New Car of Tomorrow Bumpers Making An Impact

One of the designs of the NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow project that has seemingly stayed under the radar has already played a large role in the outcome of at least one race for this new design.

Jeff Gordon banged, slammed, and brushed Jimmie Johnson's rear bumper in nearly every corner Sunday with about ten laps to go. One would have expected Johnson to eventually slide up the track and Gordon to slide right on by for the victory. But he didn't, and Gordon didn't.

The CoT is sporting a newly designed front end and almost fits with the rear end of another car like matching puzzle pieces. The front bumper is flatter and taller, allowing it to bump the car in front of it -- not lift it up.

Brett Bodine, a former driver and now NASCAR's Director of Cost Management, couldn't be happier with the design.

"The thing that's really impressing me is that with the bumpers being lined up, cars aren't spinning each other out when there is nose-to-tail contact. That's what the whole bumper design was about."

Jimmie Johnson sure benefited from the design Sunday at Martinsville. He feels its going to improve racing.

"The guy behind you can't just go in there and knock him out of the way. You've actually got to drive the car past him."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. had the same comments last week at Bristol, saying "it was kinda cool" that "when you hit them, it just throws them forward".

The CoT has now passed the short track test except for a few issues with foam padding and tailpipes. Those will be fixed and are relatively minor. However, the true test lies with Phoenix and beyond, as the cars start to hit speedways with more speed. For now, though? This car has run well, raced well, produced nothing drastically surprising, and things are only looking up.

Count me in as one of those CoT fans.