NASCAR Seeks To Quell Complaints About COT During Meeting
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Helton Tells Drivers To Stop Making Negative
Comments About COT To Media |
NASCAR President Mike Helton Friday during a drivers and owners meeting at Michigan Int'l Speedway told attendees to “stop airing their displeasure over the new race car" being used this year, according to David Poole of the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. NASCAR VP/Communications Jim Hunter: “We just felt it would be a good time to sit down and talk about our ‘going back to basics’ theme for the year. We wanted to remind them don’t forget the fans who are really going through a lot of hardships just to get to our races. We want them to remember the fans and remember why we are here, which is to race.” Poole noted it was originally thought that the meeting was called to discuss the $225M sexual and racial harassment lawsuit filed by former NASCAR technical inspector Mauricia Grant, but Hunter said that that issue “was not discussed, and drivers who spoke about the meeting … said that was not the topic.” Driver Denny Hamlin said, “I took it that NASCAR is just frustrated that it’s not getting a fair shake from us drivers. We’re jumping to conclusions … and not giving this car enough time to develop” (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 6/14). Driver Carl Edwards added, “It got just a little out of hand this week, everyone complaining about everything. It’s almost a little bit silly, I thought. It just seems like every week we would get out of the car and there’s more complaints, and I think that’s what Mr. Helton was trying to address” (DETROIT NEWS, 6/14). Driver Kyle Petty: “There’ve been so many complaints about the new cars. So many negative comments about the car, from heat related to drivability. So much that what NASCAR said was, ‘Hey, quit airing it in the press, come and talk to us. This is affecting our fans, we want to be positive. This is our sport, let’s be positive about it’" ("NASCAR on TNT Live," TNT, 6/15). ESPN's Marty Smith: "They wanted to serve a little reminder to that driving core, ‘You boys have it pretty good. Shut up and race’” (“NASCAR Now,” ESPN2, 6/15).
MAKING IT BETTER: In Winston-Salem, Mike Mulhern wrote, "Maybe NASCAR executives are finally -- finally -- coming around to the idea that the car isn't really getting the job done. Yes, it's safer, but it's certainly not cutting costs. ... And it's not making for better action on the track." There are "significant issues with the car, and just telling drivers to keep their comments for behind closed doors isn't going to make the on-track product better" (WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL, 6/15). TNT’s Larry McReynolds added, “The key to the success of this meeting will be the fact that they will eventually listen to the competitors and maybe think, ‘You know what? If we’ve got 20 drivers, 20 owners, 20 crew chiefs coming in here maybe we do need to listen and possibly make a change’” (“NASCAR on TNT Live” TNT, 6/15).
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