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 Did you get what you wanted this season, NASCAR Nation?

At the beginning of the season, the News & Record declared this "The Year of the Fan," noting a slumping economy would force you to make choices on how many races you attended, how often you watched and how much you spent on the sport.

Along with the declaration, a Fan Bill of Rights was created based on your suggestions.

As NASCAR prepares to honor Jimmie Johnson as its champion for a fourth consecutive year, this is a time for fans to reflect on how the sport responded to them.

Among the Fan Bill of Rights some changes took place. You decried the late starting times. NASCAR changed the starting times for next season's races. Twenty-eight Sprint Cup races will start earlier next year.

NASCAR retains its six short track races for 2010, something fans demanded. With schedules done on a yearly basis, there's no guarantee about the future, especially with Kansas Speedway officials wanting a second race in 2011. Where that would come from is uncertain.

Not all items on the Bill of Rights were met, though. Hotel rates remained exorbitant in some cities and some fans complained that the TV networks only showed or referenced a few cars instead of the entire field. Also, even with fireworks at the end of the season between Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski and between Juan Pablo Montoya and Tony Stewart, some might argue that driver personalities remained tame.

Getting to a race, though, proved easier. Tracks dropped thousands of ticket prices all season and into next year. You could get a Daytona 500 ticket this year for as low as $55. Tickets hadn't been low for that event since 1995. That price remains for some seats for next year's Daytona 500.

Not cheap enough? You could have bought a ticket for the Martinsville race in the Chase for as little as $25. Still can for next March's race there. Tickets for Richmond's spring race next year start at $40.

Regardless of price, the racing still matters. NASCAR gave fans double-file restarts, which added more drama. Now the first- and second-place cars restart beside each other instead of single file. Despite the action it created, it wasn't enough to keep this season from having the fewest lead changes since 2003.

Even so, NASCAR officials said there would be no major changes to the car for next year. NASCAR's testing ban at tracks that host series events also continues into next year.

While some will decry the racing, the season featured 14 different race winners, which was more than last year. First-time winners were Joey Logano, David Reutimann and Keselowski.

Fans also saw spectacular finishes at Talladega in the spring when Carl Edwards' car flew into the catchfence after contact with Keselowski as they raced for the win on the last lap. Kyle Busch crashed trying to hold off Tony Stewart at Daytona in July. Jamie McMurray won at Talladega when a crash, which included Mark Martin rolling upside down, caused the race to end under caution.

This past season had its unique moments -- and that's even before mentioning Jeremy Mayfield's suspension for failing a drug test and subsequent lawsuit against NASCAR.

The question for fans: Was it was enough to satisfy you and leave you anxious for next February?

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