There's nothing like controversy to generate opinions. And boy, did we ever hear from NASCAR fans. After I wrote a pair of columns in the last two weeks soliciting input about what's wrong with NASCAR, my e-mailbox has been flooded.

And they're still coming in, most from fans who are disenchanted, tired and even fed-up with NASCAR.

Don't get me wrong, there's lots of good in NASCAR. The racing, in most cases, is second to none. The overall show, both on and off the track, and the amount of merchandise and souvenirs are things other series could learn from.

Some studies indicate NASCAR now has between 20 to 40 million die-hard fans, and another 40 to 60 million casual ones. Those are numbers that can't be denied or ignored.

Yet, many fans do feel ignored. Their complaints about the high price of tickets, concessions and souvenirs, the horrible traffic and other similar issues invariably fall on deaf ears, in their opinions.

Well, we haven't ignored them, and we welcomed their opinions. So here is a sample of what they are saying, what they want and how they hope NASCAR will finally start addressing their complaints.

I've just returned from the Fontana race, so everything is fresh in my mind.

Can you believe that they had people directing traffic out of the speedway on Saturday, but not Sunday? What were they thinking?

And what is the deal with not being allowed to keep the caps on our bottles of water? The concessionaires told us they were required to throw them away because of concern about debris on the track. And yet, the hot dog wrappers -- which are notorious for ending up on the grilles of the cars -- were still being passed out. Whose idea was this?

And prices -- holy mackerel! Three dollars for a bottle of water! Do you know you can buy 24 bottles of water for the same price? Have they no shame?

In order to avoid both of the above problems, I bought my own water and brought it into the track. So I was able to spend about a third of the price on water, and I was able to keep my cap. But please don't pass this on to NASCAR. I'm sure they'd find a way to foil my efforts if you told them.

How much does a weekend at the races cost? Well, when you consider tickets, hotel, food -- and I try to avoid eating at the track as much as possible -- and shopping at the trailers, I budget $1000 for a weekend. I used to go to four races a year. I'm down to two, now, and thinking I should cut it to one or none next year. I love going to the races; there is truly nothing like it. But realities are realities, and I can only afford so much.

Rules? The rules are a joke, and we all know that. The drivers need to protect themselves, because NASCAR won't do that. And NASCAR has never enforced the rules equitably. If Kurt Busch or Robby Gordon had pulled that move at Talladega, they would have been black-flagged. Period. I feel sorry for the drivers, because they have no way of knowing when a rule will or won't be enforced.

That's all the energy I have for venting right now. I doubt that NASCAR will listen to you/us. But I'm glad you've made it known that fans are upset about the way things are going.

Linda Midkiff

I would like to put in my two cents. And I believe it applies to fan's complaints about NASCAR going after the money.

I used to have season seats at the California Speedway, but I gave them up because of the absolute boredom of the NASCAR race there. It's like watching grass grow. I believe that what NASCAR is letting happen, is the building of these dual-purpose tracks that can accommodate both stock and open-wheel racing.

So, we have tracks like the California, and Homestead, and Las Vegas that are flaaaat and wwwwide. Even Indianapolis is that way. (These tracks and others like them are great for open-wheel but lousy for stock cars).

On starts and re-starts, the cars are close together and it seems exciting. But within one or two laps, the cars are spread apart and racing by themselves. There's not a lot of racing going on; the cars are racing the track, not each other. You might as well be watching qualifying.

It took me two years out there to notice this, but then it was very blatant in it's boredom. I believe that the race in Fontana is the most boring race on NASCAR's schedule. I'm aware that the cars go up to 200 mph there, but it's a shallow statistic because the cars are racing alone. There's more drama on the Ventura Freeway!

I was just wondering, am I the only one who has complained of this? Or have you gotten any other emails of this nature?

Mike Freeman
Toluca Lake, Calif.

I have been sorely disappointed by your pro-(Bruton) Smith rhetoric over the last year. If he is such a savvy businessman, why did he build another boring superspeedway in Texas? The real issue is that the fans want another short track. That is where the talent of the driver is the most evident and the action is much more exciting. Briggs C. Casteel
Richmond, Va.

I couldn't agree more with you and the over 200 emails you have received. NASCAR needs to get back to basics and concentrate on racing, period.

