For most drivers, the number one complaint with the new car - formerly known as the COT - has been lack of passing. According to data from Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, passing was up and so was the action.

NASCAR announced the number of passes that took place during Sunday's 600-miler at Lowe's was the most in three years. A total of 2,850 green flag passes took place on the mile-and-a-half track, about 900 more than the year before. That is an increase of 44% over the 2007 Coca-Cola 600.

Teams seemed to find a better handle on this new car over the three weeks spent at the Lowe's Motor Speedway. Some questioned the reasoning behind an additional test prior to the race at Darlington Raceway, but looking back it seems the extra track time paid off.

While the passing stats might be up and the promise of great racing is just around the corner, not all drivers have a handle on the car. Sunday's second-place finisher Greg Biffle explained he experienced things during the 600 miles that had never been experienced before.

"It just drove completely different from one run to the other," Biffle explained. "I think we got some issues going on with the way the car lands in the corner or the bump stops or something."

Regardless, teams continue to learn about and find their footing with this new car. Although last week's All-Star Race was a bit of a bore, Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 was a good race - the proof is in the stats. This car is still a work in progress and - in this writer's opinion - will lead to nothing but great racing further down the road.