More fair????
All cars are now built for NASCAR from a 3rd party and have a set price.....which aint cheap. You are not allowed to modify the cars in any way other than shock/spring setting and camber, but all with in certain limits. Go to far one way or the other and your disqualified.
Now you have to get a driver that can drive with in those constraints. Turn the wheel this much at this time, tap the brakes, wait.....then accelerate off the corner at the precise time and repeat time after time doing as close to perfect everytime. Welcome "sim drivers". All of the drivers who came up muscling a car around a track are retired or pushed out of their cars for kids who are good at sim racing.
Pitcrews are were the race is these days. Its more important on how many spots you can pick up in the pits with a clean fast stop.
All this to make it "fairer", and yet there are still only 3, maybe 4 teams that compete week after week for the wins and more than half the field not even being close to those leaders. Its too bad the way its gone.
Well, I do think there is a driver skill you aren't considering, but its amazing to me how all cars are nearly the same, yet some get lapped and even twice lapped in some cases. I don't believe Sim racing is everything, it doesn't take into consideration the "feel" and weathering of the track, and the adrenaline of actually being in the race is much different than the Sim. Sorta like AH or DCS compared to real life. Its just not quite the same.
I did hear by the announcer last week that they did make the cars crunchier for crashes to help the impact.
IMO, I don't really see too much differences between racing today and racing yesterday. I think people like loud engines. I think people like speed. I think people enjoy close neck and neck racing. I think some understand the inside baseball a little better, but overall there ain't that much differences. Unfortunately racers get old and theirs only 45 of them, so when one great racer retires its tough on their fans. I think there is a lot more money these teams have today relative to the past, and it really could create a lot of disadvantages for younger teams that don't have it , with regards to research and development. It's crazy that some drivers still blow others away even with these changes by NASCAR.