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Meg, I liked the flowers, too! Especially the gold/yellow one. I would much much rather look at those than the wrecks. I opened one of the wrecks and ignored...
NASCAR holds closed-door meeting to discuss new car
By SceneDaily Staff
Friday, June 13, 2008
NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton (left), President Mike Helton (right) and Vice President of Corporate Communications Jim Hunter talk at Michigan International Speedway.
Sam Cranston
NASCAR Scene
BROOKLYN, Mich. – Sprint Cup Series drivers and team owners were called to a mandatory, closed-door meeting with NASCAR this morning before practice at Michigan International Speedway, one that drivers later characterized as a discussion of potential changes to the new model car.
The meeting with NASCAR President Mike Helton and other officials caught teams off-guard, forcing some to juggle their schedules and postpone media sessions scheduled for Friday morning. NASCAR Vice President of Corporate Communications Jim Hunter said the meeting was not a spur-of-the-moment decision.
The unusual eight-minute meeting, which took place in a windowless garage room as NASCAR officials stood guard outside, was characterized by NASCAR as a reminder that drivers and NASCAR should focus on all the good things about the sport.
“We have more fans than ever before,” Hunter said. “We have more competitive teams than ever before. The racing is as good as it’s ever been. We have more drivers who can win on any given Sunday today than ever before. I think there are a lot of good things going on in the sport and sometimes they’re overshadowed.”
He characterized the conversation as being a reminder of what fans go through.
“We felt like this would be a good time to sit down, and [with] our ‘going-back-to-basics’ theme of the year, to remind them don’t forget the fans,” Hunter said. “The fans are really going through a lot of hardships with the price of gasoline and all the sorts of things they have to do to get to a race.”
Hendrick Motorsports' Dale Earnhardt Jr. said that the frank discussions made him think twice about some of the criticism he has made about the new car and helped him recognize the impact that can have beyond the garage.
"I was pretty critical and overly critical at times, and the only reason why the drivers are like that is because they want, we feel like our best avenue is through the media because it's very effective. But at the same time, not only NASCAR reads those opinions, and it's not good for the sport," he said.
"If I enjoy what I do and I'm having fun and want to be here and want to be around for a while, I shouldn't tell people not to buy tickets."
He, like several other drivers, added that he felt good about the meeting and the things that were discussed.
Sprint Cup Series Director John Darby said drivers were not told to stop criticizing the new car, which has been the target of numerous driver complaints over the past several weeks.
“No, they were simply reminded that we are a fan-friendly sport, and the participation of our fans affects them directly,” he said.
Drivers said that they were told to give the car some time. Roush Fenway Racing's Greg Biffle says that NASCAR pointed out that the new car has not been driven at all the tracks yet and that his impression of the meeting was that drivers should see how it races somewhere before making sweeping statements about how the car will perform at all tracks.
"The message I got was, don't jump to conclusions on tracks, guys, we haven't even been to," he said. "They're talking about the car and the racing. I've heard some people get out of the car in victory lane and say nasty stuff, and I think they're case in point is, let's not speculate until we get there and race it, and then let's see how we can tweak on it to make it better. I think that's the message I got. It was cut and dried, plain and simple."
Others interpreted the meeting in the same manner.
“It was just about the car, and I think Mike [Helton] just wanted to make sure everyone is on the same page," Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin said.
"This is early in the building process, and we don’t need to rush to conclusions that this car is junk and it’s never going to be any good because that’s not going to be the case. As soon as these teams get it figured out a little bit and as soon as NASCAR tweaks on it and they’ve been open to tweaks. As soon as we’ve gone to the new car, they’ve always issued little things to try to help these teams make the car drive better.
Ultimately they want three-wide racing. They want to see side-by-side racing, and they are going to do whatever it takes to do that.
"In the future I think they are going to be open to the suggestions that us drivers are willing to give them, and it’s just a matter of time before we get back to the racing the way it was.”
