Give NASCAR credit. Whether intended or not, the notion that series officials were looking at possible changes to the car and maybe even to how much they police the racing at restrictor-plate tracks gave drivers something to talk about this past weekend at Sound and Speed, the charity event pairing NASCAR and country music in Nashville, Tenn.

 

 

Just think without those topics to discuss, the questions from the media might have turned to declining TV ratings, the quality of racing, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s woes and other things that were less than positive for the sport.

 

 

With the news of the possible rule changes taking place a few days before this event, it also gave NASCAR a change to gauge reaction from drivers that they might not have yet talked to about these issues.

 

 

Among the issues being considered by NASCAR are replacing the rear wing with a spoiler and possibly altering some rules with restrictor-plate racing from how NASCAR officiates those races.

 

 

First to the issue of the rear wing or the spoiler, here’s what some drivers had to say about it.

 

 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the impact of switching to the rear spoiler: “I think it's more important that it seems to be what the fans want. The fans want to get rid of the wing, get the old spoiler back. So, you know, NASCAR seems to ‑‑ I don't really know what that will do to the racing. I don't think it will change it a whole lot myself. I don't know what that wing's really doing back there, what the spoiler would be like on this car. We've never really tested it so...

 

“I don't really know what it would do to the racing. I don't think it would change too much. It could punch a little smaller hole in the air than the wing does and give us a little opportunity to get a little more grip on the front end, but it might do the opposite. You never know.’’

 

 

Clint Bowyer on the impact of switching to the rear spoiler: “Right now we need to do something, you know. Our fans are not happy. You got to do something to cater to our fans. Without them we can't do what we do. They've made a lot of changes on this car over the years, but nobody has been able to see them. You take a wing off the back, put a spoiler on it, a fan watching on TV can see that change. He's going to stay tuned and follow how that reacts and how it changes the sport going on into the season.’’

 

 

Carl Edwards on the impact of switching to the rear spoiler: “It's cool that NASCAR is willing to make changes to try to do anything they can to make the racing as exciting as it can be for the fans. I mean, that's what NASCAR is about, is having the most fair competition, stuff that people want to watch, can cheer for. So that's cool.

 

  “My opinion is what they need to do is take all the downforce away from the racecars, then you don't have any downforce to lose. If I don't have anything to start with, it sure can't get any worse. That's what I think they need to do.The blade is a good idea. Taking the front splitter away is a good idea. Taking the cars, make them drive like they used to at Darlington, like they do at Atlanta, places like that, where you to drive the racecar, that's what I think needs to be done.

           

 

“I don't like to go down the corner, turn the wheel, find out how great my engineers are or aren't. That's not what I want to do in a racecar. I want to go drive.’’

 

 

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Another key issue is restrictor-plate racing. Last year, Carl Edwards flew into the catchfence on the last lap at Talladega in the spring after contact with Brad Keselowski on the last lap as he tried to hold off Keselowski. At Daytona in July, Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch made contact as Busch attempted to block Stewart and win on the last lap. Instead, Busch went into the wall and Stewart won. At Talladega in the fall, the race ended under caution after a multi-car crash that saw Mark Martin go upside down.

 

 

One suggestion is to eliminate the yellow line rule or at least modify it. The rule states that drivers can not go below the yellow line at the inside of the track to pass and cannot force a driver down there if they are attempting to pass. So should it stay or go? Here’s what some drives said on that subject.

 

 

Tony Stewart on eliminating the yellow line rule: “I'm comfortable if they take the yellow line rule. We understood why they brought it into the series. The sport has evolved obviously since they put that rule in effect. But, you know, I think the one thing about it, I'm kind of proud of NASCAR for it because they constantly are looking at things. That's a rule they put into effect that they're talking about taking away now. I think the drivers would be comfortable with it.

 

 

“We all know what it feels like when you get in the grass with tires with no grooves in them. It's not very fun. It's always been a self‑policing deal. Even with the yellow line deal, we would occasionally get in the grass. It gives the drivers a little more flexibility to not have to worry about ‑‑ I think there were times when we got ourselves in positions where we didn't necessarily want to be in, where we were passing guys, knew we had to give that spot up. In doing so, we caused more problems behind us than initially. I really don't think it would be a bad deal if they did that. I think the drivers are comfortable with that.

 

 

 

Elliott Sadler on the yellow line rule: “As far as the double yellow line, I agree with letting us race and let us bump‑draft and let us do whatever we need to do to race. I think the double yellow line, though, is there for a reason. I was able to race there before it was a double yellow line. When you get to turn one, turn three, somebody is on the apron, the whole crowd has to move up to let him in.’’

 

 Michael Waltrip on eliminating the yellow line rule: “That would be a mistake. The yellow line was put there for good reason. When you get to the end of the back straightaway, if you're under it, you got to make a right before you make a left.

 

 

“Here is what people don't understand. If the yellow line wasn't there, then the yellow line would simply become the grass. You're going to go somewhere, if you can. So go to the yellow line and quit there so that everybody can have a place to position themselves.

