NASCAR Cup competitors form Drivers Advisory Council

Cup drivers have formed a Drivers Advisory Council and will be led by former competitor Jeff Burton. 

The Council, which has current and former Cup drivers, stated in a release Friday that it will work with the industry to “collectively move the sport forward and conduct positive change.”

The Board of Directors for the Council are: Kurt Busch, Austin Dillon, Denny Hamlin, Corey LaJoie, Joey Logano, Kyle Petty and Daniel Suarez. 

Burton will lead the group as Director of the Council. He said Friday morning that having open communication with NASCAR, track operators and industry stakeholders, among others, are key initiatives.

“The drivers have always had a voice, the question is how was that voice best used to positively influence the sport,” Burton told reporters. “Times have changed. The sport isn’t run the way it was run in the late ‘90s. It’s different. Because of that, the drivers need to be different. 

“This, in no way, is going to become a firewall between a driver and NASCAR, a driver and an owner, a driver and a track operator. We don’t want to stop that line of communication directly between a single driver and a NASCAR representative, or track representative, or manufacture representative. We don’t want to do that. 

“We believe, and I believe, one of the great strengths of our sport is the ability to have those conversations face-to-face, where you are with the main guy you need to be talking and he’s talking directly to you. There is no reason for that to stop. 

“The Council’s role is to gather as much information as possible, communicate that with the drivers, be a conduit to communication, not a firewall. We only want to enhance those communications.”

Burton said multiple drivers reached out to him last July