COT gets mixed reviews at Fontana

NASCAR’s Car of Tomorrow got mixed reviews in its debut at California Speedway on Thursday as Sprint Cup drivers tested the design for the Auto Club 500 later this month.

The series’ season opens Feb. 17 with the Daytona 500, followed by the Fontana race Feb. 24.

California Speedway wasn’t among the tracks where NASCAR began phasing in the Car of Tomorrow last year. But the car -- designed to be safer and reduce operating costs -- is now the series’ only race car.

With the snow-capped San Gabriel Mountains as a backdrop, drivers ran practice laps in the first of two days of testing on the two-mile California Speedway oval.

They also practiced Thursday night, because the track’s second race of the season, on Labor Day weekend, starts in the late afternoon and ends under the lights.

“Everybody in the garage is pleasantly surprised with how well the cars drive,” said Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing.

Well, not everybody. After the morning session, reigning Cup champion Jimmie Johnson said his Hendrick Motorsports Chevy was handling poorly and “we haven’t had any fun yet.”

Some of the fastest average speeds, above 181 mph, were posted by Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing and Ryan Newman of Penske Racing.

Testing resumes today at 9 a.m. It’s free to the public, and access to the infield area next to the garage is available to those with tickets to the race or for a $5 admission.

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james.peltz@latimes.com