Economy, testing ban could hamper Nationwide car of tomorrow
The NASCAR Nationwide Series car of tomorrow is in a bit of a holding pattern as the series heads into the offseason, especially after the sanctioning body banned most testing for 2009.
The car, originally slated to begin running at the start of the 2010 season, has been officially tested on the track twice, the last being at Lowe's Motor Speedway in October.
Nationwide Series Director Joe Balash said manufacturers Chevrolet and Toyota have some more work to do on the noses of their version of the car, and NASCAR officials would likely test their vehicles in the wind tunnel in January.
Balash isn't sure when the car will be tested again on the track, though it does need more work on the engineering and mechanical pieces.
"Whether the economics tell us to do something different, that's going to be a lot of conversation with team owners throughout all of 2009," Balash said.
"Six months ago, we were talking about more testing with the teams, not less. So we've got to keep our fingers in the pulse of what's happening business-wise."
That doesn't necessarily mean NASCAR could delay the cars debut later than the beginning of the 2010 season.
"I think it's too early to tell," Balash said. "We've got to get some months behind us and really watch what's happening, business-wise. We're a reflection of what's happening in the country. There are a lot of things that play into that."
Only six Nationwide teams have tested the COT on the track, though even those who have the new car aren't going to break the bank getting it ready for 10.
"There's a lot of things that have to happen between now and then," said Will Lind, general manager for Richard Childress Racing's Nationwide team.
"We're not going to worry about it until on up into the year. We're going to continue to do the development work that Chevrolet wants us to do. We're still dabble in it, but were going to focus on running what we've got."
