New COT car a handful at the Speedway

Two days of testing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway were enough to show Kurt Busch that drivers will have to relearn how to drive the track when they return in July for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.

Busch, Brian Vickers and Dale Earnhardt Jr. concluded a Goodyear tire test at the Speedway on Wednesday before heading to Alabama for this weekend's Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Since finishing second to Penske Racing teammate Ryan Newman in the season-opening Daytona 500, Busch said his team has struggled to get a handle on NASCAR's new-generation car. But he doesn't expect to be alone in that regard when the Sprint Cup series rolls into Indianapolis for the July 27 race.

The new car is heavier and the balance is different, which Busch said affects how it handles in the corners and puts more strain on the right-side tires.

"There's much more braking because you can't corner at the same speeds," the 2004 Cup champion said. "It's much harder on the brakes, it's much harder on the engines and, of course, it's harder on the tires.

"I hope we find the right combination of tires so the pace in the race doesn't drop off too much. You'll still see about the same speeds in qualifying, but in the race, the pace will drop off." More at IndyStar