The rollout of the new Nationwide car most likely will be around midway through 2009, NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton said Saturday at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

"It will probably be in the middle of next year sometime," Pemberton said. "We will try to do something that's more user-friendly than the roll-out schedule that they had in the Cup Series.

"We probably will go later in the year but more races in a row. We haven't determined that but we'll look at sometime after mid-year."

Once it starts, it likely will be a clean break with the new car used in all events except for road courses where NASCAR will revert back to the old car, Pemberton said.

NASCAR has had all four manufacturers in the wind tunnel last week for the second time in a month. It will return to the wind tunnel again in four to six weeks. NASCAR is trying to work with the manufacturers to get the aero numbers equal enough among all models while allowing them to keep some manufacturer identity. The car will retain the rear spoiler of the current car instead of the rear wing of the Sprint Cup new car, as well as other differences.

"We worked really hard and are taking a longer time with the manufacturers to help them get the right look," Pemberton said. "We got in a ballpark when they all brought their stuff. We knew the range we needed to be in, but it's how hard or easy for guys to change. Dodge has done a tremendously nice job on theirs."

The other reason for the delayed implementation is to help ease the cost to the teams, Pemberton said.

Many team owners are fretting over the costs and some have even suggested that they will need an entire year's notice to begin phasing out the inventory of old cars while building new ones.

But Pemberton indicated that the implementation already has been delayed from the start of 2009 and that starting in 2010 was later than what NASCAR wants.

"For financial reasons it's probably good because we can use up all the equipment we've got for the current car - the inventory of 12-15 cars a team. It allows you to get the most out of them before you retire them," said JR Motorsports Vice President of Competition Steve Crisp about NASCAR's plan to change mid-year next season. "It lets you plan far enough ahead in advance how to cycle those cars out and replace them more efficiently.

"It's going to be a big financial hurdle for the teams in the Nationwide Series because you're taking their existing inventory and it's basically going to be 10 cents on the dollar. It's kind of like getting a paddling at school in that you just [as soon] get it over with as you would to delay it."

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But NASCAR, with its rise in popularity over the last 15 years, has to realize that despite the sponsorship aspect, its drivers are prime candidates in getting caught up in something. There is so much money -- and so much pressure -- in the garage, that both drivers and mechanics have time, money and motivation to resort to illicit drugs.

That's why NASCAR needs to change its drug policy to include mandatory random drug testing of all its drivers. A driver likely has to be drug tested to get personal insurance, but NASCAR needs to take the lead.

Considering that 143 drivers have competed in the Cup, Nationwide and Craftsman Truck Series just this year, it would be hard to imagine that all are drug-free. Take 143 of your closest friends, don't you have doubts about one or two of them?

When NASCAR does test someone for reasonable suspicion and that driver fails a test, the penalty is harsh, just as it has to be in order to keep drivers confident they are racing against drivers who aren't under the influence and putting other drivers' lives in jeopardy.

NASCAR shouldn't be coaxed into changing its policy because one driver claims to have used heroin on a race day.

Instead, NASCAR needs to be convinced that it must change the policy because there's reasonable suspicion that anyone who drives on the national level has access to drugs if they want them, and the pressure they face makes drugs a convenient outlet. Combine that with a skeptical fan base questioning the integrity of the sport, and the only way to know if everyone is clean is to make them pee.

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