As Chase nears, Bristol to be exciting or total bore? (cont'd)

3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. said last week that the current Cup car needs wholesale changes to spice up the racing. Is he right?

Joe Menzer: No, I don't think he is. I understand what he's saying, but just because his No. 88 team hasn't been able to figure out the new car to his liking doesn't mean others haven't. And I don't recall him complaining about it this much when he was second in points much of last year.

Dave Rodman: Uh, I felt like that was one, last desperate cry from the edge of a cliff, out in the wilderness, by ol' June Bug. Plenty of other people seem to have figured the car out a lot of the time.

Looking for change

Dale Earnhardt Jr. says he thinks races in the new car are boring and he wants some changes made.

• Complete story
• Helton responds

David Caraviello: Listen, I understand where Dale Jr. is coming from. From a competitor's standpoint, this car has to be a handful. It can't be nearly as fun to drive as its predecessor. But tossing out all kinds of potential fixes -- let's just widen the tires! Let's just shift weight around! -- doesn't do it. That's how the law of unintended consequences goes into full effect.

Dave Rodman: But -- and a big but it is -- this car in a lot of ways doesn't seem to be any less aero-dependant than the previous version was. Solving that isn't going be easy, but knee-jerk attempts at fixes aren't the way to go, either.

David Caraviello: No, you're right Dave. You'd basically have to rip this one up and start over, and nobody is going to do that.

Dave Rodman: I wonder if NASCAR would consider something like bringing the teams to a select number of race tracks a day early. Limit them to five crewmen apiece, and run a three-session test day on the day before normal opening.

Joe Menzer: We've batted this around before in Smack, but here's the thing: it doesn't really matter how much "fun" this car is to drive for the drivers. It's more about safety for them and whether or not it's good enough to put on a good show for the fans. I guess this is where I disagree most with Junior and a segment of fans that can't seem to get over the fact that the new car is here to stay. I don't think the racing this year has been that bad at all. In fact, I think many races have been darn good.

David Caraviello: I'm never a big fan of the "shut up and drive" mentality. That's what gets people hurt. Drivers often have legitimate concerns about things that need to be addressed. But if we listened to every complaint drivers had, we'd be changing something every week.

Dave Rodman: I've had a number of industry people say this car puts it more back in the hands of the drivers, and the best drivers will excel in this car. If you look at who's currently excelling, that train of thought does make some sense.

Joe Menzer: Not to keep picking on Junior -- although I'm sure my inbox will light up again with those insisting I'm doing so -- but I also disagree with his premise that it's something new that late cautions have been needed to "save" some races. It's always been that way. Regardless of what car they're running, there have been many races that have been relatively uneventful that suddenly have become very memorable with great finishes following late cautions. And now, that's magnified by the double-file restarts.

Dave Rodman: Joe, you're right again. Stuff happens, sometimes you need a caution and you don't get one; sometimes they fly and alter the outcome of races. This lapped-cars-to-the-back restart process is something that is so long overdue it doesn't bear belaboring, and if you want to witness the "cautions breeding cautions" theory in full effect -- well, I wish we had loop data stats on that, because I think this Saturday night might be a potential record-breaker!

Joe Menzer: It's also why the green-white-checkered finish was introduced -- which many drivers and crew chiefs and team owners despise, but many fans love. Again, it's about trying to give the fans what they want, and that's exciting finishes. It's what people remember. Not what happened on Lap 127.

David Caraviello: I think the impact of the double-file restarts shows that race quality is as much a factor of event rules as it is the technical package. No question, the races have been better since that rule was implemented. And look at all the different guys who have won this year, in a car that's designed to level the playing field.

Dave Rodman: It's about racing. It's what we talked about before. As much as guys say they're racing as hard as they can, well, if "props" like double-file restarts and green-white-checkers are what's necessary to liven it up a bit -- the fans rule, and that's what they want, so bring it on.

David Caraviello: And plus -- you can't go back now. We know, not everybody likes this car. But it's obviously safer, and it seems to be leveling the field at least somewhat. Plus, teams have invested too much money into building them. Nobody's going back to the drawing board. People need to come to grips with that.

Joe Menzer: And don't forget, Junior finished third in one of these cars at Michigan last Sunday. There is hope for him yet!

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writers.