NASCAR Pleased With Car Debut

NASCAR was pleased with last weekend's debut of the Car of Tomorrow, and said Friday that several problems (including exhaust failures that exposed drivers to carbon monoxide) can be easily fixed.

Several drivers finished the race with a "carbon monoxidey feeling," some after their exhaust systems failed during the race, Nextel Cup director John Darby said.

Brian Vickers suffered second degree burns to his feet, and needed oxygen after Sunday's race because of his exposure to the carbon monoxide.

"The exhaust failure is the first thing we went to work on," Darby said before practice at Martinsville Speedway, where the Car Of Tomorrow (COT) will race again this weekend.

NASCAR determined teams used a thinner metal for their exhaust systems in the COT's than they typically use in the cars, and the heat generated during the race caused several of the pipes to break. Some also misapplied the padding designed to shield other components from the heat, and that caused other parts to fail, Darby said.