 

 

            “We've proven we're perfectly capable of wiping each other out with the yellow line. Taking it away, what are we trying to accomplish? But I do have a good idea. I want to get this out there. A point a lap for the leader at Talladega and Daytona, let's glob those together, one point a lap. That way people will race hard at Talladega instead of doing what is smart and riding in line till you get down toward the end. Someone said, We're going to wreck cars. That's right. At Talladega we wreck 'em at the end now because we just wait around. So if we had a point a lap, we could wreck some early, some in the middle, and some late, too.’’

 

 

“If I could get y'all to get your arms around this idea and we could get it like we're all about the fans, we want the fans to enjoy the experience. The fans have spoken that the way we race Talladega, they don't enjoy it as much as they had before. So there's no scientific answer how to fix the track or the car. Can't fix the track or the car. So what can you do? You can change the drivers' philosophy and reward them for racing all day long.

 

 

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Danica Patrick

 

 

            The talk in Nashville turned to Danica Patrick with a few interesting comments from some folks. Here’s what some said about Patrick:

 

 

            Mike Bliss: I think Danica is going to steal a lot of the thunder from all of us drivers till her first or second race. There's a lot of emphasis on her. She's somebody that everybody is going to be watching at Daytona. Thank God it's her. The camera is going to be on her. A lot of pressure.

 

“Yeah, I mean, it is tough for a regular Nationwide driver for his team and himself to get that attention and that exposure because it's overshadowed by the Cup guys. But, you know, that's the way it is. It's been that way for a while. It's just kind of got getting worse, but we're starting to lose a little more owners in the Nationwide Series as far as owners. They're the ones that need the recognition, I think.’’

 

Kyle Busch: “I think she'll do fine. She's got plenty of resources behind her. She's got plenty of help to go to. She is kind of in the same organization with Hendrick Motorsports, so she has all those drivers to feed off of. I wish her the best. We'll see her out on the track, I'm sure.

 

 Kyle Petty: “She is an incredibly talented driver. Can this be huge for her and for NASCAR? Yes, it can. Obviously open‑wheel built what the sport it is right now off of her because it was a floundering sport. That's not a criticism of that sport or what they do, because the guys over there are incredible drivers, too. But the sport was not growing like NASCAR was growing. So they took her and that marketing machine, the marketing machine she is, and they went there.

 

“I agree with what Carl (Edwards) says. Was talking to people that saw her test. She was fast. Going fast and racing are two totally different things. That's like being a fast ball pitcher and pitching. Carl is a driver. He can drive fast, but he can drive, too. There are guys that run Cup right now that are just fast, but they can't drive. That's blunt, sorry.

 

             “When you look at Danica, I think she can come here. But I look at (Dario) Franchitti, I look at Tony when he first came over from open‑wheel to run the Busch car at the time, I look at Juan (Pablo Montoya), and they are incredibly talented individuals. Juan Montoya is probably car control‑wise one of the most amazing human beings you've ever seen in a car, and he struggled for three years at this level before he got really where he could race. And she's not Juan Montoya, sorry. And she's not Dario Franchitti. She's not Tony Stewart.

 

 

            “She's not really shown over there and won races and done the stuff over there, numbers‑wise, she's just a marketing machine. So when you look at it like that, from what she does on the racetrack, I hope she's successful. But let's look at the facts and be blunt about it. She's going to help the sport. She's going to help the publicity of the sport. She's going to help a lot of that stuff. But in the end, will she perform on the right side? It's going to be all on her shoulders to do that. 

 

“But, you know, she's coming into a situation where that car, the car she's getting in, has won races, okay? It's won races. If she gets in that car and doesn't win races, it's not the car, it's not the engines, the team. They only changed one thing. You know what I mean?

 

 

 

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CATCHING UP WITH WHAT SOME DRIVERS ARE DOING IN 2010

 

 

# Aric Almirola says he’ll drive the No. 09 Cup car for Phoenix Racing an owner James Finch. Whether that’s a fulltime deal or not has yet to be announced. Sponsorship also could be key. Almirola competed in 8 Cup races a year ago. He also says he plans to compete in some truck races for Billy Ballew, just as he did last year.

 

# Morgan Shepherd, who is 68 years old, says he plans to compete again in the Nationwide Series this season. It might not be as easy as last year. A year ago, Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart provided financial help. That could change this year. “We operate with a very small amount of money. The race fans help us. Of course, Tony Stewart helped us last year. He won't be able to do that this year. He bought us tires and all.We're going to go out with the same goal of going and making every race. Where there's a will, there's a way. So we've got the will, and we'll find the way.’’

 

# David Stremme lost his Cup ride at the end of last season with Penske Racing and doesn’t have anything yet. “We'll see what happens here real quick. Might be able to announce something, a full‑time deal. Until then, I don't really say much because if you're not signing anything, not worth talking about.Got some cool things working with a guy that's going to be starting up with a full‑time deal in '11 in the Nationwide Series with the new car, I think you'll see a lot of new owners coming in.’’

 

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Lot here, I know. Still, what's your take on what some folks said about replacing the rear wing with a spoiler, eliminating the yellow-line rule at the plate races and thoughts on Danica?