Imagine Major League Baseball telling the world the designated hitter wasn't such a good idea after all. Or Augusta National agreeing that its greens are too fast. Or the NCAA deciding athletes need more compensation than the cost of room, board and tuition.

Sunday, in the aftermath of the EA Sports 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, as the season draws to a close on one of the most tumultuous years in stock car racing history, NASCAR officials admitted what they've been doing isn't working.

It was, to some degree, an amazing moment in sports. By all accounts, NASCAR is one of the most remarkable success stories of the past 50 years; arguably the fastest growing and most financially successful professional sport in the nation.

Before, when it came to public relations, no one was better than NASCAR. It was, without a doubt, the most fan-friendly and media-conscious sport in the world.

But this past year, public relations blemishes have begun to appear on a NASCAR veneer that for decades seemed coated in Teflon. It began with the death of one time villain-turned-hero Dale Earnhardt at Daytona in February, and the ensuing questions about NASCAR's commitment to safety, commitment to truth, and commitment to fair play. That was only exacerbated when Dale Earnhardt Jr. came back with his fairy-tale victory in the July return to Daytona.

As ugly as the investigation and allegations surrounding the death of Earnhardt were, the heartwarming victory by Earnhardt Jr. in NASCAR's return to Daytona raised questions about the integrity of the sport by critics who found Junior's success to be too good to be true.

NASCAR admitted it has problems -- problems that start with the fact that this isn't a sport that rewards outstanding drivers anymore, at least not at the so-called "super" speedways like Talladega, where real racing doesn't occur until the final 10 laps or so of the 188-lap feature.

The first and second-place finishers bore the truth of that out, each in their own way. Earnhardt Jr. chose to run at the front of the pack all day, while Tony Stewart hung way back until the end. Both strategies worked so well that, on the final two laps, they were going at each other, nose-to-nose, until the last turn when Stewart, tucked behind Earnhardt, couldn't get Jeff Burton to give him the push he needed to beat Earnhardt to the finish line.

"The last 35 laps were the only hard laps we ran all day," Stewart said. "And I think we could have finished one spot higher, if a couple of circumstances hadn't happened. But ... I don't know what to say, because there's so much frustration. It's pretty bad when you're this frustrated."

What Stewart is frustrated about -- this time -- is anyone's guess. He didn't come to the post-race media interview as "requested" by NASCAR, choosing to make a few comments then disappear into his trailer.

He was probably unhappy that, in a race where teamwork is essential to success, Stewart was left out to dry by Burton, who chose to help Earnhardt over Stewart.

In the old days, that wouldn't have mattered nearly as much. In the old days, you had to fight to stay with the lead pack, and second place is where you always wanted to be as you came off the last turn at Talladega.

"In the old days, we had 'slingshots' and 'drafting,"' said Robert Yates, owner of the Ricky Rudd and Dale Jarrett cars. "There was nothing wrong with that. But here, you can't lose the draft. In the old days, you could fall out of line and lose the air and fall behind. But these cars pull so much junk, you can't lose the draft -- behind, to the side. It's everywhere.

"You can go to sleep awhile and then decide to start racing and you're OK. This track isn't wide enough for that, because it needs to be 45 cars wide and it's not. This isn't driving, it's roulette. It's ridiculous."

The drivers and car owners have been complaining for years. NASCAR finally agreed.

It might have been the first step in NASCAR restoring its blemished public image. What made Winston Cup racing so appealing for so long was its brutal honesty. You asked a question, you got an answer.

It used to be a simple sport. "Car run good" said it all. But lately, nothing much has "run good" when it comes to NASCAR. NASCAR officials admitted as much. Maybe there are a few "good ol' boys" left in this sport after all.