Oct 16, 2006

Is Slower Better?

NASCAR ran another test of its "Car of Tomorrow" the other day at Talladega, but the test raised more questions than it answered about the project, which is the sanctioning body's latest gambit to assure parity between manufacturers and teams. To bring you up to speed, the project is part of a five-year effort to come up with a new Nextel Cup racecar "platform" from which all competing cars will be derived. The avowed goals of the effort are to improve performance, safety, competition and costs. The new car is slated to go into competition next year on a limited basis (16 races). In the 2008 season the Car of Tomorrow will be used in 26 races, and it will go the full schedule in 2009.

So that's the background, but here are the questions. First you have to ask, why does NASCAR seek to improve "competition," which, when you read between the lines, means institutionalizing parity between teams and the car manufacturers who support them. After all, isn't racing all about getting the edge on the other guys, coming up with the better widget or whozit to make your car go faster than the other guys'? And don't Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge and Toyota have the technical wherewithal to design great racecars on their own?

Well, yes and yes. But to NASCAR the overriding factor is always the "show." And it is obvious that NASCAR bigwigs think the way to get the best show is to have all the racecars be as doggone equal as they can be, all without saying they're the same. And that's a big qualifier. There are racing series in which all drivers pilot identical (at least as humanly possible) racecars. The International Race of Champions (IROC) series is the prime example. But NASCAR doesn't want that, because it wants Chevy, Ford, Dodge and Toyota to continue to pour money into the sport for promotion. So the Car of Tomorrow program is one way to assure near-parity without going with one single automotive brand. And as antithetical as parity is to a racer, it seems to work to bring out the crowds in other sports. Look at the National Football League, for instance. By the way they run the league and administer the schedule, it appears league officials would be thrilled if every one of its teams finished 8-8. Then they could all make the playoffs, and the crowds and TV viewership would be huge. So NASCAR is buying into that logic, and it thinks parity is good for the show.

You also have to ask why the Car of Tomorrow is slower than the cars of today. Isn't racing all about going faster and faster, improving the breed? Isn't it about technical innovation and building a better mousetrap?

Well, yes and yes again.  Except those mantras about racing are trumped by the desire for a good show. And NASCAR figures the show will be just as good or maybe even better if the cars all run at the same speed, and it doesn't really matter if that speed is 210 mph or 185. It all looks and sounds pretty much the same on TV. So if it makes the show better and it has the side benefit of being cheaper, why not go for it?

In light of this, we will follow the progress (?) of the Car of Tomorrow program with great interest. If you like door-banging action, it will certainly give you that.  But we have to ask a final question: is it really racing?