The drivers who aren’t happy with the new cars will need to start making those mental adjustments soon because the COT will be raced 13 more times this season and will be phased into the entire 36-race schedule by 2009 for sure, and possibly by 2008.

“I would say some of the teams, like Hendrick and Gibbs and Earnhardt, have had good cars in this race,” Pemberton said. “They obviously have worked real hard to get a leg up on the other teams.

“The places where all the teams are making strides is learning how to work on these cars, how to make them better for their drivers.”

And not all of the drivers are unhappy with the car now.

“If this had been last year’s car, with that bumper, I would have been wrecked,” reigning Cup champion Jimmie Johnson said after finishing fourth at Phoenix. “It seems like these cars are more forgiving. You can’t just knock the guy out of the way; you actually have to pass him.”

And Hendrick Motorsports teammate Gordon, who won for the first time at Phoenix and equaled the late Dale Earnhardt’s career record of 76 victories, was OK with the COT, too — for the most part.

“Well, I’ll be honest with you; it was better than I thought it was going to be,” Gordon said. “I really thought that once you got out front, all you had to do was just mirror drive and there’s no way that guy (behind you) had a chance. But Tony (Stewart) got by me and then I got by him.”

“It was better than I thought it was going to be; it really was.”

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