Nascar Race Today

When NASCAR unveiled its new Gen 6 model, it promised more passing and exciting racing. (Photo: Joe Camporeale, USA TODAY Sports)

Story Highlights NASCAR needs more excitement on the track leading up to the Chase Carl Edwards offers tweaks to Gen 6 that could improve ability to pass Leaders and lead changes per race are down slightly from a year ago

If the Gen 6 car is NASCAR's cleverly named answer to an iPhone, then it's obvious what the next step is for the Sprint Cup Series' favorite toy.

Upgrade.

It's August, which means dealerships across the country are clearing their showrooms for next year's models. NASCAR should take a similar cue with the sexier, sleeker car that was designed to resemble its street counterparts.

It's time to give the Gen 6 a fresh sheen.

This isn't a call for tweaking the aesthetics of a car universally acclaimed for a dynamic appearance that made everyone forget about its ugly-as-sin predecessor.

But changes are needed, even if they are mostly nominal in nature.

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NASCAR is in the midst of its traditional midsummer lull, and it seems even more pronounced this season. Since the notable contretemps in March between Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and Tony Stewart, there has been a decided lack of drama and feuding.

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What resonates is the racing, and there hasn't been enough of it. Leaders and lead changes per race are down slightly from a year ago.

NASCAR has seemed reluctant to take a swing at adjusting on the car, and that is somewhat commendable because teams endured such a slog scrambling to prepare for the 2013 changeover.

Meanwhile, there have been few suggestions from the stars, who surely remain mindful of the spanking delivered to Hamlin for his innocuous (and accurate) observation that it was harder to pass with the new car than the maligned older model.

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Though the suggestions quickly can turn into bleating both counterproductive and self-serving, much of drivers' criticism also can be cogent. Carl Edwards offered some wise analysis after the race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which featured precisely one green-flag lead change over 400 miles.

"I don't know that there is a fundamental problem with the car, but I would be really curious to see what no front splitter and a really tiny rear spoiler would do," Edwards said. "I think you would see those great races like we saw at (Auto Club Speedway in) Fontana."

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It's not a coincidence that Fontana also delivered the three-way feud between Hamlin, Logano and Stewart. Drivers felt comfortable, and that produced some of the season's most daring and wild moves.

It's partially because of the weathered pavement at Fontana, which hasn't been altered since its 1997 opening. The next two tracks on the circuit - Pocono Raceway and Michigan International Speedway - got fresh coats of asphalt last year in a necessary trend of upkeep that also has been an overlooked scourge.

Repaves, which turn tracks into single-file parades of speed, can't be undone. But there are ways to try to de-emphasize aerodynamics, which are limiting action on big tracks.

ESPN analyst Dale Jarrett has an idea: Eliminate minimum height rules and allow teams to keep their cars' front ends virtually glued to the track as they did during the 1990s. That way, air is just flowing over, not under, the cars and the ride - and passing - could be smoother.

Any change would be a good start even if it doesn't work - if for no reason than it will focus the conversation on improving the racing during the dog days of August before the Chase for the Sprint Cup cranks up, and the need for theatrics becomes imperative.

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Recall all the preseason enthusiasm surrounding the debut of the Gen 6, and it's easy to see how couching modifications as a fresh model might help gin up a fresh round of excitement.

Maybe NASCAR could call it the Gen 6S? Or how about just going with a trusted slogan?

"It's a new car!"

Who doesn't like the sound of that?