: |
Steel,
9.5 in. x 15 in. |
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Tires: |
Goodyear
Eagle racing radials |
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Frame: |
Rectangular
tube by Hendrick Motorsports |
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Braces
& Roll-cage: |
Round
tubing built by Hendrick Motorsports |
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Engine
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Type: |
Chevrolet
V8-R07 |
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Displacement: |
358
cubic inches (maximum) |
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Compression
ratio: |
12:1 |
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Induction
system: |
4-barrell
Holley carburetor |
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Horsepower: |
850
hp @ 9,000 RPM |
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Torque: |
540
ft. lbs. @ 7,200 RPM |
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Fuel
economy: |
4.5
mpg (1.5-mile track) |
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Transmission:
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Type: |
4-speed |
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Capacities:
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Fuel: |
22-gallons |
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Oil: |
16
quarts |
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Cooling: |
14
quarts |
YOUR CAR VS. NASCAR
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Featured |
Passenger Car |
Cup Car |
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Wind-tunnel-refined
body shape |
Yes |
Yes |
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Four-wheel disc
brakes |
Yes |
Yes |
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Antilock brakes |
Yes |
No |
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Rack-and-pinion
steering |
Yes |
No |
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Electronic fuel
injection |
Yes |
No |
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Computer-controlled
ignition timing |
Yes |
No |
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Automatic
transmission |
Yes |
No |
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Power-assisted
steering |
Yes |
Yes |
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Power-assisted
braking |
Yes |
No |
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Airbags |
Yes |
No |
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Safety roll cage |
No |
Yes |
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Safety fuel cell |
No |
Yes |
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Computerized engine
controls |
Yes |
No |
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