I am 61 and started to attend stock car races in the '60s, mostly at the old Riverside Raceway in California. I watched the good old boys from the south struggle on the road course and loved everything about the sport. I also was at the inaugural race at Ontario. I have been to Phoenix, Daytona, Talladega and Sears Point. I wish I could afford to attend more, but I am now retired and have to be satisfied with what is shown on TV. Not the same as in person!

I am convinced in my mind that the teams with the big $$$ sponsors like Budweiser are give a lot more leeway than the smaller teams. There are simply too many dollars at stake for NASCAR to alienate these sponsors. I am still a fan of racing, but probably will never attend another race. I say bring back USAC and lets have a little competition for the fans to choose who to support.

Roger Lawrence
Dolores, Colo.

Yes, I've never felt that NASCAR was fair in a lot of ways.

With some more competition we could do away with $5.50 hamburgers and $3 Cokes.

Maybe if NASCAR didn't control half the tracks we might be able to purchase tickets at a fair price. They don't know it yet because business is still pretty good, although I see more and more empty seats, but they are and have driven many of us older people out of going to the tracks because of the costs.

Not to mention the fact that the racing isn't as good on a whole as it used to be, and I feel that that is do to all this aero BS. Take a look at the cars from the mid-80s and the quality of the races and you'll see my point. Thanks for letting me say my piece.

J.B Suveg
Martinsburg, Pa.

First, your analogy goes off a little. NASCAR doesn't own any of the teams. The tracks they own they either paid big bucks for or built themselves. Second, I don't really like change and I don't care what happens as long as I still have my favorite sport to watch -- NASCAR. There are many of us who don't want to lose a race at Rockingham, Darlington, Daytona or Talladega, and, guess what? Thousands love the races at Daytona and Talladega just like they are. What makes you think Bruton Smith is above it all? Look at the travesty that he pulled on North Wilkesboro? He is hated by many for that one. Janet Daurity
Myrtle Beach, S.C.

I totally agree with the concept that "perception is 9/10 of reality."

I think that NASCAR could learn a lot from the NFL with regards to rule changes and riding them out, good, bad, or indifferent (i.e. instant replay). The structure with which the NFL goes about making a change and riding it out for a full season, and then reassessing the situation after an entire year is said and done is a good example.

This is America and the France family built this sport on their American dream. Now their baby is ready to leave the nest. The only problem is their Cash-Printing-Offspring is just too wonderful to let go of, and frankly, who can blame them.

A third party to govern the rules of NASCAR would show the fans that this is still a sport. With all this talk of NASCAR reaching out to new fans (i.e., minorities among others), I would hate to see new fans discouraged by the "perception" that the playing field is not level.

Some people new to the sport may see the field in the shape of a funnel directing the money and not a place where men who do not fear 200+ mph stare down "The Big One" on a weekly basis.

Jared Reed
Clinton Township, Mich.

Of course it (NASCAR being both governing body as well as owning its multitude of ancillary businesses) is a conflict of interest. Regardless of what they say, it is impossible not to look out for yourself when you own multiple aspects of a business. Would you give up part of your control over an industry if you could decide where everything takes place? They won't take a race away from one of their facilities even though (Bruton) Smith's tracks always sell out.

Joe Miller
Philadelphia

NASCAR's situation is the epitome of the spirit of antitrust legislation. While free enterprise is the foundation of American economics, NASCAR should and must release the reins of power and become a wholly independent governing body.

The spirit of competition and fair play are at risk of becoming akin to the WWE: rigged outcomes purely for monetary gain and entertainment, totally devoid of sportsmanship and competition.

Otherwise, we may as well just read about race results on Monday morning and spend Sunday afternoons mowing our lawns.

Ron Romhanyi
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

I believe the popularity of the sport is so high because it's run totally differently than all other major sports. Change anything and it will become another NBA or NHL. If it ain't broken don't fix it! Mike Cooper
Poland, Ohio

I agree totally. My interest in the series has suffered quite a bit over the last few years, too much France family influence to keep a level playing field.

Its basically do what they want at any time. I feel ripped off after some events because of the calls they make. The sport has gotten much too big to have them in total control. There is no checks and balances. They might think they know everything, but they really don't, and I don't think they are in touch with the fans as much as they say they are.

To me now, they are no different than other money-hungry sports. That's a shame because I always held NASCAR above the other sports. Now, they have taken their place next to them. Too bad.

