Apr 2, 2007

Car of Tomorrow Could Mask Cheating

The 2007 Nextel Cup series began with a cheating scandal that erupted even before the first race got the green flag. Now, NASCAR's latest effort to change the technology of its Nextel Cup racecars - the Car of Tomorrow program - seems as if it could have the unintended consequence of creating a beard for those teams who want to bend the rules.

Why? Well, the simple fact is that the Car of Tomorrow (COT) has not quite been sorted out yet. For example, after the first race which featured the new cars, Bristol, a number of drivers complained of lingering fumes in their cockpits. Some were said to be exhaust fumes; others were said to have been caused by the melting and disintegration of insulating foam. Neither was something drivers are interested in living with, so NASCAR is scurrying to find quick fixes for these issues.

At the same time, springs in the COTs also seem to be an issue. Greg Biffle's Number 16 car was ruled to be too low in post-race inspection. Biffle's team claims no wrongdoing, and their claim seems legitimate since the short track at Bristol puts little premium on lowered ride height. In light of that, NASCAR officials decided not to sanction Biffle. Instead, they are investigating the root cause of the incident, as they should.

But the confusion over what is an "honest mistake," an "unforeseen failure" and intentional cheating is likely to be pretty blurry as NASCAR goes through the exercise of getting the Car of Tomorrow right. This kind of loophole is one that many teams are likely to drive a semi-trailer through before NASCAR gets it buttoned up.

The good news for NASCAR is that, for the time being, it can sweep any irregularities in the way racecars test in post-race inspection as anomalies that are the result of the new cars. The bad news is that some teams might try to exploit that situation to their own, unfair advantage. If you can't out-drive 'em, outsmart 'em, right?