NASCAR insider takes issue with CoT, picks Phoenix

As well as Carl Edwards has driven this season, he and his team have sabotaged his efforts to be running away in the standings. AP

Heading into Saturday's race in Phoenix, an anonymous NASCAR insider shares his thoughts about the latest vibes in NASCAR nation:

• "The CoT has done better on short tracks like Phoenix as opposed to big tracks because aerodynamics play a lesser role. But it doesn't necessarily mean that it's better than the old car. NASCAR stuck their neck out on the CoT, and they're going to want you to believe that it's the greatest racing ever; but the racing was fine before, with the old car. The problem with the CoT on tracks like Texas is the big, boxy shape they have. Whoever thought that punching a bigger hole through the air was going to make the racing better at bigger tracks has lost their freaking mind. It doesn't take rocket science; the bigger the hole the front car punches through the air, the less air the car behind them's going to have [creating more aero push].

"And that's what we've got. The old car was more streamlined and less draggy; it could punch a smaller hole through the air. Yes, we had an aero push behind cars, but it was pretty minimal compared to what we have now. This past weekend at Texas, I could be three tenths faster than somebody; but the second I caught them, I was stuck. If they didn't let me go, there's really not a lot you could do to pass them. There's one time the leaders were running three or four tenths faster than we were; but as soon as they caught me, they couldn't pass me. As long as I stayed on the white line, there's nothing they could do; they stalled right there.

"If NASCAR truly wants a car that's better aerodynamically for racing, they need to get more air to the second place car. Once they figure that out, races like Texas will be more competitive."

• "One thing I do like about the CoT is it has more room in the cockpit. I think most guys would agree with that, and we've all grown accustomed to it. But giving the CoT all the credit, or even a good portion of it, for saving Michael McDowell's life last week would be a lie. I think what saved Mike's life was improvements in the seats, the belts, the HANS, and the soft wall. In the same wreck, if you put Mike in a CoT, and you took away the HANS, the soft wall, and the better seats we have today, the chances of him walking away from that would decrease dramatically. On the other hand, if you left all of those components the same and put him back in the old car, I don't think you'd see a difference at all.

"I think what made McDowell's crash so bad is when he went sideways, he overcorrected and he drove it back into the wall headfirst. I've done that before ... I think we've all done it. It's a common rookie mistake at a big track; but to blame his crash on just the speedy dry is reaching. Speedy dry is not new; it's always been there [as a hazard], and it's a part of the sport. I'm not trying to pick on him -- you gotta remember, it's only his second start -- but I think that most of the more experienced guys probably would have just taken it a little bit easier and played it safe. When somebody just put oil on the track and they put speedy dry down, that's not when you try and go out there and sit on the pole."

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