2009 Sprint Cup Race for the Chase Standings
Driver Standings after the AMP Energy 500
| 1 | Jimmie Johnson | 6248 |
| 2 | Mark Martin | -184 |
| 3 | Jeff Gordon | -192 |
| 4 | Juan Pablo Montoya | -239 |
| 5 | Tony Stewart | -279 |
| 6 | Kurt Busch | -312 |
| 7 | Greg Biffle | -340 |
| 8 | Ryan Newman | -402 |
| 9 | Kasey Kahne | -414 |
| 10 | Carl Edwards | -437 |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | -448 |
| 12 | Brian Vickers | -556 |
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Comments
19 responses to "NASCAR holds closed-door meeting to discuss new car". Post a Comment.
Curt Smith said:
Jun 13, 2008 at 3:31 PMThats bull. Everyone hates the new car. The drivers,owners,team members, and most of all the fans.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportAnonymous said:
Jun 13, 2008 at 3:31 PMSo, NASCAR wants the drivers to color coat the sport and act as though the racing is good. What does NASCAR really believe we fans are drones that can be easily programed to think that "the racing is as good as it's ever been"? Yeah. Ok. So that's why I take naps during most races, I am so exhausted from all the excitement of the GREAT racing. Got it. Thank you Mr Hunter for helping me with that.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportFrancine D'Alonzo said:
Jun 13, 2008 at 4:02 PMSo much for letting drivers have personalities and opinions.....Cookie Cutter drivers are bad enough, but as a fan I'm insulted NASCAR is attempting to tell me that what I see is exciting racing! Love my driver, but think for myself. Blow away the smoke, remove the mirrors and what is left on the track is a sad endorsement of racing.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportClark Rice said:
Jun 13, 2008 at 4:23 PMNASCAR says cookie cutter tracks, NASCAR says cookie cutter drivers... The new car Sucks..
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» Confirm Abuse ReportAnonymous said:
Jun 13, 2008 at 4:23 PMFans want to see a race. Seeing a lot of cars that can't pass isn't a lot of fun.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportRobert Airheart said:
Jun 13, 2008 at 4:31 PMGet rid of the cookie cutter/IROC race cars. Go back to the old days when they at least looked like a Chey, Ford, Dodge, If GM/Ford/Chrysler/(Toyota) made a more aero car and better engine, so be it. All the cars are the same except for the decals on the nose and engines (carbs not FI).Bob Airheart, San Clemente,CA
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» Confirm Abuse ReportAnonymous said:
Jun 13, 2008 at 4:33 PMNascar:
Report as AbuseNew car is junk, so the drivers say. Can't pass, no three wide racing, stupid lucky dog pass and then NASCAR telling the drivers not to say anything bad about the car they had nothing to do with. What a joke NASCAR is and no wonder 75% of the friends that use to watch NASCAR with me don't watch the races anymore. Money, greed, Toyota and two groups own most of the tracks. Fans are not to be taken for granted, they have had enough and its showing in the grandstands. I watched the IRL race at Texas and that's the racing I will watch from now own plus my favorite ASCS sprint cars on DIRT.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportBrian Litzenberger said:
Jun 13, 2008 at 4:36 PMNASCAR, hrmmmm, lets see, the two middle letters supposedly stand for STOCK CAR. Funny thing, the COT does not look at all like a stock car. It doesn't look "cool" either. It's boring on the track. Even a Britol race is a yawner now.
Report as AbuseThe Daytona Prototype looks cool. The funny cars look cool. Indy cars look cool. All of the cool cars also race good. Perhaps thats why I watch more other kinds of racing now days?
