NASCAR 2013 and Beyond

NASCAR has finally realized that the fans have been unhappy with the sport. With the recent changes of double file restarts, the new COT for the Nationwide series, and Boys have at it, NASCAR is making changes that the fans are happier about. But they still have problems to address, mainly "mystery" debris cautions, and inconsistent calls. In the case of mystery debris cautions, NASCAR will throw a caution when they deem necessary for a piece of a car that fell off and is on the track, for example. It's not that they throw these cautions that's bad, it's that a lot of the time the television crews can't spot and show the debris that caused the caution, making fans think that NASCAR is just wanting a restart for excitement. 
And some of their calls are not consistent at all. Case in point, at Talladega Superspeedway Regan Smith went blow the yellow line because he was blocked to pass Tony Stewart, and by all rights should have won the race. But NASCAR deemed that because he went below the yellow line, his pass didn't count. But in other cases where a driver went below the yellow line NASCAR allowed the pass, or win. They have been slammed, and rightly so, for not being as consistent as they should be. But not all is lost.
NASCAR really is trying to regain its step and become the fastest growing sport again.

They have cut ticket prices all across the board. They have, again, allowed the drivers to police themselves. And in step with the Nationwide COT they have major plans for the 2013 Cup Car. The manufacturers, Chevrolet, Toyota, Dodge, and Ford will be given free reign to design their cars for the new body. In other words, a Chevy will look very similar to a Chevy, Ford a Ford, and so on. The cars will be so different in shape that you can cover the nose and tail of the car, and just based on the sides, fenders, and ABC frames, that you can tell each car from another. Which is much more like it should be. Then the noses, roof, and rear of the cars will have true distinction, and not just from each other on the track, but closely related to their street counterparts. The cars are going back to the 80s basically, in that those cars looked very similar to their street versions, and far apart from each other. You couldn't confuse a Ford and a Chevy, so much unlike now. 
NASCAR is going backward, in a good way, with the new car for 2013 and with giving the drivers a lot of control. This is truly a good way to go for the sport, and a move that in theory will attract more viewers. NASCAR now is all about the drivers. Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr are major stars. The cars are easily 2nd place in the sport. But that shouldn't be the case in a sport all about cars. And with the new NASCAR Sprint Cup Car the cars will become a major factor again. Folks watched in the 60s-80s because they could identify what they drove with what raced, and that will be the case again. This move can only benefit NASCAR as they move forward. They have made mistakes, as all sporting organizations have, but in a major way NASCAR is going forward by going backward. And that can only be a good thing.