The Fast and The Furious - Did you see the movie?  Did you like it? If you were a car fanatic, you had to.  So did a whole new generation of potential NASCAR race fans.

As early as 2000 NASCAR was starting to think about a uni-template car.  Dodge came back into the NASCAR series that year.  The discussions regarding the Dodge body that would be approved sparked the uni-template discussion.

After Dale Earnhardt died at Daytona in 2001, NASCAR knew it had to focus on safety.  This safety consciousness led to the design of a new NASCAR race car and the uni-body became part of the total package. 

In the 2001 movie, The Fast and The Furious, we saw the height of cool in automobiles.  The cars in the film were a hit in any language.  That is huge when movies make their bucks on rentals worldwide.

The Fast and The Furious was released in June 2001 and became a surprise hit.  NASCAR took notice.  Is it any surprise then that the uni-body car began to resemble the vehicles from the film?

The COT looks fast and furious.  This is huge as NASCAR attempts to grow the sport by marketing itself to a new generation of potential NASCAR fans.  I think the COT is a hit in any language as well.  I think NASCAR has its future right.

more...

http://nascar.about.com/library/weekly/aa0314
00a.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dale_Earnhardt<
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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0232500/

http://www.myhometheater.homestead.com/fil
es/FF_GREEN_CAR.jpg

http://sterlingmarlinfanclub.com/?p=gallery>