"What triggered the issue was the accident on the last lap," Helton said Friday before qualifying for the Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 at North Carolina Speedway. "Had the incident not occurred, we probably would not have done anything. We would not have let up on looking for an answer, but we wouldn't have had the sense of urgency.

"And I have no problem admitting we needed to be quick to react to this."

The sanctioning body made a handful of rules changes Thursday following a two-hour meeting with teams to discuss how to improve restrictor-plate racing at Daytona and Talladega, the two biggest and fastest tracks on the circuit.

The meeting was a result of drivers and crew chiefs vehemently complaining after the 16-car accident at last month's EA Sports 500.

With representatives from almost every team on hand, NASCAR agreed to remove the thin metal strip across the roof, alter the angle of the rear spoiler and remove the air-catching upright bend from the top of the spoilers, among other things.

All of it is in an effort to eliminate the tight pack-racing that has become common at the two tracks and resulted in a handful of serious accidents, including the one that killed Dale Earnhardt at this year's Daytona 500.

The garage was buzzing Friday with teams thrilled about the opportunity to speak in open forum. It was the first type of meeting the sport has had in some time, although the sanctioning body did hold two group safety briefings earlier this year.

"Most professional sports already do something like that at least once a year, so it's crucial for us to have a similar opportunity," said Michael McSwain, crew chief for Ricky Rudd.

"We had a chance to go there and be heard and that's the only way our sport can improve. I think we should do things like that more often."

Helton said the meeting also was a way for NASCAR to show its competitors that it is actively trying to improve the communication process in a sport that has long been tightlipped in its dealings.

"There's been some frustration in the past over the way we've handled things, and hopefully this will ease some of that," Helton said. "We recognize this is a different time, that things have changed and maybe we need to change a little bit as well."

Whoops
An innocent remark made on "The Tonight Show" has turned Dale Earnhardt Jr. into the most sought after bachelor in NASCAR.

The 27-year-old driver appeared on Monday's show and blushed when host Jay Leno asked him if he was single. Leno, a racing fan, then wondered how that could be because so many attractive women attend the races.

Earnhardt explained that all the women he sees in the garage area always seem to be taken, then invited any single girls to contact him and attend a race as his guest.

The driver has since been flooded with phone calls, flowers, e-mails and letters, from women interested in joining him in the pits for a weekend.

"We appreciate the interest but we're not sure we can keep up with demand," spokesman Jade Gurss said. "I don't think he knew the impact of what he was saying. Now he's got hundreds of prospective Mrs. Earnhardts calling daily."

Crew chief changes
Drivers Dave Blaney and Robby Gordon came to Rockingham with new crew chiefs as teams begin to start laying the foundation for next season.

Philippe Lopez will run the show for Blaney at Bill Davis Racing for the final four races of the year, then stay with the team next year when Hut Stricklin gets into the car. BDR also named Jimmy Penland car chief.

At Richard Childress Racing, crew chief Royce McGee was promoted to Winston Cup shop manager, giving way for Gil Martin to take over his job on the No. 31 Chevrolet. Martin was the crew chief for one of RCR's Busch series cars and had helped out periodically on the Winston Cup car.

The shuffling of McGee and Martin indicates Childress has decided on the direction of that team, even though he has yet to select his driver for next season.

Gordon has been in the car since replacing Mike Skinner in September and drove to a season-best seventh place finish last week. He's believed to be the top candidate for the opening that would team him with Kevin Harvick and Jeff Green next season.

"It's time to start rebuilding the team and moving Gil in is the first step," said Childress.