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Matt_Cohn

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The Car of Tomorrow
« on: March 26, 2007, 03:15:41 AM »
A dozen years ago, it seemed unlikely that professional golf would be compared so frequently and purposefully with auto racing. But thanks to the FedEx Cup in particular, the comparison is now quite common in terms of schedule and structure.

I read an article a few minutes ago about NASCAR's Food City 500. The article focused on (winner) Kyle Busch's dislike of the "Car of Tomorrow", which as I understand it represents a new set of regulations for their racecars. Here is a quote from the story:


"Few winning drivers have felt worse than Busch, who spent most of his postrace interview in the media center complaining about how much he dislikes the COT.

'It's terrible,' he said. 'It's hard to drive and hard to set up.'

Gordon agrees, but Busch is missing the point. The Car of Tomorrow wasn't built to make driving easier. Along with safety improvements, it was built to try to even the playing field and make the racing closer.

'It's not comfortable to drive like the old car,' Gordon said. 'We're taking a step backwards in a lot of ways. But if it makes for better racing, I'm all for it.'"


Hard to drive. Hard to configure. Built to even the playing field and make the competition closer. A step backwards, but it makes for better competition.

Sounds like NASCAR's equivalent of rolling back the golf ball, doesn't it?

What can we watch for and learn from as NASCAR implements the Car of Tomorrow?

(PS: It's not a rollback, it's the Golf Ball of Tomorrow...)
« Last Edit: March 26, 2007, 03:17:24 AM by Matt_Cohn »

David Stamm

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:The Car of Tomorrow
« Reply #1 on: March 26, 2007, 11:04:36 AM »

What can we watch for and learn from as NASCAR implements the Car of Tomorrow?

 


Not a thing, Matt. Watching NASCAR would be like watching a golfer who has the hooks, left, left, left, left. God forbid he turns right or slice it! ;D

Seriously, if there was any kind of analogy applicable between the PGA Tour and car racing it would have to involve Formula One, since the PGA Tour is the highest level of golf (although I'm not sure anymore after the Ryder Cup trouncings) and Fomula One is the highest level of racing.
"The object of golf architecture is to give an intelligent purpose to the striking of a golf ball."- Max Behr

JESII

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:The Car of Tomorrow
« Reply #2 on: March 26, 2007, 11:15:57 AM »
My instinct is that a roll back of any kind in golf would likely increase the difference between the top handful of players and the rest...equipment dumbing down creative shotmaking hurts the best shotmakers...

rjsimper

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:The Car of Tomorrow
« Reply #3 on: March 26, 2007, 12:22:00 PM »
Thing is, the motivating factor for NASCAR to form the commission that ultimately developed the Car of Tomorrow, was largely the death of Dale Earnhardt.

(By the way, what's the next iteration in this sequence?  The Car of the day after tomorrow?  Car of Friday after Next?)

Previous to Earnhardt's death, things like restrictor plates were introduced in NASCAR because speeds were getting absurd (220mph) on the bigger tracks and the wrecks were spectacular.  People were dying and suffering major injuries.  Changes were made under the guise of "good for racing" but for the most part it was fear and safety.  

In nearly every case of a major NASCAR safety overhaul, the motivating factor was a death or some kind of major tragedy.

Plus, the shape and composition of a racing body has no effect on the manufacturers sales etc like a ball rollback would.  Even though it's called a Ford Fusion, the "stock" car has absolutely nothing (no part, etc) in common with a Ford Fusion that a consumer buys save for the blue oval.

Essentialy, the COT is akin at this stage to implementing the "tournament ball" in a few tournaments this year, most of them next year, and all of them the year after that.  

The model doesn't pan out, though, because the FECES does not require that golfers play in every or almost every event the way Nextel Cup does.  One could conceivably avoid the events with the tournament ball (though ultimately the time would run out on this strategy).

Regarding death as a motivating factor, many would point to the "death" of Augusta National and other classic older layouts like Myopia and Cypress Point as reason enough to bring about change...but unfortunately that death is subjective whereas Earnhardt's is, sadly, far too objective.  


