"A kinder, gentler NASCAR"... Really?

Apparently NASCAR (as in the Sanctioning Body, not the Sport) is continuing its trek to let the drivers have personalities again, after years of complaints that the drivers were all too politic, vanilla, etc.

What amuses me most about this approach is that the anticipated result of the sanctioning body pulling back and letting the drivers speak their minds (or speak with their fists?) is a 'kinder, gentler' NASCAR. Hmmm. I understand the logic, the sanctioning body is the 'kinder' part, not the sport itself. After all, many consider it to be the 'motorsport equivalent of wrestling'. On that part, I'm not sure that letting the drivers and teams get after each other on pit lane after the race is over is really going to help that image.

I find it unlikely that Robin Pemberton et al. are going to revert to letting drivers use their cars as weapons (e.g., the Kenseth/Harvick spat during a caution a few years back), although they might... the best battle to watch on that count will be Hamlin/Keselowski, as they've been building up plenty of animosity for each other.

Thus far, NASCAR has let them mostly settle it between themselves, with words and occasional on-track action; but that doesn't mean there haven't been 'chats' with officials in the mobile Principal's office. And how those 'chats' continue and how far NASCAR officials are willing to let things go is still an open question.