DOVER, Del. -- Seven Sprint Cup drivers unscientifically polled Friday at Dover International Speedway were unanimously pleased that NASCAR held an open town hall meeting session with owners and drivers earlier this week at its research and development center in Concord, N.C.

"I think that dialogue is always a good thing," Jeff Burton said. "I'll be honest, I feel like I've always had a dialogue with NASCAR. I'm proactive, though. I'm not a guy that likes to sit around and watch things happen -- I like to participate in them. I didn't necessarily need to have a big forum, but again if it creates some conversation that results in something that benefits racing or NASCAR in general then it's a good thing."

Having said that, with the exception of Denny Hamlin swearing a move to double-file restarts with only lead-lap cars up front was coming within a matter of weeks, there was no subject cited as definitively needing changing -- or about to be changed.

"I think the competition stuff -- as far as the race cars and mechanics -- will take a while," Hamlin said. "I think we're a good year out from any big changes there. But I think from the format side that we're weeks away from changes there. I think it's definitely going to change the complexity of the races here in the next few weeks and I think it's all for the better. We're trying to make a better race for the fans for the win, and I think what they're proposing is going to work fine.

"The double-file restarts are going to be a big deal. It's going to hurt the guys that are two laps down, but then again the fans aren't here to watch the guys two laps down anyway. They're here to watch a great race for the win, and I think with a double-file restart that you'll see that."

Burton has been called "the mayor" of the Sprint Cup garage area by some observers, who swear the racing veteran's second career will be in politics. He was one of several drivers who cited the subject of competition that was brought up in the meeting -- but added that in his opinion, there was no time like the present.

"The thing about the quality of the racing is interesting to me," Burton said. "I understand the 'good ol' days' theory and I understand that we all fantasize and romanticize about the way things used to be. The quality of racing is not bad here and there has become this stigma that the races are no good. I don't get it.

"If you look at number of passes, if you look at number of people on the lead lap, if you look at real stats -- the thought that the racing's not good isn't supported. So there's a perception that has come the last two years that the quality of racing has gone down. That's the key issue. If people believe -- without even doing a fair assessment -- that it isn't fun to watch or it isn't fun to do, that's a major problem."

Burton said the races today are more difficult than in the past. (Continued)