LONG POND, Pa. NASCAR chairman Brian France and vice chairman Mike Helton view the creation of a new drivers council as part of an ongoing effort to communicate with every group in the sport, they said Sunday morning in separate interviews.
Helton told USA TODAY Sports the "timing is right" for a drivers council, which he said "is a nice building block for us in a modern way."
"I think what the drivers council will give us the opportunity to do is to make a decision and the drivers will understand that even if that might not be their preferred choice, they got the fact that it was an overwhelming choice for the garage to make," Helton said before Sunday's Axalta 400 at Pocono Raceway. "This will help other drivers understand that, 'Here's what I like, but I get their side too, so NASCAR you make the decision and we'll go with it.' "
Drivers including four-time champion Jeff Gordon, three-time titlist Tony Stewart, reigning Sprint Cup champ Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr. - the sport's most popular driver 12 times running, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and Kyle Larson - the 2014 Cup rookie of the year, met with NASCAR officials last week at Dover International Speedway, a meeting which represented the first formal gathering of the driver council. Helton was present; France was not.
All competitors were asked by NASCAR to vote on several categories, which is how drivers were selected.
"My style is to be collaborative -- to do more communications, not less," France told a group of reporters at Pocono. "And if we have to formalize them to get more input, then we'll formalize them. Whatever it takes to get everybody to express what's important to them."
Helton said drivers always had a voice over the years, whether it's Richard Petty or Darrell Waltrip or Dale Earnhardt Sr. speaking with officials about things they believe need to be changed. Gordon has taken that role in recent years.
But there are many varied opinions now, and NASCAR is interested in all of them.
"Along the way they have had a spokesperson so to speak who would come to NASCAR and say,
'Here's what we're thinking,' " Helton said. "It's different today. With digital and social media and them talking with each other, we're not sure what exactly it is they want or we don't get the chance to tell our version of why we do things. The driver council gives us the ability to do that."
Helton said after seeking input, it was up to NASCAR to figure out how to blend all the feedback together to reach a decision everyone could live with. That includes rules packages, he said.
"What a driver might want a car to do, a race team can struggle to be able to afford that, especially at the pace at which we make changes," he said. "We have to be mindful of all that today, and I think these councils do that."
France seemed to indicate the Race Team Alliance an organization made up of team owners also had NASCAR's ear.
"Look, when anybody has things that improve the sport, we're going to be open to that," France said when asked about the RTA. "It doesn't really matter how the exact form of communications happens, what matters is it does happen."
updated by @johnny-mallonee: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM
