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Meg, I liked the flowers, too! Especially the gold/yellow one. I would much much rather look at those than the wrecks. I opened one of the wrecks and ignored...
Nationwide COT to use different suspension package
By Lee Montgomery
Friday, December 07, 2007
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.- NASCAR Nationwide Series Director Joe Balash said Thursday that the car scheduled to be used in the series in 2009 will have a different front suspension package than the Sprint Cup version.
The Nationwide car of tomorrow will have a spring package like the one used in current cars, Balash said. Sprint Cup cars, which will all be the model formerly known as the COT beginning in 2008, use "bump-stops" on the front suspension instead of the "coil-binding" setup on current Nationwide cars.
"We want the car to drive different," Balash said at ESPN Club during media day for the final Busch Series awards banquet. The Busch Series becomes the Nationwide Series in 2008.
"We've gone down the path of having two very similar cars and very easily taking the technology that makes the car turn both aerodynamically and with suspension interchange between the garages.
"As we go forward, we want more difference there. We want to have our cars use a more conventional spring setup. We're not going to use the bump-stops on the cars."
Balash also said plans call for the Nationwide COT to be rolled out in all races in 2009. Nextel Cup teams ran the new car in 16 races this year, with the older version used in 20.
The Nationwide cars also will use a different body style, with a higher hood and shorter deck lid. Manufacturers are still deciding what model to use, though it appears likely Ford will run a Mustang, Chevrolet a Camaro and Dodge a Challenger. Toyota likely will stick to the Camry, sources said.
Balash said all four manufacturers have been involved in the design of the new car. The car has one more round of wind tunnel tests before NASCAR can lock down the ¹09 rules, Balash said.
Balash said the new rules package will likely be announced in January.
"It'll be early next year," Balash said. "We really have to get through another round [in the] wind tunnel. The bodies of the car, we need to lock down the final hard points. Those are the lines that don't change where all the templates have to fit."
2009 Sprint Cup Race for the Chase Standings
Driver Standings after the AMP Energy 500
| 1 | Jimmie Johnson | 6248 |
| 2 | Mark Martin | -184 |
| 3 | Jeff Gordon | -192 |
| 4 | Juan Pablo Montoya | -239 |
| 5 | Tony Stewart | -279 |
| 6 | Kurt Busch | -312 |
| 7 | Greg Biffle | -340 |
| 8 | Ryan Newman | -402 |
| 9 | Kasey Kahne | -414 |
| 10 | Carl Edwards | -437 |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | -448 |
| 12 | Brian Vickers | -556 |
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