A Nextel Cup race car is a far cry from the Nissan Altima mid-size sedan, but it was in the latter that Dow Automotive’s IMPAXX energy-absorbing foam made its public debut.

Now the styrene-based material, in the form of a panel that attaches to the tube frame on each side of a Car of Tomorrow, has a NASCAR part number and is being sold to every Cup team.

IMPAXX is highly engineered thermoplastic foam designed to absorb energy upon impact, compressing, buckling and ultimately exhibiting controlled fracture during the energy-absorbing process.

According to driver David Reutimann, IMPAXX foam has significantly raised the level of safety in NASCAR. “Recently, we had a situation at the Talladega Super Speedway where the Burger King Toyota Camry was hit by a car in the driver’s side door, and then our car hit the wall,” Reutimann explained. “It happened simultaneously. It was like a double impact. The hit was so hard; I didn’t think we could continue. The way the foam absorbed everything was pretty amazing and I felt fine after the accident.”

IMPAXX appeared on every Car of Tomorrow that raced in 2007, in 16 Nextel Cup events in all; CoT will be adopted for the full 36-race schedule in 2008. Dow has not ruled out supplying IMPAXX to other series in the future, such as F1 or WRC, if permitted by the regulations.