NASCAR drivers praise formation of drivers’ council

Those within the garage are offering widespread praise of NASCAR’s formation of a drivers’ council, with Jeff Gordon calling it “one of the coolest things I’ve seen happen in this sport since I’ve been in it.”

NASCAR executives met with a select group of drivers for the first time last Saturday night at Dover International Speedway. Officials asked drivers to choose representatives, and Gordon -- along with Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin -- were elected.

“I only wish it had happened long before my final year,” Gordon said Friday at Pocono Raceway. “I think to have an open line of communication between the drivers and NASCAR. I think we are all on the same page and always trying to pursue the best for the sport, but we have done it in a different way, whether individually you go and have those discussions or it’s happening via other routes.”

NASCAR has historically been against drivers forming any sort of coalition. NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. even went as far to suspend anyone who attempted to unionize, including Curtis Turner, who last month was elected into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Officials preferred meeting with drivers one-on-one.

Recently, the sanctioning body has conducted more group meetings. Prior to the season officials hold an annual town hall forum with drivers and owners. The drivers’ council is the first time NASCAR met with a collection handpicked by the drivers themselves.

“We have met before in various situations and it has just been a little more informal,” Earnhardt said. “Things always change, improve, evolve and this is just kind of a more organized way for us to get in a room and have conversation about everything on the table. I think it is awesome because you have all the NASCAR guys in there that you want to talk to that you want five minutes with.

“Everybody is in the room to work together. Everybody wants the same thing. We all want to have a healthy sport.”

One of the main topics covered in the meeting centered on safety, according to the participants. Safety has been a concern since Kyle Busch suffered serious injuries when he crashed into an unprotected concrete wall during a February race at Daytona International Speedway.

Busch missed 11 races recovering from a broken right leg and left foot. Since his accident, every track has reevaluated whether to add additional SAFER (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) barriers as well as other safety initiatives.

Another topic heavily discussed was the current rules package and ways to better improve the on-track product. A common criticism by drivers this year is how difficult it is to pass due to aerodynamic changes NASCAR enacted over the offseason, which saw horsepower and downforce reductions.

“There are a million different ways to mix it all up and say, ‘OK, this is the best package or this is the best package,’ but it’s a little bit of trial and error,” Logano said. “Talking with the drivers like they are, I think, is a great way. I think talking with the owners and the teams and the engineers, the more we can all communicate and talk about it we can put all our ideas together and have something.”

Said Gordon: “To be able to sit in a room and have a lot of drivers that have a unique perspective on it I thought the panel was fantastic. I thought the openness of the conversation was amazing. I thought that it was all very positive.”

Six-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson was not elected to the council, but he’s encouraged by its creation and what may come from the proceedings. With NASCAR facing a bevy of hot-button issues and battling decreased attendance and television ratings, he’s hopeful drivers can offer solutions to improve the sport.

“I feel like we are in an environment right now where there is going to be more change and trying to make the right decisions is important,” Johnson said. “I feel that the drivers, we are living it inside the car. I know there is a lot of simulation and technology out there to kind of say what will happen, but we just want to make sure our voice is heard and the people that make the decisions know what is really going on in the car.

“I guess in today’s world right now, the rules package is the priority from the drivers council.”