Inside lane: Analyzing the news spreading through the garage

After taking his first win since 2006 last week in the All-Star Race, Kasey Kahne may be in the type of groove that could translate into a win this week in North Carolina. AP Tom Bowles's Mailbag Submit a comment or question for Tom. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND

Heading into Sunday's Coca-Cola 600, an anonymous NASCAR insider shares his thoughts about the latest vibes in NASCAR nation.

"After testing and the All-Star Race, we've learned that track position is just about the only thing that matters this month [at Lowe's]. The car is a complete handful in traffic, and whoever is leading is probably going to stay leading and win the race. I'm sure the track's not helping, and the tires aren't helping because there's no falloff; but the end result is still the same with this car. We've had the same problem at every race track we've been to; this car is just terrible in traffic, and it's very, very difficult to make passes. I don't think you can blame it on Charlotte.

"You'll need to be more patient on Sunday. To be there at the end of the race, you need to take care of your equipment. But I think 600 miles, there's not much difference from a 400- or a 500-mile race -- it's just the next step. It's such a long race, and so much time for things to happen, it could be anyone's race to win. Kasey Kahne looked good at the All-Star race; he could be a favorite.

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"Adjusting the rear housing is resolving some issues with these cars, but I do think NASCAR is doing the right thing [by limiting the amount teams can move the rear end]. Although I'm a personal believer NASCAR should usually stay out of things like this -- because when you create more rules, you usually create more expenses and more problems -- NASCAR needed to do something. And I'm not even saying that from a competition standpoint.

"From a fan experience, from an entertainment/business standpoint, it doesn't look good for us to see a car going down the race track sideways. It just doesn't look normal; it doesn't look right. A new fan turns the TV on, and sees his driver's car looking like it's getting ready to spin down the straightaway, and it kind of freaks him out a little bit.

"You know, one reason why our support is popular is that the fans can relate. They can relate to the cars; they can get in their Toyota Camry in the parking lot and relate, and they can relate to what's happening on the track. You can't do that in Formula One. But if we have cars going on the race track where we can see the door numbers when they're driving straight at you, it's hard to relate. So, I think NASCAR's doing the right thing. I think teams have found the more you do to the rear end, the better the car handles, and I think they're just going to [push] more and more and more. And it's just going to look bad.

"I wish this would be a wakeup call [to NASCAR]. I think that for us to make a car raceable, and it ends up going down the straightaway sideways -- that oughta be a pretty good sign that there's an issue with this car. I don't think it's going to be a wakeup call, though. NASCAR doesn't see the cars as having any problems; what they see is just the problem with the rear end housing. It's just an adjustment that's getting out of control in the 'perfect car;' and as long as they keep thinking there's nothing wrong with the car, you're not going to get a wakeup call.

"The only thing that's going to wake them up is the fans. The fans -- at the end of the day, it's not about the drivers. It's not about the sponsors. It's not about NASCAR. It's about the fans. It's an entertainment business, and the fans rule this sport. I think they [NASCAR officials] forget that sometimes. If the fans don't like this new car, and they stop watching races because of it, and they tell the media that, and the TV ratings go down and fan attendance goes down, and NASCAR says why? And the fans' say, 'Well, we think this car doesn't race well, and we don't care to go see a race...' then I can assure you the problem will be fixed next week. It will be fixed rapidly, it will be fixed dramatically, and it will be fixed swiftly. But as long as the fans are OK with it, then NASCAR's OK with it. As long as the ratings are going up, and as long as the fan attendance is stable or going up, then you're not going to see a change.

"But the fans -- and I think we've had a conversation like this before as to why we're not racing at Rockingham. It's a perfect example; when the fans weren't even going to Rockingham and they weren't selling half the seats, the TV ratings went down -- and that's when we left Rockingham. Darlington, we started to leave Darlington; they tried to pull one race, and all of a sudden. the fan attendance picked up because they were afraid they'd lose their favorite track. The TV ratings picked up. And we're still at Darlington. That's the bottom line. If the fans want to make changes, they gotta show it.

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