Car of Tomorrow requires steady hand

I loved the Car of Tomorrow on Sunday, even if some NASCAR crew chiefs and drivers didn't.

Making its debut, the COT _ or Car of Tomorrow _ charged around the half-mile Bristol Motor Speedway bullring like a, well, like a fighting bull.

It banged a few walls, blew off some steam and appeared to have a mind of its own in the turns.

The car was designed to lower costs and bring parity to Nextel Cup Series racing. Time will tell.

What I like most: It apparently is a challenge to drive and work on. But with drivers and crew chiefs paid big bucks, I don't see that as a problem. Obviously, two-time Cup champion Tony Stewart, who dominated most of the race, didn't.

Stewart (Joe Gibbs Racing) led four times at Bristol for a race-high 257 laps before a fuel pump cable broke on his No. 20 Home Depot Chevy Impala SS, relegating him to a 35th-place finish.

Good drivers like Stewart will handle the transition to the car in stride, as will his crew chief, Greg Zipadelli.

"I'm proud of everybody," Zipadelli said afterward. "We'll go to Martinsville next week and have a better race."

Kyle Busch (Hendrick Motorsports), who won Sunday's Food City 500 in the No. 5 Kellogg's/Carquest Chevy, had his moments in the Car of Tomorrow . But he persevered with help from crew chief Alan Gustafson and some gentlemanly driving by Jeff Burton (Richard Childress Racing), who could have derailed him at the end but didn't.

"Kyle did a great job adjusting his driving style in what he had to do in those cars," Gustafson said. "During the course of the race, we were constantly learning. I felt like I was in school for a while. We don't have the ability to get those cars into the racetrack like we used to. They don't have as much down force."

Gustafson asked Busch to cool things down, which he smartly did.

"Drivers, by nature, want to drive the car hard. That's what they get paid to do," Gustafson said. "They want to go fast. With this car, that's not the way it is. You have to be smooth and very consistent to be fast."

The Car of Tomorrow learning curve will be steep this season for some drivers and teams. But that should make this year's Chase for the Championship the best yet.

WELL DONE BY WHELDON

Dan Wheldon (Target Chip Ganassi Racing) won Saturday night's IRL event at Homestead-Miami Speedway by more than six seconds _ an eternity in Indy car racing.

Wheldon probably could have gone to Formula One this year or perhaps have run a Busch or Nextel Cup car.

But he remains true to open-wheel racing, and his next goal is to win a second Indianapolis 500 (May 27) to go along with his 2005 victory.

Before Homestead, I picked Sam Hornish Jr. (Penske Racing) to repeat at Indy. I still do _ but Wheldon's stunning performance over the weekend has made me _ and the IRL field _ a little nervous.