Testing for Speedweeks may be a thing of the past, but the buzz
from Sound & Speed is still revolving around competition.
NASCAR expressed a common goal of improving its product.
Drivers have reacted positively to recent discussions regarding
eliminating some restrictor-plate racing rules — including
no-bumping zones and racing below the yellow line to improve
position.
"This is an opportunity for us to take a step back," Carl
Edwards said. "We want to be something that people aren’t
leaving, but gravitating to." Improvements such as double-file
restarts — "That’s what the fans what to see.
That’s hardcore racing. The racers like it. The fans like
it."
Clint Bowyer believes NASCAR is in a tough position when
trying to change on-track rules. He feels it’s up to the
competitors to police themselves, especially at superspeedways such
as Daytona and Talladega. Still, he remains opposed to allowing
cars to go beneath the yellow line to improve position. He believes
the yellow line forces drivers to remain on the bank through the
transitions in the corners.
“They’re darned if they do and darned if they
don’t,” Bowyer said, referring to NASCAR. “If
they don’t do anything they get criticized and if they do
something they get criticized. At the end of the day it’s up
to us to stay off of each other and not cause a big wreck.
I’m looking forward to going and competing for a win.
Superspeedways are fun. I enjoy them. They are dangerous, but hey,
at the end of the day fans like to see a wreck every now and then.
"NASCAR has done everything in their power to make these cars
safe. They are very safe. But (wrecks are) the nature of the beast.
At Talladega there’s going to be a wreck no matter what rules
are in place, but there‘s going to be a hell of a race at the
end.”
Edwards believes NASCAR is particularly open to change now
because the economy remains down and competition for entertainment
dollars remains high. He feels NASCAR wants to position itself now
to capitalize on the market when the economy rebounds.
"The bottom line of that meeting is we’re all in this
together," Edwards said. "That’s cool. To have (NASCAR CEO)
Brian France and (President) Mike Helton and all those guys ask,
'What do you guys think, how can we do this the right way, how can
we deliver the best product to the fans?' — that’s what
that meeting was about and that means a lot.
"I have a lot of respect for folks when then say, 'Hey,
look, we need some ideas here, we don't know everything. What do
you guys think?' That's pretty cool for someone like NASCAR to step
back and say that. I’ve only been doing this for a little
while and I haven’t had very many of those meetings."
Bowyer, who had never been asked his opinion by NASCAR, was
humbled by the experience. He appreciates the sanctioning body
“taking a looking at themselves” and considering
changes to make the racing better. Bowyer believes opting for a
spoiler on the cars is necessary.
“I think it’s time for a change — time for
a significant change — that our fans can see watching the
race on Sunday through their TV,” Bowyer said. “They
need to see it’s a change for the better and they’re
going to stay tuned to watch.”
Edwards doesn’t believe replacing the wing with a
spoiler will benefit one driver over another, but he's in favor of
any modification that improves the quality of racing.
"I’ve got to believe if you can pick from having wings
on the back of them all the way to the other end where they drive
like they did in 1985 with no downforce, I’d much rather have
no downforce," Edwards said. "I was beating up on (vice president
of competition) Robin Pemberton to make that spoiler about an inch
high — just something to keep the rear end from coming off
the ground. That would be fine with me.
"If that’s the direction we’re going, then
I’m 100 percent for it. You could go to softer tires then,
you could drive the car sideways, you would theoretically be able
to handle behind someone because you aren’t relying on
downforce as much. I think all those things are good."
