(Written by Bram Hume)

Veni, vidi, vici means vari = veri + vindi

I came, I saw, I conquered in this case means variation= verification + vindication.

Variation is of course, the move, Verification that it is the right one ( as if there's ever been any question ) and finally, the vindication.. take that, doubters.

It's only a match race, a heat clash. But it points to a possibility -- most would say a given.

With teammates finishing within bumper's ( or in this case, a splitter's ) reach , that being 3rd, 4th and 6th that given is that Rick Hendrick will be a very happy car owner for the 2008 Sprint Cup season.

Like he was last season.

Why? Because his teams seem to more tune with the right now. They think the COT just a bit better than anybody else.

Right now , it's the COT at Daytona , which is not the COT at Talladega --  which is still close your eyes, count to 18 and turn left (and watch out for the ones that turn right)

This is handling.. which means shocks and springs and other fun stuff. Years before the aerodynamic sleds of the last decade or so that the COT replaces, there were the boxes, the flat nosed creatures that stalked the tracks.. The  Pontiac Grand Prix, the Buick RS, the Monte Carlo that was replaced by the Lumina, The Olds Cutlass, The Ford Thunderbird.

And those of you kids that are in your twenties --- at that point in NASCAR history , Dodge was a memory of an even earlier decade and Toyota wasn't even in the realm of possibilities.

The bias-ply tire was staggered , to promote roll to the left. The springs and shocks more for getting the car balanced right to left .. heavy left side bias, momentum swing center of gravity type stuff. And horsepower could overcome just anything.

Now with the COT, we are getting back to that type of stuff.

To a degree.

To many, the COT presented such a huge amount of pretzel logic. When it first was brought out there was no way it was going to work, they had nothing to transfer from the CoY (Car of Yesterday).

But the band kept playing and the song changed -- so did the dancing partner.

Sleek , exotic was replaced by the fat kid no one wanted to be seen with -- but turns out to be the better dancer.

In other words. teams had to learn and learn fast --  this car is old school for a new format.