NASCAR Fans Online Look Back at the Car of Tomorrow

One of the most defining features of the original “Car of Tomorrow” was the rear wing on the back. Only three years into the car’s life cycle, the wing was gone and the rear spoiler returned. NASCAR fans on Reddit discussed that very controversial piece of the COT car, with some finding an odd fondness with the wing and the COT.

The fondness of the COT opens an interesting discussion on how the COT is perceived. While it has its dissenters, it also has plenty of people who look on it very fondly.

In the Stands

2011 was widely considered one of the best seasons in recent memory.

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by u/Constant_Use_330 from discussion It’s been 15 years and I still can’t understand why that spoiler was ever put on those cars.
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I mean, there are worse theories.

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by u/DistanceRight1039 from discussion It’s been 15 years and I still can’t understand why that spoiler was ever put on those cars.
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gasmask11000 with a more practical answer. Did the wing really produce less dirty air though?

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by u/gasmask11000 from discussion It’s been 15 years and I still can’t understand why that spoiler was ever put on those cars.
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KyPry loved the look of the COT car

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by u/KyPry from discussion It’s been 15 years and I still can’t understand why that spoiler was ever put on those cars.
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Nathan92299 talking about why the wing caused cars to flip.

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by u/Nathan92299 from discussion It’s been 15 years and I still can’t understand why that spoiler was ever put on those cars.
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BabycakesMurphy loved the rear wing, unlike some others.

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by u/BabycakesMurphy from discussion It’s been 15 years and I still can’t understand why that spoiler was ever put on those cars.
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These wings did not seamlessly fit on a stock car.

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by u/MrBrickBreak from discussion It’s been 15 years and I still can’t understand why that spoiler was ever put on those cars.
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Catamounts21 actually like the COT car.

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by u/Catamounts21 from discussion It’s been 15 years and I still can’t understand why that spoiler was ever put on those cars.
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Loving something that is not good.

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by u/S1MCB from discussion It’s been 15 years and I still can’t understand why that spoiler was ever put on those cars.
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@_Sesto_ has a soft spot for the rear wing.

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by u/_Sesto_ from discussion It’s been 15 years and I still can’t understand why that spoiler was ever put on those cars.
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The Perception of the COT

The “Car of Tomorrow” is a controversial car to this very day. It has its’ fans and it also has people who dislike it. Brian France even went onto the Dale Jr Download a few months ago, and he discussed some of the mistakes made with the car.

Personally, I did not begin watching NASCAR weekly until 2007, so I came in as soon as the COT became a part of the sport. I have a bit of a nostalgic love of the COT because that was the NASCAR I grew up with. Many other people, such as The Iceberg, acknowledge that the COT was not all bad.

At the end of the day, the biggest goal of the COT was to make a race car that was safer. The COT was the first generation of NASCAR stock cars that had zero fatalities. In that respect, the COT was a success.

Even so, the shortcomings of the COT were definitely understandable. The wing causing cars to flip for whatever reason and the overall looks of the car were definitely shortcomings that NASCAR tried to rectify with the newer version of the COT run in 2011 and 2012.

Overall, the COT leaves a complicated legacy. It succeeded in some areas, but it failed in others. Being the car in use during the beginning of NASCAR’s decline does not help either. With that being said, the COT had some great moments too, and those should be celebrated.

It will be interesting to see how the COT continues to age. Especially as the generation I am a part of begins to get older, and the COT becomes the “classic” version of NASCAR.