The car of tomorrow (COT) will soon be the car of today.  Actually, it will be the car of tonight as NASCAR races under the lights at Phoenix.  The race at Phoenix will only be the third points race for the COT, and tonight's race is also going to be the biggest test so far for the car of tomorrow.  The track at Phoenix has a different design than the two tracks the COT has ran on so far this year (Bristol & Martinsville).
 I have heard many critics complain about the car of tomorrow.  They may say it does not handle well, it's not aerodynamic, it's not as fast and so on.  The majority of the critics are the drivers themselves.  To them I say, “Quit whining, and drive the stupid car!”  If Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty only won races when their car was handling well, neither of them would have won a championship.  The car of tomorrow is truly a “throwback” car disguised with a futuristic look.  Maybe the car is harder to drive because it is larger and cumbersome.  Maybe it is heavier.  That never stopped Darrell Waltrip and Benny Parsons from winning races.  These drivers were true ”drivers” in every sense of the word.  They were winning races when aerodynamics was virtually undiscovered, sheet metal was inferior and teammates did not exist.  The COT is separating true ”drivers” from impostors who have posed as drivers in recent years.  With the car of tomorrow, NASCAR is taking a step forward by taking a step back, and I love it!
 NASCAR was dangerously close to becoming more about engineers and designers than it was drivers and competition.  I've been watching NASCAR since 1991, and for the first time in years, the car of tomorrow has allowed me to watch true drivers win races.  I am a diehard NASCAR fan, but even I was getting sick and tired of waiting all week for the race to start just to see a gigantic pile up on lap one that was caused because of aero-push.  ”Aero-push” should not be in NASCAR's dictionary!  Aerodynamics was not only making it impossible for cars to simply touch each other, but it was also making it dangerous to get within 4 ft. of another car.  How can you have true competitive races when drivers are scared to get anywhere near another car?  The car of tomorrow has basically, from what I've seen anyway, gotten rid of aerodynamics in racing (a good thing).  It is no longer about what car is fastest, or what car is most aerodynamic.  Once again, finally, it is about who is the better driver!
 Now that the car of tomorrow is actually here, some thought has been given to what the car should be called.  I propose the name “Durocrate.”  “Duro” because the car is surprisingly durable.  Cars have not been tearing apart like tissue paper because of the slightest contact from another car.  Less sheet metal, more carbon fiber and safer role cage has created this change.  “Crate” because the car is shaped like a shipping crate.  What does a shipping crate do?  A shipping crate keeps whatever's inside it safe as it travels from one place to another.  This is what the car of tomorrow does.  It is a durable car that allows a safer environment to be wrapped around the driver as they travel from the start of the race to the finish.  I would much rather watch 43 cars go 10 mph slower, and have 39 of those cars finish the race after major contact than I would to watch 43 cars go 10 mph faster and only have 15 cars finish the race because they got tapped and their car tore apart as if a tornado landed directly on it!  I have watched the car tomorrow go hard, nose first, into the wall and other cars just to backup and finish the race.  The car of tomorrow may finish with half a wing, and the splitter may need shaped somewhat to avoid breaking off other driver's valve stems during the race; but, at least the car finishes the race and allows the best drivers to win.  That is what NASCAR is all about!