- Image via Wikipedia
The 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Media Tour presented one common theme throughout the event. The message was a promise of commitment to the drivers and fans to continue to listen and improve the sport.
As proof of this, they announced some exciting new changes for the upcoming season with an emphasis on putting the handling of the cars back in the hands of the drivers.
One of these changes involves lifting the bump drafting restrictions at Daytona and Talladega.
Vice President of Competition, Robin Pemberton put it this way.
“We will say boys, have at it and have a good time.”
The most anticipated and talked about modification was the decision to replace the rear wing of the car with a more traditional spoiler which should also improve its maneuverability.
One change that was talked about but dismissed because of safety considerations was eliminating the “yellow line rule.” They did emphasize that this was something they might look at again at a later date.
Another indication of change was the announcement that for the first time, NASCAR will include a list of the banned substances in its drug policy in the official rule book provided to competitors.
These are just a few of the adjustments made to this new and improved NASCAR and most will be applauded by many as evidence that they do indeed listen.
There was however one unsettling piece of news that reared its head and seems in direct contrast to the new policy of open communications.
If you stopped and listened carefully, you quickly noticed that no one had anything negative to say. Was this just a coincidence or a calculated decision encouraged by NASCAR officials? Dale Earnhardt Jr. weighed in on the subject.
“They weren’t in there saying,’ Don’t do this anymore’ or ’Don’t do that anymore,’ he said.” They showed us some examples of us being negative, and then they showed us some examples of the exact, direct reflection of that on the sport and what it did to the ratings…and it was very convincing.”
As a result of this information, Dale Jr. said he’ll no longer air his grievances in public but will go directly to Mike Helton if he has any concerns.
This may be good for NASCAR’s image but it smacks of censorship and another attempt to turn the drivers into the one dimensional figures that fans have come to dislike.
Jimmie Johnson’s four consecutive Championships were not enough to live down his “vanilla” image and capture the attention he deserved. Instead fans were more interested in the on track rivalry between Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski and their verbal battles on twitter.
NASCAR has shown us that it’s capable of change and growth but there are some things that should remain the same. The diversity of the drivers is what propels the sport forward. Keep the racing competitive, let the drivers be themselves and you’ve got a winning formula.
