Little Stock in Stock Car Racing(For all you "Left-turners" LOL)

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. -- There is a story NASCAR insiders swear is true and claim is not an isolated case.

A few years back at a Ford dealership outside Harrisonburg, Va., two men in their late 20s walked in on a Monday morning and started asking about a certain model of Taurus. They were neatly dressed, appeared to be sober, sane and serious. And soon, their focus became clear: They found stock car racing exciting and thought they would buy a car to join the fun.

If only it were that easy.

Veteran driver Mark Martin once described the difference between a showroom vehicle and a stock-car racer as being like the difference between miniature golf and the PGA Tour.

The word "stock" in the title of the sanctioning body, the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing, had some meaning when coupes raced around the sand and road course in Daytona Beach in the late 1940s. But today, that meaning has all but disappeared.

"There are still a few pieces that are stock," said Jimmy Makar, senior vice president of Joe Gibbs Racing, a mechanical engineering graduate of Maryland and longtime crew chief on NASCAR's top circuit.

"Chassis? No, nothing stock. Engine? We still use a stock block from the manufacturer, but after that, it's all after market," Mr. Makar said, using a term that in NASCAR garages means buying very expensive custom-made parts.

"Anything stock?" asked Brett Bodine, former NASCAR driver and car owner who now helps oversee the organization's Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C. "The hood, the roof, the rear deck lid. That's about all I can think of. Speed and safety; racing had to move on."

Thanks for the ping Wolfstar.

Below is what Jeff said about the COT. Note: the engines will continue being built by the teams, but the rear wing [ugh I hate saying that] will be handed out by Nascar!! This whole COT thing working out remains to be seen. Also, the size of the new bumpers may promote more bump drafting which has been a problem because the younger drivers don't use this technique properly resulting in accidents.

Not everyone is convinced about the increased safety, however. "Well, I don't see that there's that much more room other than headroom," said Gordon after a test run for Hendrick. "I still have my reservations and concerns. My seat's moved further inside the car to the right, but I'm closer to the door bars than I was before. To me, there's not really any big gain there. For me, headroom's not an issue in the current car we have so that was never an issue that we focused on, but I'm happy that it's going to work out for those (larger) guys." The newly-designed vehicles will feature a more upright windshield and a boxier, thicker front bumper. Both changes will increase drag and reduce speed, thus placing more of an emphasis on driver performance. No longer will on-track debris create overheating problems. The front air intake of the new vehicles will be obscured by the front bumper. Adjustable aerodynamic components, like a rear wing and a front splitter, will be available for teams to modify setups in attempts to create advantages.

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