CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- NASCAR will use the Car of Tomorrow exclusively in 2008, a year earlier than planned.

The COT was scheduled to run 16 races this season and be phased into competition during the next two years. But costs skyrocketed while car owners tried to maintain two programs -- the current car, and the COT -- and NASCAR said Wednesday it will move up the date if teams agreed.

"The majority of car owners actually came to us and said 'Now that we are up and running the car, it doesn't make sense to have two parallel programs moving forward,''' competition director Robin Pemberton said. "It seems to us that everyone is working on the Car of Tomorrow now and ready to use it exclusively.''

The COT was a seven-year project by NASCAR to design a universal car that is safer, less expensive and better for racing. It's been used in five events this season, all won by drivers for Hendrick Motorsports. The next COT race is June 3 in Dover, Del.

Most drivers have been critical of the COT, complaining about its handling and calling it difficult to drive, but they preferred going to one program.