NASCAR will make tweaks in racing

NASCAR doesn't think its system is broken, so officials have few plans to change it this year.

Auto racing enjoyed one of its most exciting seasons ever last year, culminating with Tony Stewart's third Sprint Cup championship, decided in the last race of the season. Brian France, the NASCAR chairman and chief executive officer, said the sport is "in a very good place" as it moves toward another season beginning next month with the Daytona 500.

But France also thinks it can be even better.

So while NASCAR will pretty much leave well enough alone, it will make a few minor tweaks, including some measures to reduce two-car tandem racing at Daytona and Talladega.

"We have had a breathtaking number of close finishes at those tracks, but the fans want a mixture of styles, including a return to a more traditional pack racing and that close side-by-side competition that's unique to Talladega and Daytona," France said Thursday at NASCAR's annual preseason media conference.

France said the two-car tandem racing "evolved into something that no one saw coming, and now we're going to deal with that."

Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of competition, said some changes will be made to the cars, including a slightly larger restrictor plate, a smaller spoiler and softer springs.

Those changes will be made for the races at Daytona.

"All of these combinations will help the qualifying be more exciting," Pemberton said. "... The changes we made in the cooling system and the aero package we believe will aid in getting back to the more traditional-style pack drafting that we've come to expect at Daytona and Talladega."

Pemberton said NASCAR will implement similar adjustments in the Nationwide and the Camping World Truck Series.

"We know that the fans want to see more of the traditional-style pack drafting, and so do we," Pemberton said. "We won't be able to totally eliminate the two-car push. It will be a valuable tool that the teams will be able to use from time to time. However, we do believe that we've come up with a rules package that will help it be the exception rather than the norm."

Test results at Daytona this month were productive, Pemberton said.

"We've received great feedback from the teams, and it was unprecedented, it really was," he said. "The communication was second to none."

NASCAR also will introduce electronic fuel injection into the Sprint Cup Series.

NASCAR did make some changes off the track this week.

The organization announced Wednesday that it would make all fines public in the future, a change from past years, when they were kept secret.

The big changes for NASCAR will come in 2013.

That's when the restyled Sprint Cup cars from Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford and Toyota will begin racing. Ford this week unveiled its 2013 Fusion prototype, with the other original equipment manufacturers to follow in the near future.

A closed test of the cars is scheduled early next month.

"This is certainly a milestone in our sport," Pemberton said. "We've worked very closely with the manufacturers on the new car, and the four new models are simply outstanding. I think the fans are going to love them, and it is going to be such a positive step in helping our race cars become more and more relevant with our fans past, present and future."

Notes: MillerCoors has signed contract extensions with NASCAR and Penske Racing. The deal extends the sponsorship of Coors Light as the official beer of NASCAR, and Miller Lite extended its relationship as primary sponsor of Brad Keselowski's No. 2 car with Penske. … Richard Petty Motorsports has formed a Nationwide Series team for Michael Annett, who spent last season with Rusty Wallace Inc. The car will be sponsored by Pilot Flying J. Annett had 13 top-10 finishes and was ninth in the points race last season. Rusty Wallace Inc. doesn't have sponsorship to race this season. … Former Daytona 500 winner Ward Burton signed with Hillman Racing and will drive in next month's season-opening Truck Series race at Daytona. Hillman also agreed to start a driver development program for Burton's 19-year-old son, Jeb. Jeb Burton has been racing in NASCAR's Whelen All-American Series and eventually will drive Hillman's No. 27 Chevrolet in the Truck Series. Ward Burton last competed in a Sprint Cup race in 2007.