Motorsports

NASCAR's new Tomorrow

No self-respecting racer wants to drive some homely contraption around the track, which is perhaps part of the reason so many Nextel Cup drivers retched at the sight and thought of the so-called "Car of Tomorrow."

By BRANT JAMES
Published March 20, 2007

No self-respecting racer wants to drive some homely contraption around the track, which is perhaps part of the reason so many Nextel Cup drivers retched at the sight and thought of the so-called "Car of Tomorrow." In fairness, it looks like a rental car with a picnic bench across the trunk. No matter. With Sunday's race at Bristol the boxier, ostensibly safer and more cost-effective "flying brick," as Tony Stewart once called it, becomes the car of today. It will be used 16 times this season and phased into full use by 2009 at the latest. Driver opinions have softened after seeing 40 of the cars together at a Darlington (S.C.) Raceway test last month. Everyone's ugly together, at least, so it's relative. And most, except Jeff Gordon, who reserved judgment until after a race, were effusive in their opinions of how the new car drives. But as for the looks ... "Oh yeah, it's (expletive) ugly," driver Kyle Busch said.

Factoid

If Mark Martin does not compete on Sunday - and he contends he will pass the No. 01 Chevrolet to rookie Regan Smith - it will be the first time since 1983 that the points leader opted to skip a race. That year, Cale Yarborough won the season-opening Daytona 500 but chose not to race the following week in Richmond.

Martin's day off will make Gordon Nextel Cup's active iron man.

Active streaks: Martin, 621; Gordon, 477; Bobby Labonte, 476; Dale Jarrett, 419; Jeff Burton, 380.

Up, up and away

Juan Pablo Montoya's adaptation to stock car racing, after spending his whole career in CART and Formula One open-wheel cars, continues to be rapid. He won the Busch Series road course race March 4 in Mexico City and produced his best Nextel Cup finish (fifth) in five starts on Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway to improve to 15th in the standings. It might have been even better had Gordon not held him up late in the race.

Montoya, though admittedly improving on the 1.5-mile ovals (such as Atlanta) that comprise much of the schedule, is concerned about upcoming short-track events. He has had but a few testing sessions to prepare for bull rings like Bristol and Martinsville, though the Car of Tomorrow could be somewhat of an equalizer as veterans learn the nuances of the new car.

"We've got Bristol, that's going to be a nightmare. Martinsville will probably be another tough one. Darlington, let's not even talk about that one," he said.

A female trio?

Samax Motorsport is expected to soon announce it will launch an Indy Racing League program in addition to its Grand Am sportscar effort and name Milka Duno as its driver. Duno's team, including open-wheel veterans Patrick Carpentier, Darren Manning and Ryan Dalziel, finished second in its class this year at the 24-hour Daytona sports car race. It was the highest finish for a woman in the 45-year history of the race.

Duno's presence would give the IRL three female drivers with Sarah Fisher and Danica Patrick.

Samax program director Peter Baron said the team will announce plans "shortly."

Falling star

Where is Kasey Kahne? Oh, down there, 36th in driver points. The first four races of the Nextel Cup season have been stunningly disappointing for a driver who led the series with six wins last season and finished a career-best eighth in the standings.

After a seventh-place result in the Daytona 500, he finished 38th at Fontana, Calif., after an engine failure. The other peoples' accidents relagted him to 35th in Las Vegas - where he sat on the pole - and 39th at Atlanta. Sunday, he started 12th, but ran into David Reutimann after the Zephyrhills native was clipped by Greg Biffle, starting a multi-car wreck.

Kahne's No. 9 is actually 37th in owners' points - and after Bristol, 2007 owners' points are used to determine the 35 automatic spots in the field. So Kahne needs a good finish Sunday to avoid being in danger of missing a race.

[Last modified March 19, 2007, 23:27:29]