Certainly the recent Indy races have been far more exciting than NASCAR races - and I know few of the Indy drivers.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportSally Baker said:
Jun 13, 2008 at 5:25 PMTypical Nascar solution. If we ignore the elephant in the room it may just go away. Do they really believe that race fans are so stupid that we can't see how little side by side racing there is on the track? That most 'passes for the lead' at races occur on pit road? Fans don't need the driver's opinions of how the car drives. We can judge for ourselves by what we see...or don't see, more accurately, on the track. Talk about insulting!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportJan D. Miller said:
Jun 13, 2008 at 9:09 PMAnd Big Brother Marches On!!!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportPeggy Thacker said:
Jun 14, 2008 at 12:54 AMBeen watching Nascar for over 20 yrs. and I enjoyed the old days of racing. Now Nascar has changed so much and made so dang many rules that it is not fun to watch anymore.
Report as AbuseI wish they would blow up this COT and go back to the old cars. Let them race like they use to. Nascar keeps on and they are gonna have more empty seats at races then is seen now. And its just not all because of high gas prices either.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportgrandamgt Russell said:
Jun 14, 2008 at 5:11 AMOld car, old school racing. Bring it back. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out the COT is creating the most boring racing in history. How many years to we have to wait to see improvement? It's getting old on racedays, watching the cars run around in a line, no passing, no excitement. Only racing is off pit road. We are better off watching the final 10 laps of a race than the whole thing. No wonder sales are down and it's not because of the gas prices. NASCAR fans go to races to see racing, not a train going around the track.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportJimmy Graves said:
Jun 14, 2008 at 7:02 AMSo, if the drivers and NASCAR say the "racing is good" it must me so. Give me a break. After seein the "Prelude to the Dream" I think NASCAR should plow up all the asphalt at the tracks and go back to racing on dirt.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportJames E Seiger said:
Jun 14, 2008 at 7:13 AMAfter 23 year of watching and going to races this car looks like it came out of the hood in LA.If you watch the races on TV you see holes in the grandstand from where people should be sitting and they are not due to a couple of things Toyota is one and boring racing is the other.NASCAR you might think if you make upgrades to the car you might want to put a tank turret on it since its a piece of junk and this way it looks like a RACE CAR not some homeboy's retro garage street rod from Krensaw!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportTerri Follett said:
Jun 14, 2008 at 8:27 AMNascar doesn't have a clue. They are so busy being impressed with who they think they are they have lost sight of the fans entirely. This is the most boring racing ever and why watch after the first lap - whoever gets the lead disappears and leaves everyone else to follow single file. I used to watch anything I could find on Nascar but now I barely watch the race itself. Nascar needs to let the drivers speak and show emotions, let the teames build the cars and be competitive and stop telling the fans what we are supposed to beleive is great and exciting racing when as the saying goes "watching paint dry is more fun". Nascar give the sport back to the teams or there isn't going to be a sport anymore.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportAnonymous said:
Jun 14, 2008 at 8:58 AMThe new car makes for a boring race, That meeting is another example of Nascar refusing to see anything wrong with their baby the COT. I love my driver(s) and would love to see them be able to speak their minds at any time and actually race.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportBillie Brooks said:
Jun 14, 2008 at 9:54 AMAs Jerry Bonkowski(Yahoo Sports) said in his article, Helton is in essence saying "Shut up and Drive". Maybe NASCAR needs some new leadership!!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportAnonymous said:
Jun 14, 2008 at 10:09 AMIf Nascar wants the racing to be better then fix this new car. The drivers hate it and the real race fans hate it.NASCAR isn't going to tell me waht I am seeing is good racing I have cut my race visits to the tracks in half and it has nothing to do with gas prices and all to do with racing. FIX IT OR LOSE LOTS OF FANS. If I'm home I can change channels
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» Confirm Abuse ReportAnonymous said:
Jun 16, 2008 at 9:27 PMI can't believe this. I knew we had a bunch of whiney, cry-baby drivers in NASCAR, but I didn't know we had so many whiney, cry-baby fans. If Dale Earnhardt, Sr. were alive, he would be laughing at all of you!
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» Confirm Abuse Report