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NASCAR's new cars runs first laps in TexasAssociated Press
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - Clint Bowyer was still coming off the corners in Texas going more than 200 mph. From the first lap Tuesday, the car stuck going low into the first turn.
"There's definitely things that feel different, but I was pleasantly surprised, I really was," Bowyer said during the first of a two-day tire test, and the first time NASCAR's new cars ran at Texas Motor Speedway.
While the testing is primarily to provide Goodyear the basis to determine what kind of tire to bring for the Samsung 500 in April, Bowyer and Juan Pablo Montoya are getting the first chance to see how the new car - the former Car of Tomorrow - handles on the 1 1/2-mile, high-banked track.
"It wasn't far off (last year). It was close. I think the race pace is really close," said Donnie Wingo, Montoya's crew chief. "It will get better when everybody gets used to working with it."
NASCAR used the COTs for 16 races last season, but not at Texas and similar 1 1/2-mile tracks. This year, the cars with changes designed to improve driver safety, cost management and competition are being used for every race.
"Hey, it's four wheels, a steering wheel and an engine," Montoya said. "Get a couple of more months in these cars on big tracks and people are going to be happy."
Bowyer, who finished third last year in the Chase for the NASCAR Cup, and Montoya are the only drivers taking part in the only test scheduled at Texas before the race.
The handling, more than the speed, surprised Bowyer.
"It really handled well and did the things that the old car did, and it felt comfortable. It felt normal," he said. "The things as a driver you want to see, the consistency was right there. We were within a couple-hundredths of a second every lap there on the first run."
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - Clint Bowyer was still coming off the corners in Texas going more than 200 mph. From the first lap Tuesday, the car stuck going low into the first turn.
"There's definitely things that feel different, but I was pleasantly surprised, I really was," Bowyer said during the first of a two-day tire test, and the first time NASCAR's new cars ran at Texas Motor Speedway.
While the testing is primarily to provide Goodyear the basis to determine what kind of tire to bring for the Samsung 500 in April, Bowyer and Juan Pablo Montoya are getting the first chance to see how the new car - the former Car of Tomorrow - handles on the 1 1/2-mile, high-banked track.
"It wasn't far off (last year). It was close. I think the race pace is really close," said Donnie Wingo, Montoya's crew chief. "It will get better when everybody gets used to working with it."
NASCAR used the COTs for 16 races last season, but not at Texas and similar 1 1/2-mile tracks. This year, the cars with changes designed to improve driver safety, cost management and competition are being used for every race.
"Hey, it's four wheels, a steering wheel and an engine," Montoya said. "Get a couple of more months in these cars on big tracks and people are going to be happy."
Bowyer, who finished third last year in the Chase for the NASCAR Cup, and Montoya are the only drivers taking part in the only test scheduled at Texas before the race.
The handling, more than the speed, surprised Bowyer.
"It really handled well and did the things that the old car did, and it felt comfortable. It felt normal," he said. "The things as a driver you want to see, the consistency was right there. We were within a couple-hundredths of a second every lap there on the first run."