“We got a lot of pressure back in May to make changes on the Car of Tomorrow, because it wasn't driving as well as it could and all those things,” France said. “And we're very pleased that we didn't cave to that pressure, because that would have done two things.

“It would have cost the teams a lot more money, because we would have in theory moved the rules around - right? - and made them chase something else. That costs money every time we do that.”

True. But the long-term goal is to put a product on the track that fills the seats in the grandstands, and to do that requires memorable racing. Aside from an electrifying race at Dover and Edwards' banzai bounce off the wall in the closing laps at Kansas, this year's Chase hasn't provided the sort of indelible memories that could help fans forget that Jimmie Johnson is winning the Chase by a landslide.

France revealed Sunday that NASCAR hasn't made a firm decision on implementing its spoiler version of the COT in the Nationwide Series, even through drivers began testing the new car at Richmond in September.

Here's a suggestion. Why not incorporate work already done on the Nationwide car into the Cup series? Replace the wing, which isn't exactly a fan favorite, with the traditional spoiler. Jettison the bump-stop front-end suspensions of the Cup car and substitute the spring suspensions used in the Nationwide version.

Substitute forgiveness and adjustability for the extreme sensitivity of the Cup car and make it more difficult for a team to hit on a subtle nuance in the setup and run away with a race.

As France says, there are short-term costs involved with any rules modifications. NASCAR also would have to achieve a delicate balance between incorporating changes and saving money by minimising testing at tracks that host Cup events.

The bottom line, though, is that it's time to think about the long-term costs of inaction - and that means it's time to change the car.


by Reid Spencer/Sporting News