Testing: New Cars Look Good, But How Will They Perform?

[Auto News]

For Penske Racing driver Brad Keselowski (right) and Joey Logano, testing is especially important because Penske has switched from Dodge to Ford for 2013.

We all know that NASCAR has allowed the auto manufacturers to premiere their 2013 models this coming season, and, to be frank, that seems to have been the right move.
If nothing else, the fans seem to approve if for no other reason than the 2013 models look far more like their street brethren.
Now in NASCAR, a Ford Fusion, Toyota Camry and Chevrolet SS more closely resemble something that might be parked in your neighbor''s driveway - or yours, for that matter.
That's a far cry from what we've had in recent years. Since the infamous debut of the “Car of Tomorrow,” which at first came a glaring large rear spoiler, fans have decried that car identity had gone away.
Because of NASCAR''s design, the COT didn't look anything like a Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota and, at the time, Dodge.
It simply looked like a clone of itself. One car almost exactly resembled another which, many reminded us, was right out of the International Race of Champions, where all cars were created equal in every way - deliberately.
The concept was that if all cars were equal then IROC would truly be a test of driver skill. Not sure if that was always the case, you understand.
It seems the 2013 models will have no difficulty with acceptance when it comes to appearance and identity.
But the question is how will they perform on the track?
Teams should get a very good idea during the three-day test session for the Daytona 500, scheduled for Jan. 10-12 at the 2.5-mile Daytona track.
There's more. Because the 2013 cars are entirely new and NASCAR, understandably, wants the teams to adapt to them as best as possible, two other test sessions are set.



In 2012, Brian Vickers had the opportunity to test the redesigned Toyota Camry. The 2013 models appear to be more suitable for many fans.

They are Jan. 17-18 at Charlotte and Jan. 28-29 at Las Vegas.
NASCAR has set multiple test sessions many times in the past, especially when radical changes in car design or in rules applications have occurred.
It's expected that every team that runs the full Sprint Cup schedule will be in Daytona for testing - which makes sense given that it will be the first opportunity for them to see how they stack up against each other.
Many teams have already tested their 2013 models. Penske Racing, for example, recently held shakedowns at Talladega with driver Sam Hornish Jr. aboard.
Actually, for Penske, which features the 2012 Sprint Cup champ Brad Keselowski, that made sense. The team has switched from Dodge to Ford for the coming season. To test was not only beneficial for Penske, but also for all other Ford teams.
While the coming test sessions will indeed allow the teams to learn as much as possible about the new models and tweak them to be even better, there is one unsung, yet very real, goal:
Any team wants to be the first to have the fastest 2013 car. It was to discover what it could do to make its vehicle superior to all others and, therefore, be dominant from the first green flag of the season.
In other words, it wants to be the team to beat - right out of the gate.
At least for some time, that gives it a huge advantage. It puts rivals at bay and forces them to play a catch-up game; to do anything to erase their disadvantage.
It hasn't always happened that way, of course.
If I remember correctly when the COT made its debut teams groused about the vehicle and couldn't seem to do much with it.
To be frank, I thought they would solve the COT riddle in a manner of weeks. But if memory serves, it took months before one team, Hendrick Motorsports as I recall, found any advantage over the others. And that didn't last long.
That may again be the situation in 2013, but I tend to doubt it. Why? Teams that have already tested the new models have expressed cautious optimism over performance.
They haven't almost universally damned the car - which was, for the most part, the case with the COT.
If individual identity has largely been solved with the coming of the 2013 models, the obvious next step is to find a competitive balance and put on a good show for the fans.
But there is something else; something that has always been a part of testing.
Which is, find speed, speed and more speed. Come away from testing with the fastest car and, in so doing, leave rivals worried about how they are going to catch up.
Get the edge early. Be the first at the top of the hill. Leave ‘em in the dust.
For any team that is the ideal situation and one that can be reached only by meticulous detail to testing.
It's happened a time or two in NASCAR. We can't really say if it will happen again this year.
But make no mistake. If, during testing, one team discovers means by which it can surpass all others, it will use them - eagerly and happily, I might add.