Smack: Some rough Cup seasons could get rougher (cont'd)

2. NASCAR held a first "town hall" meeting with competitors Tuesday at the Research and Development Center. Does such a move mean the sanctioning body is inching a little more toward democracy?

Joe Menzer: Let's hope so. It's long past due. They should have meetings like this more often. They've done some in the past, but this one seemed to have more of the give-and-take between the powers-that-be in the governing body and the drivers and owners who attended. In my mind, that's a move in the right direction.

David Caraviello: Democracy? What moron wrote that? No, this sport will never be a democracy. And unlike government, that's not necessarily a bad thing. The auto racing series that have traditionally been the best-run -- NASCAR and Formula One -- are that way because there's one guy at the top calling the shots. You want a democracy, look at the mess that was CART.

Raygan Swan: It will be if they actually listen to any of the people who attended the meeting, and from the reports it sounds like it was an even exchange between the drivers and the sanctioning body. I'm not big on one-on-one meetings behind haulers, because in an open forum you're more likely to really speak your mind. Really, it might be just a show at the end of the day, NASCAR's way of appearing to be open and flexible.

A little get-together

NASCAR held a town-hall meeting with drivers and owners covering everything from the economy to fans to the new car and the drug policy.

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• Audio: HMS weighs in
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• Audio: Hunter pleased

David Caraviello: Hey, it's very good that NASCAR is calling all these guys together so issues can be aired. That's overdue, especially with the confusion over the drug policy. But don't think we're anywhere near the point where Brian France stands up front with a gavel and asks "Car of Tomorrow? All in favor say aye?" and policy is made by consensus. Given the disparate and sometimes conflicting interests of teams, sponsor, manufacturers and the like, there's no way the competitors themselves could cobble together rules and regulations that would be considered fair for everyone.

Raygan Swan: Yeah David, it was made clear in the meeting that the new car is going nowhere despite complaints from crew chiefs and car owners. But seemingly they are open to making some changes as long as they don't cost huge amounts of money.

Joe Menzer: You're right when you say it will never be a democracy, and it shouldn't be. What's the old saying? You can't have the inmates running the asylum. But I would add that every time one of them has an idea that might have some merit, you don't need to order up a lobotomy, either.

Raygan Swan: Ha, who would be the inmate of NASCAR? Tony Stewart or Kyle Busch?

David Caraviello: That much, Joe, is true. The old, "come on into the hauler and let's set a spell" approach was antiquated to say the least. There does need to be a more organized way for drivers to air grievances and ask questions. This town hall meeting was a nice step in that direction. Now we wait and see just how much NASCAR listened.

Joe Menzer: Speaking of ordering up a lobotomy, how about I order one now for whomever thought a $200,000 fine and 12-week suspension was fair for poor Carl Long.

David Caraviello: Well, I was sauntering down Bourbon Street when that whole thing went down, so I'm not exactly an authority on it. But you bring an engine thats out of spec to the race track, what do you think is going to happen?

Raygan Swan: Everyone feels sorry for Long, as do I. But the policy, like the drug testing policy should be, is black and white. No room for confusion. Why don't people get that? It's not a case-by-case policy, it's a one-size-fits-all with an appeal process that no one will ever win.

Joe Menzer: Listen, I'm not saying he shouldn't have been punished. But the punishment here doesn't fit the crime, and threatens to put the poor guy out of business. It didn't need to be so harsh.

David Caraviello: Well, something tells me the drug policy is a little more ambiguous than the rules governing engines. But I see where Carl says he bought it from a reputable source, so it looks like we have another he said/she said type thing brewing. Like we don't have enough of those already.

Joe Menzer: I think Long has a good chance of getting his sentence reduced via appeal in this case. If not, I guess he can take it to town hall. He'll have the time, if not the resources, to march around down there with a big sign.

Raygan Swan: For his financial sake, I hope so. How many jobs is he working now to go racing?

Joe Menzer: That's just it. His other jobs -- working as a spotter, helping out with other teams -- all hinge on his ability to go to the race track, even when he doesn't have his own car entered. Now he can't even do that. (Continued)