If Passing Is a Problem For All-Stars...

...then this blogger is worried about Sunday's Coca-Cola 600.

Face it, NASCAR fans. The introduction of the Car of Tomorrow into full-time use for 2008 has produced some less than desirable racing at the 1.5-mile tracks that are near cookie-cutters of Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Tony Stewart first blamed it on the tires at Atlanta in March, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a subtle criticism a week ago at Darlington when he said after the race that passing other cars was as bad as its been in a long, long time at the Lady in Black.

My favorite comment, though, about how the new car is behaving on-track in race mode came from Matt Kenseth after Saturday night's Sprint All-Star Race XXIV when he referred to clean air as "magic" for the handling of the car.

Clean air -- undisturbed air that allows full downforce on a race car -- started to become a quick antidote for bad handling race cars with the previous version of the Sprint Cup car. The addition of a wing and splitter on the next-generation race cars used full time this year was supposed to decrease the effect of that variable.

Instead, it seems to have made it much, much worse.


I'd say that after Kasey Kahne shocked everyone and himself after winning the all-star event, that had Kahne restarted any further back than third, his No. 9 Dodge wouldn't have driven away from the field. In other words, Kahne likely won because a pit call put him up front in that clean air while Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards got mired up in the "dirty" air and didn't have near the handling afterwards.

And as the tape shows, Kahne drove away from the world en route to the win during the final segment.

Now, NASCAR fans will get NASCAR's longest night of 600 miles to see just how well this new car can perform in race conditions. From everything we've seen in 2008 like Kahne pulling away to an improbable win or Jeff Gordon falling flat on his face at Texas, the new car walks a razor-thin line of handling.

Throw the thing in a pack of cars compared to driving in the lead and drivers essentially have the tale of two race cars during the same race.

On Sunday night, there may be several leaders, but there won't be several battles for the lead. Just like the all-star race, the battle for the lead after a restart will last 5 laps, one driver will fly out to a big lead and thats how it will remain until a caution comes out.

I'm hoping to be surprised, but frankly, NASCAR fans might find the majority of the Coca-Cola 600 to be a great nap time after a long Memorial Day weekend. Hopefully though, NASCAR will see that with the economy the way it is, a sterilized racing product that drivers can't race with won't be good for the bottom line.

And once that bottom line is impacted, there will likely be change in the Sprint Cup rulebook. Vicious cycle, huh?