Bob Myron
Cranston, R.I.

I am 58-years-old and I have watched and attended NASCAR races all my life. I watched my last NASCAR race when Dale Jr. was allowed to pass below the yellow line (earlier this month in Texas) and was not penalized as so many others have been. I will never watch another race!

Steve Byrd
Leland, N.C.

I read what you wrote about the 80 percent of NASCAR fans being disappointed ... count me in.

I love NASCAR and watch every race because of the competition and excitement. But, the governing body is a joke and the rules change too frequently for anyone that watches consistently to take them seriously.

NASCAR has too much gray areas in their rulebook and enforces only the rules it chooses. Yes, NASCAR is great, but until they get serious about impartiality and fairness to all drivers, they will still be seen as a redneck, hick organization run by a bunch of moonshiners. I don't think even NASCAR takes itself seriously as a true governing body.

Eugene Malush
Tampa, Fla.

The France family built the NASCAR organization from nothing to what you see today. They have every right to oversee the sport and own tracks. Unless someone can prove misconduct on their behalf, it's my opinion that people like Jerry Bonkowski should either shut up and enjoy the great sport the France family built or just simply stop being a fan. No one is twisting your arm to watch their product, buy their merchandise or go to their tracks to see their races. Sounds like a simple case of jealousy to me. Roger Vandall
Telluride, Colo.

You are right there are many of us unhappy and you touch on a few of the problems. It maybe necessary for another racing organization to start up. Ticket Prices and "boring restrictor-plate racing" are a joke.

This is the first year many of us in our community have not and will not travel to any NASCAR races. They've taken the manufactures away, no distinction there. It's not just the drivers but cars too!

Tom Adan
California

It was fine, when NASCAR was a smaller regional sport, to run NASCAR as a family enterprise.

Now, NASCAR is a multi-billion dollar enterprise. At some point (now!), NASCAR has to adjust to the fact that it is catering to a significantly larger national audience. NASCAR needs to codify its rules, and apply them equally to all participants. If it doesn't, the danger to NASCAR is that it will become another NBA-type organization.

The NBA, because of its pathetic inability to produce a product that is fair and impartial, is irrelevant and boring. I appreciate what the founding families have done for the sport, but it has grown beyond them.

Dave
Spokane, Wash.

Just read your article and it really tells the truth of how the true die-hard NASCAR fans feel.

One thing I have noticed this year is the amount of tickets that are available at all the tracks. For the past 4-5 yrs, tickets have been nearly impossible to get, yet you can go to many of the tracks' Web sites and still order tickets. For instance, tickets are still readily available for the Michigan races and the 2nd most prestigious, the Brickyard 400.

Now is this a sign of NASCAR fans' disgust or is the decline in ticket sales caused by the world's economic woes?

I personally have spent the same amount of money on tickets this year. However, I was at the Daytona 500 and will not be renewing my tickets for next year.

NASCAR needs to get its act together or it will soon feel the hit in their gold-lined wallets.

Johnie Downey

I feel the same way as do most of these fans who wrote you. I love racing, but am getting fed up with the sanctioning body in general. Every decision they make seems to drive me further away.

Greg Culpepper

I wanted to be counted in the event NASCAR requested your e-mails concerning NASCAR today.

A family tradition to attend Speedweeks and the Daytona 500 each year for my family will end with me. I can no longer afford ticket prices for myself and three kids and will not be able to pass this event on.

I also think it is impossible for NASCAR as a business to send down an unpopular decision upon a popular driver.

I too think that the constant rules changes to make better racing is baloney. Other sports do not changes rules each week at different venues to make competitive play. NASCAR should be looked at how they are a monopoly.

Greg Vowell

Your article regarding the problems with NASCAR is right on the money.

I have spent a lot of money over the years supporting NASCAR by traveling to races and buying merchandise. I live in Vermont so going to a race requires a substantial investment of time and money (NHIS is not a viable option to go to a race for a lot of reasons, but that's another problem).

I have put my motorhome up for sale and cannot foresee a situation where I would ever go to another race. NASCAR is certainly not going to change anything because I no longer have the interest or desire to participate in the nonsense that they try to stuff down fans throats. It's all about the money now. And I do not believe that anything will change.

Jeff Hanson Vermont

Jerry Bonkowski covers NASCAR for ESPN.com. He can be reached at motorsportwriter@yahoo.com.