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BROOKLYN, Mich. -- What next?

While competitors praise NASCAR for seeking their input on how to improve the racing, the car and other issues, the key is what series officials will do with the suggestions.

Drivers and car owners are optimistic that NASCAR's actions will lead to better racing and help lift slumping attendance, sagging TV ratings and interest in the sport.

If nothing else, NASCAR's actions suggest an attitude change, something that could enhance the racing.

It was a year ago at Michigan International Speedway -- site of today's Sprint Cup race -- where series officials gathered Cup drivers and owners for a meeting that lasted less than 10 minutes. NASCAR President Mike Helton lectured. The message was simple: Quit complaining publicly about the car and remember how good you have it in the Cup series.

Just a couple of weeks ago, NASCAR Chairman Brian France and other series officials held town hall meetings with drivers and owners to gather, in part, ideas about how to improve the sport.

"I will tell you that if you were a fly on the wall and you went to one meeting, you wouldn't think you were talking to the same people in the second meeting,'' Jeff Burton says.

"It's clear that a lot has changed in the world from one meeting to the next, and so I think that NASCAR responds to things as to how they are going right now.''

The town hall approach was something different. NASCAR claims it has an open-door policy for drivers, owners, crew chiefs to meet with series officials any time.

It's a nice idea but a bit Pollyannaish. Not every driver feels comfortable entering the NASCAR hauler. Jimmie Johnson admits "it took a championship or two for me to feel like I had the right to go in there.'' And for those who went into the NASCAR hauler, they felt that they were heard but nothing happened.

Jim Hunter, a series spokesman, says that the town hall meetings were helpful enough that NASCAR plans to have more such meetings, including at least another meeting later this year.

That's being done, Hunter says, to improve communication between series officials and competitors. Hunter notes that any change suggested in the sport has to be analyzed to see what other changes it triggers. If it doesn't work, the town hall meetings give NASCAR a forum to explain why to everyone at once.

"If they choose to disagree with that at that point, I don't think it would be fair of them to say that NASCAR wasn't listening,'' Hunter says.

Yet, that's what some suggest happened with the development of the current car. While NASCAR consulted various people in the industry, Johnson and Greg Biffle both say that many felt they weren't consulted.

"All the race teams and all the drivers probably wanted to have a little bit more input with that and maybe wanted it a little bit different,'' Biffle said.

The car isn't going away -- the Nationwide series is expected to run the new generation car in select races next year -- so starting over isn't an option. It would be too costly for teams. But, as Biffle says, "everybody knows you can improve anything.

"It's a matter of testing some issues. Test some wickers on the fenders. Test less weight (in the car). More left-side weight.''

Already the town hall meetings proved fruitful for fans. After a discussion, series officials announced they were altering restarts. Now, restarts are double-file with the lead-lap cars at the front instead of one lane lead-lap cars and the other lane for cars a lap down. The new restarts debuted last weekend at Pocono.

"That was one of the good things that came out of our meetings,'' car owner Richard Childress said of the new restart rule.

Now, the question is what next will come out from those meetings.

Contact Dustin Long at 373-7062 or at dustin.long@news-record.com