NASCAR (web|news) 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.

Junior acknowledged he has been one of the most outspoken drivers about the problems with the new car.

"I was pretty critical," he said. "Overly critical at times. The only reason drivers are like that is we feel like our best avenue is through the media because it's very effective.

"I try to talk to Mr. Helton once a month on the telephone if I have any comments or input to give to him. I've always had an open door. He's always been great to me."

Earnhardt said the public is very interested in when the new car is going to be fixed and how NASCAR is going to get it done. But he noted it isn't always possible for them to get that information.

"A lot of companies are not eager to give that information out until it's done and finished," Earnhardt said. "I see NASCAR with the same attitude. I think they do a lot of work behind the scenes and they probably agree with us more than we tend to believe.

"They understand that the car is new and it's going to evolve and maybe three years from now we'll look back at today: 'Man, can you believe that is the way we did it?' They're doing more than we give them credit for and us drivers should do less complaining."

Greg Biffle said he doesn't believe Helton was telling the drivers to shut up and drive.

"I think it was (NASCAR) saying, 'Hey, we haven't raced this car at all the tracks yet' was the message," Biffle said. "We haven't been to Michigan with it, we haven't been to Chicago and all these other places with the car yet. So don't jump to conclusions prior to actually seeing what it's going to be like.

"So, I think it was more like, 'Hey, let's wait and see.' This is our first year with this car. Like they said, they're making a commitment to keep working on the car or working with the teams to make the racing better. If we need to make an adjustment, I don't think they're against making adjustments as we go with this car."

Denny Hamlin agreed, saying, "I took that they are just frustrated that they're not getting a fair shake from us drivers. We're jumping to conclusions a little too soon and not giving this car enough time to develop."

Written By MIKE HARRIS

Email To A Friend