NASCAR making the decision to bring on the COT will help out the underdog as all the cars are the same, and could be called kit cars for that matter. The big expense will be the motors as that is the only thing that will be different form Team to Team, and of course the guy that can stand on the load peddle the most.

The COT is a start of things to come in Stock Car Racing, and all the old cars being shuffled down are a huge new performance and safety asset to every series that brings them in. You can bank on the Nascar CTS cars becoming ex Cup Cars by 2010... mark my words. I for one think that would be a huge benefit to teams here when you compare building a new CTS chassis now for $30,000+, in comparison with buying a ex cup car for $10,000 which already has the best of the best in parts on it.

The cost to the Teams right now may be expensive but in comparion to building 20 cars in the offseason to building 5 to replace them, its a no brainer and a good move on NASCAR's part. Remember- NASCAR is not going to do anything that will shut down race shops, instead they are trying to save the teams money and open new doors for new teams. NASCAR is not stupid. They know the Cars and the Stars are what makes the show- so why does anyone think they are doing this to kill themselves.

NASCAR is about safety first, level of competition second, and money third... which they all ready have enough of, but all said and done, NASCAR has made the very best decision by going to the COT. 

"Safety First" since when, 2001? It only took 4 guys dying before they mandated head/neck restraints, 2-3 guys dying before they mandated pit road speeds, 5-6 guys before they quashed the Sportsman tour, 3-4 before they mandated fire suits, and coming within inches of a car getting into a grandstand before mandating restrictor plates. NASCAR's traditionally been reactive to safety measures rather than pro-active, and have only attempted to give the appearance of being pro-active after Dale Earnhardt died to save their asses (after throwing Bill Simpson under the bus failed to work). Unless, of course, guys in the know such as Jeff Burton, Bill Elliott, Dale Jr. and Tony Stewart are wrong...

I can understand where you're coming from about level of competition. There's definitely more teams capable of winning races across the board than ever before. However, at the same time, with the issues regarding officiating and inconsistency in rulings, it gives the level of competition an appearance of being semi-artificial, in that more manipulation by the sanctioning body is occurring (or at least more manipulating by ESPN, who knows)....

point taken about safety but how is that any different than any other sanctioning body, nhra,irl  or sport for that matter. this is inherently a dangerous thing we do. no one is more responsible for my safety than myself.

The other sanctioning bodies were on the head/neck restraint movement, traveling medical teams and the SAFER movement (IRL) long before NASCAR. While all sanctioning bodies have at one point in time been reactive towards safety, and while arguably some still have fundamental flaws (ie. IRL car design) in general most of the world's major sanctioning bodies worked towards being proactive in nature before NASCAR, in comparable areas. While racing is a dangerous thing, and while safety ultimately comes down to the individual, it's up to the sanctioning bodies to minimize the fundamental risks involved.

that they acted before the death of dale sr there is no doubt, but the items you list all came after deaths in their own series, my only point is the they also react so to hold them up as a shining light is false. speaking as a dale sr fan the same safety item you list restictor plate, i believe played a large part in his death, all the drivers at that time knew of the hans or others and they made the choice not to wear them, "you cant fix stupid".

Where am I putting them up on a pedestal? All I'm saying is that NASCAR was last to the proverbial party when it came to pre-emptive safety measures. Getting off topic, but frankly the largest thing that played a role in Dale Earnhardt's death, beyond the lack of a head/neck restraint, was the fact that he did not have his belts installed properly, which apparently would've failed regardless...