NASCAR held invitation-only meetings at their Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C. this week to discuss the future of the sport.

On Tuesday, the meeting focused primarily on competition with drivers Jeff Burton and Greg Biffle joining crew chiefs, engineers and technical directors. A second meeting was held on Wednesday with team owners and principals as a follow-up to the discussions held in May.

The primary focus of the meetings: How can NASCAR help the competitors to make the sport stronger?

"I think the first meeting went pretty well," said NASCAR Series director John Darby. "They'll get better as we go along. There was a little apprehension in the room. Maybe they were wondering whether they were talking out of school. But by the second or third meeting I expect they will lighten up and become more active."

Participation was encouraged according to three principals that spoke on the grounds of anonymity.

Some of the high points included:

How can we make the overall product better?

While there won't be any sizeable changes in the rules package for 2010, NASCAR wanted to make sure that competitors understood that an open door policy exists. Despite reports to the contrary, the sanctioning body is open to suggestions. Everyone that went made it sound more like they'll get the opportunity to discuss issues without repercussion. Whether that indeed happens remains to be seen but competitors seemed encouraged.

What can the sport do to make participation more cost effective for the competitors? Should NASCAR limit the number of team members that come to the racetrack? Should NASCAR limit the number of engineers that come to the racetrack? Should the Cup Series move to two-day shows?