The End of An Era

[Haulin'AssAndTurnin Left]

I have read a in a couple of places that with the the "old car"/"current car"/"car of today but not next week" on the way out that the Era of bump drafting is over. Is this really the case?.

I would have thourght the COT would be even better for bump drafting with its front and rea bumpers lining up.

[ghostdancing]

I don't think that NASCAR would allow the entertainment value of the plate races fade away. The races at Daytona and Talladega are far too important to the whole season, and to us the viewers.

I know some NASCAR fans don't like watching the cars all bunched up and no-one going anywhere, but to me, and many others, it's a truely glorious site, especially watching all 43 coming off turn 4 at Talladega on the first lap with that huge American flag fluttering in the background.

I think the COT's will be even better, their bigger, and I think will make for more spectacular wrecks, all be it safer too.

Bump drafting will never fade away, cool ;)

[Lee Roy]

I certainly hope that bump-drafting is gone. It's nonsense.

[call_me_andrew]

I think we'll still see bump drafting. But I think the sling shot may make a comeback.

If NASCAR really wanted to break up the pack, they would use grooved tires.

[dont_be_jack]

It won't completely get rid of it, but yes, the slingshot should come into play more. You can't entirely bump draft because of the weak front ends and the lower bumpers without damaging your nose.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Gotta like the slingshot. Having one pack for about a lap or two is nice, but you watch the footage of old Superspeedway races, they were NOT dull, but they were more like races everywhere else, and this is fine for 90% of us. Superspeedway bump draft carnivals just are not .....normal? Maybe that is the wrong word, but they just aint right.....it isn't really racing, it is more like a lottery, and you win if you can manage to be bumped up with about a quarter of the track to go...

[call_me_andrew]

I've taken a little more time to think about this, and now I'm not sure we'll see bump drafting or the sling shot. While the front of the car is designed to punch a bigger hole in the air, the rear is designed to fill that hole in quickly.

With the spoiler, there's a high pressure area right in front of the spoiler, and that directs atmospheric air up and away from the car. That helps to create that big low pressure wake we know and love. Air can pass between the bottom of the wing and the decklid, and that's going to fill that wake in quickly. I don't think NASCAR has tested the finished product in a pack yet, so Talladega is either going to be very, very good or very, very bad.

[blakebeatty]

I am surprised that they didn't use the CoT in the Pepsi 400 also... they definately want to be sure that it provides an entertaining Daytona 500.

[tstran17_88]

I certainly hope that bump-drafting is gone. It's nonsense.Agreed.

Plus they'll end up breaking those tie-rods (or whatever Nascar is calling them) off the front splitter and cutting more tires down with the edge of that thing if they bump draft. We've already seen it on the short tracks with the COT.

[call_me_andrew]

Agreed.

Plus they'll end up breaking those tie-rods (or whatever Nascar is calling them) off the front splitter and cutting more tires down with the edge of that thing if they bump draft. We've already seen it on the short tracks with the COT.

I haven't seen them be a problem. The truck series never complains.

[blakebeatty]

I haven't seen them be a problem. The truck series never complains.

Nope, seems to be working just fine there. The only issue that came up with the CoT was the burning foam. There was no tire cutting.

[Aussie12]

Given NASCAR’s current penchant for fining the heck out of anyone who has a marginally different interpretation of anything surrounding the COT, will they allow any modifications to the front/rear bumper as is now practiced on Daytona and ‘Dega?

[call_me_andrew]

The COT's bumper is already meant to be more like the Daytona and Talladega bumpers (or as I've come to call them, low nose and high nose).

Chad Knaus mentioned on NASCAR Performance that the new restrictor plate COT's are still going to be different from the rest of the COT's. He said they would manipulate the rear of the car, but that was pre-Sears Point. I don't know if that idea is still in play or not.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Andrew....what Chad says is legal, and what actually is legal are gonna be different. I love how he said he would "manipulate" the rear of the car. Umm....CHAD, that is the whole point, NASCAR don't want no one manipulating the COT...

[call_me_andrew]

Maybe that is the wrong word, but they just aint right.....it isn't really racing, it is more like a lottery, and you win if you can manage to be bumped up with about a quarter of the track to go...

If you think it's that easy you might want to give this game a try.

http://www.flashgamesinc.com/game/422/5-Miles-To-Go.html

I mean the game's not that great (or well made), but it's certainly a challenge.

[tstran17_88]

Nope, seems to be working just fine there. The only issue that came up with the CoT was the burning foam. There was no tire cutting.Hmmm? I seem to remember the three stooges on FOX talking about the edge of the splitter causing cut tires during a race earlier this year. Not sure if there was any press written about it.