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NASCAR: The Car Of Today . Formerly known as "The Car Of Tomorrow". Over the past couple of years, a lot has changed in the world of stock car racing, and thankfully, a lot hasn't. While the safety features of these cars have seen a lot of improvement, the goal has remained the same: SPEED. Lots of speed. The cars are still capable of 200+ MPH, but the drivers can still walk away, even after the worst of crashes. Simply put, the COT is the safest racecar in the world. Anybody who disagrees needs to watch the videos at the end of this page. .
The chassis. Both of the exhaust pipes are on the right side of the car, to keep the heat away from the driver.
One thing that hasn't changed a lot is the interior. It still lacks the leather seats and the XM radio. And the cupholders. And the GPS. And the...
What?! Oh, yeah. Uh, moving right along....
There haven't been many changes under the hood, either.
The engine sits a little further back than it used to, and it puts out about fifty more horsepower than the old one. That brings the total horsepower up to 850. Uh, vroom?
Another big change is the spoiler. This is the first time there's been an actual wing on a NASCAR racer since the Dodge Charger Datyona. But after recent tests, NASCAR officials learned that the old spoiler supplies more downforce than the current wing.
That's right! NASCAR is going to switch back over to the old spoiler this year!
There's also been some minor changes to the fuel tank, which I'll explain after the next photo.
Now the fuel tank features a valve that seals the tank shut if the car flips over. This keeps the fuel from leaking, which reduces the risk of fire.
Everything's open...
Side-by-side with a diecast COT. (Jeff Gordon's car, of course!) One thing that I think needs improvement is the front splitter. I'd like to include the support pins sometime.
Hey, is that a Megabloks brick.... ON THE EDGE OF A CLIFF?!?!
"This is madness!"
"Madness?!... THIS... IS... SPARTA!!!"
*VROOOOOM*
Well, in the immortal words of Paul Harvey,
"You know.. The rrrrrest of the story."
And now, watch as these drivers walk away unharmed from some of the most violent crashes in recent NASCAR history. Or watch if you're one of those strange people who only watches NASCAR for the wrecks.
And no, this isn't a model of Ryan Newman's car. Thirty-nine is still my unlucky number.
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