Accidents and spins in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series fell to their lowest levels in five years, USA Today database research shows.The taller, boxier, sturdier new-generation car, which began full-time duty this season after a 16-race trial in 2007, was involved in 211 incidents resulting in a caution, according to data compiled from NASCAR race reports. That’s a 12 percent drop from last season and marked the lowest total since 2004, when the 10-race, playoff-style Chase began.Wrecks during this year’s Chase also fell 33 percent from 89 in ‘07 to 60 this year, the lowest in the playoff’s five-year existence.“It is encouraging,” NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton said. “However, one season isn’t necessarily a trend, as we know these numbers tend to be cyclical by nature. These are some promising results, though.”Many drivers chalked it up to a season-long process setting up the car’s handling for all tracks. Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch seemed to have it figured out in combining for 24 victories this season.One huge surprise was Rookie of the Year Regan Smith, who had the third-lowest accident rate (12 percent) and became the first Cup rookie to finish every race.Rookie Sam Hornish Jr., a former Indianapolis 500 and three-time IRL IndyCar Series champion, topped the list with 20 accidents in 34 starts (59 percent).“Everyone is just getting better and better,” said series runner-up Edwards, who had the fourth-lowest accident rate. “Guys are realizing how to race and not make mistakes, so I think part of this is the sport changing a little bit, and I think part of it is the car. But it’s hard to put your finger on (the exact reason).”NASCAR introduced the car last season with intentions of enhancing competition and driver safety. While drivers insist the former is an ongoing process, they marveled at the car’s forgiving traits despite a design that invites more action.“The cars are just tougher and less aero(dynamically) dependent, and when they’re less aero dependent, that allows you to continue on,” 2004 champion Kurt Busch said. “The thing that’s missing is downforce. If the car has downforce, it can race better behind the car that’s in front of it.”Other than a 12-car melee at Talladega Superspeedway in October that collected several contenders in NASCAR’s championship Chase, over-the-top incidents were rare during the model’s first full Cup season. And for all those attributes praised by the sport’s body shops, drivers countered with complaints that the car also drove like an armored vehicle, making bump-and-run racing impossible.That might explain the decrease in accidents and spins. Certainly, Cup drivers aren’t suggesting the racing landscape became kindler or gentler this past season; but they acknowledge that risk-taking was hard because the car wouldn’t cooperate.“If you go back in history and look at times when the car has become difficult to drive, the cautions come down,” driver Jeff Burton said.“These cars are hard to drive, which, by the way, I think is a good thing.”Series runner-up Edwards, Kyle Busch and Johnson nonetheless found success despite that paradox, combining for 24 victories while finishing in the bottom half of accidents and spins. Edwards, with a series-high nine wins, had the fourth-best accident rate with five accidents in 36 races (14 percent); Johnson, who won seven times, was involved in seven incidents (19.4 percent) while Busch, with eight wins, had nine in 36 (25 percent) to rank in the middle. Greg Biffle, who won twice and finished third in points, had just three incidents this season (8.3 percent).After a 16-race trial mostly on short tracks and road courses in 2007, this season seemed to be a work in progress for drivers trying first to adapt to the car before adjusting it to the circuit’s 22 venues. Much of their concern was the car’s performance on intermediate-length tracks (1.5 to two miles) that comprise much of the schedule, particularly in the 10-race Chase.Consider that marquee names such as four-time champion Jeff Gordon, two-time champ Tony Stewart and most popular driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. combined for just two victories with Gordon going winless for the first time in 16 years. Even Johnson needed eight starts before winning at Phoenix.