What are these proposals? Here are the main issues that GM, Ford and Chrysler plan on discussing in the very near future with NASCAR management in meetings to be held in Detroit:

1. Brand Recognition. It's no secret that there are factions within these Detroit manufacturers who are none too pleased with NASCAR's "CoT" and the fact that literally all brand distinctiveness has been eliminated with the "spec" bodywork required in Sprint Cup. The Hot Idea? The Detroit manufacturers want their "pony" cars to be made eligible for the Sprint Cup in 2010, with stock bodywork dimensions, no less. They want more of a direct connection between what they run in NASCAR and what they sell on the street. That means putting all of the CoT safety developments within the production body dimensions of the Camaro, Mustang and Challenger, with an entry from Toyota to be determined. It also means a return to NASCAR's old days, when every race weekend's technical inspection became a forum for lobbying and intense carrying-on by the manufacturers searching for an advantage.
The reality? NASCAR got wind of this idea at Indy and suggested that the Nationwide Series would be a better forum for "pony" cars, but the manufacturers have already dismissed that idea out of hand. They want their "pony" cars to have a raison d'etre, and one way to do it is to race them in NASCAR, which would do wonders to enhance their marketing programs. That's why the manufacturers want them in Sprint Cup by 2010. NASCAR, on the other hand, feels a nightmare coming on while envisioning trying to balance the manufacturers' competitiveness with each other on the track. They better get used to it.

2. Elevate the technology. This is something that NASCAR better get on board with, because the manufacturers are more than adamant about it. They're tired of NASCAR's head-in-sand approach when it comes to applying technology to Sprint Cup. On the manufacturers' wish list? Direct fuel-injection, overhead cams and alternative fuel. And that means walking away from "spec" engines too - and doing away with the common bore centers that NASCAR is requiring. And the fact that NASCAR just went to unleaded racing fuel not long ago isn't cutting it with Detroit, either. They're thinking E85 instead.
The reality? NASCAR will argue that these kinds of changes will add to the cost for the teams, but that argument isn't likely to hold water with the Detroit manufacturers. NASCAR's "yester-tech" comfort zone with 60s automotive technology will have to finally be put out to pasture, if they want the Detroit manufacturers to stay interested, that is.

3. A total reevaluation of the road racing program. Right now NASCAR has two road races on their schedule, but two of the three Detroit manufacturers want to add at least two more road races to the schedule without adding to the total number of races (see the next point below). Not only that, these manufacturers want all-new cars mandated for the road races, meaning that special cars would have to be built just for the road racing events. What these cars would look like and what their specifications would be is yet to be determined, but suffice to say there's room for a radical interpretation with this aspect of Detroit's NASCAR "wish" list.
The reality? One of the reasons NASCAR went to their vaunted CoT was to eliminate the need for having to build different cars for different tracks (super speedways, intermediate ovals, short tracks, road races, etc.), so this proposal is likely to meet intense pushback from NASCAR management. But then again, if cooler heads prevail in Daytona Beach, they might just realize that if the manufacturers are enthused about this then it might just be better to go with the flow, because the alternative is not looking so appealing at this point.