Brooklyn, Mich. ? NASCAR is tired of hearing the negative message some of the sport’s stars have been sending to fans lately.

Too many complaints about the new generation car, bumpy race tracks and numerous other things, and not enough positive reinforcement for fans.

NASCAR president Mike Helton held a “mandatory” meeting Friday morning for drivers and the team owners who already were on hand at Michigan International Speedway.

Things apparently reached a critical mass last week at Pocono, where it appeared nobody was happy about the rough track or the so-called “Car of Tomorrow” that is still being developed, or the intense heat that had many drivers near exhaustion after a 500-mile race most of them believe should be no longer than 400 miles.

Apparently, the main bone of contention is the almost constant grumbling over the new car, a more uniform construction intended to cut costs for the teams and enhance competition on track.

It was introduced last season, after seven years of development by NASCAR and the teams, with a 16-race schedule before running for the full season in 2008.

The complaint level hit a season high in the wake of Pocono, and Helton reacted.

“He wanted to remind our drivers about their responsibility to the fans,” said NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter. “He felt it has become a negative environment and reminded them to think about the fans, what they are facing, the rising cost of gas and the hardships, particularly in an area like this that has been hit so hard by the economy.”