NASCAR upset over complaints

Officials said drivers are complaining too much about cars, tracks and conditions.

BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) — NASCAR is tired of hearing the negative message some of the stock car sport’s driving stars have been sending to fans lately.

Too many complaints about the new generation car, bumpy race tracks and numerous other things, and not enough positive reinforcement for fans.

NASCAR president Mike Helton held a “mandatory” meeting Friday morning for drivers and the team owners who already were on hand at Michigan International Speedway.

Things apparently reached a critical mass last week at Pocono, where it appeared nobody was happy about the rough track or the so-called “Car of Tomorrow” that is still being developed, or the intense heat that had many drivers near exhaustion after a 500-mile race most of them believe should be no longer than 400 miles.

Apparently, the main bone of contention is the almost constant grumbling over the new car, a more uniform construction intended to cut costs for the teams and enhance competition on track.

It was introduced last season, after seven years of development by NASCAR and the teams, with a 16-race schedule before running for the full season in 2008.

The complaint level hit a season high in the wake of Pocono, and Helton reacted.

“He wanted to remind our drivers about their responsibility to the fans,” said NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter. “He felt it has become a negative environment and reminded them to think about the fans, what they are facing, the rising cost of gas and the hardships, particularly in an area like this that has been hit so hard by the economy.”

The drivers generally reacted positively to Helton’s message.

“I think it just got a little out of hand this week, everybody complaining so much about everything,” said Carl Edwards, the defending winner of Sunday’s Lifelock 400. “It’s almost a little bit silly.”

Edwards said the reaction of the teams and drivers last week at Pocono prompted him to call longtime NASCAR star David Pearson for his take on what was going on. He said Pearson was his usual direct self, telling Edwards that drivers didn’t complain about tough conditions as much in his day.

“He told me [that] when all those people started putting power steering in their cars, [he] wouldn’t do it because it was worth three horsepower,” Edwards said. “So he never used power steering. He had some other choice words that were pretty funny.”

As for Friday’s meeting, Edwards added, “It just seems like every week [people] would get out of the car and there [are] more complaints, and I think that’s what Mr. Helton was addressing there.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. had his own thoughts about what he heard Friday morning.

“My interpretation was the drivers should be thankful for the position they’re in and should be more positive about where this car is going to be in a year or two,” he said.