Mike Benham

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:The Car of Tomorrow
« Reply #4 on: March 26, 2007, 12:54:57 PM »
Ryan -

You are pretty knowledgeable on this stuff - do you want to be in our NASCAR Fantasy League?
"... and I liked the guy ..."

Rick Shefchik

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:The Car of Tomorrow
« Reply #5 on: March 26, 2007, 01:18:01 PM »
If pro golf and NASCAR were to be truly analogous, you'd be seeing a story in the paper soon that the owners of the Daytona International Speedway were negotiating with the city to expand the track into a nearby neighborhood.

"We've got to do something to keep the track competitive for these modern cars," the Daytona officials will say. "At these speeds, the current oval just ain't big enough."
"Golf is 20 percent mechanics and technique. The other 80 percent is philosophy, humor, tragedy, romance, melodrama, companionship, camaraderie, cussedness and conversation." - Grantland Rice

rjsimper

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:The Car of Tomorrow
« Reply #6 on: March 26, 2007, 01:20:08 PM »
Ryan -

You are pretty knowledgeable on this stuff - do you want to be in our NASCAR Fantasy League?

Only if you can tell me where the best place in the Bay Area to get a Deep-Fried Snickers Bar is...

Matt_Cohn

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:The Car of Tomorrow
« Reply #7 on: March 26, 2007, 01:45:04 PM »
Ryan,

There's an ad in The Onion for a place at 11th and Folsom that serves frito pies and deep fried twinkies. You might want to try there.

The menu is worth a look - imagine the French Laundry, only the exact opposite.

http://www.smoothasbutter.com/html/menu.htm

rjsimper

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:The Car of Tomorrow
« Reply #8 on: March 26, 2007, 01:57:26 PM »
Matt,

The "Mermaids" casino on Fremont Street in Downtown Las Vegas has a sign out front advertising 99 cent Deep Fried Twinkies.

I've gone in several times to try and buy one.  Once they were sold out, once they were closed for cleaning the kitchen and anyone who has been in that place knows that you really don't want to wait 15 minutes inside the Mermaids Casino, and once they whole place was closed at around 3am.  I didn't realize Casinos closed.

john_stiles

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:The Car of Tomorrow
« Reply #9 on: March 26, 2007, 02:04:20 PM »

As to golf and racing,     there have been many changes in F1 rules through the years.

Most are related to safety and costs.  Many have been related to owners costs and therefore competiveness among the teams in the formula.    As much as they can, most formulas try to contain costs to some extent.

In my opinion,    most all changes in golf equipment are related to hitting it 'faster' in racing terms,  or in golf terms longer & straighter.

And if you need a bigger course,   or need to frequently rearrange greens, bunkers, tees,   that is just too bad.

Brad Tufts

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:The Car of Tomorrow
« Reply #10 on: March 26, 2007, 02:29:20 PM »
Ryan would make one think he is actually a NASCAR fan.  As one who now does business in Virginia, I have to brush up one of these days.

I would also like to point out he referenced a group called Feces....
So I jump ship in Hong Kong....

redanman

Re:The Car of Tomorrow
« Reply #11 on: March 26, 2007, 06:01:29 PM »

The car of tomorrow is next season's F1 car.

Anything else is just trash.

This year's is "OK", too. (For the great motorsport unwashed that populate this board



BTW, it's been "rolled back" twice already.

David Stamm

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:The Car of Tomorrow
« Reply #12 on: March 26, 2007, 06:10:38 PM »
Thank you Bill. That photo says it all.
"The object of golf architecture is to give an intelligent purpose to the striking of a golf ball."- Max Behr

Mike Salinetti

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:The Car of Tomorrow
« Reply #13 on: March 26, 2007, 07:48:25 PM »
Hopefully the PGA Tour will follow what NASCAR does to punish their drivers and Sergio will be fined $10,000 and docked 100 Fed Ex Cup points for a spit in the cup.

Mike Salinetti
Mike Salinetti
Golf Course Superintendent
Berkshire Hills Country Club
Pittsfield, MA