Detroit meltdown concerns drivers
FORT WORTH, Tex. -- Jeff Burton walked into the media center at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday and quickly became a car salesman.
"I know General Motors is working really hard to have products that Americans want," Burton said. "I've got a peek at what's coming in the future and GM has an incredible car lineup coming."
NASCAR drivers always have worked as shills for sponsors, but this is different. The pitch now is about saving an industry that has been the lifeblood of the sport.
"For years, the auto manufacturers have helped us," Tony Stewart said. "Now all of the teams are trying to figure out what we can do for them. It would be a big hit to all the teams to lose them, but I'm more concerned about the hit it would be to our country."
Survival is in question for General Motors and Chrysler. Ford and Toyota, the other two manufacturers in NASCAR, also are suffering through bad times.
The auto industry woes have been a concern all season, but fears in the Sprint Cup garage increased after more bad news this week.
GM's CEO Rick Waggoner resigned at the request of the White House. President Barack Obama also said Chrysler has 30 days to reach a merger agreement with Fiat of face bankruptcy.
That could have a major impact on NASCAR.
One auto manufacturing official said Toyota, Chevrolet, Ford and Dodge will spend a combined $180 million this year on marketing and technical support to NASCAR teams.
Burton said all the teams realize that financial support could end.
"With the [financial] climate that we're in today, it would be poor business to not look at the worst-case scenarios," Burton said. "That's not to say that we believe a worst-case scenario is coming, but if you turn the news on you can't help but notice and pay attention to it. I don't think we have an option."
The worst-case scenario is for GM and Chrysler to fail entirely.
"I just don't think that's going to happen," said TMS president Eddie Gossage. "GM and Chrysler are going to survive. One in 10 people in this country are employed by the auto industry in some form or fashion. You can't let them disappear. Bankruptcy doesn't mean you vanish. These companies are too big for that. You just reorganize."
But Gossage has issues with how that happens.
"Whether they should have more bailout money, I will let others decide," Gossage said. "But a government that makes one hundred dollar hammers and one thousand dollar toilets does not need to be running the auto industry. They can't do it as well as GM or Chrysler can."
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a little more diplomatic about it.
"I hope the people making the decisions are making the best ones for our future," Earnhardt said. "You can't please everybody. It's hard to really understand what the right decision is when you have so many people that are either for it or against it."
Tony Stewart
Tony Stewart said he believes keeping Chrysler and General Motors solvent isn't just important for NASCAR, it's important for the country.
Until we see where those decisions take the auto industry, that worst-case scenario Burton mentioned still looms for NASCAR.
For example, what if Chrysler doesn't survive? What would happen to the two Dodge teams (Richard Petty Motorsports and Penske Racing) that race seven cars in Cup? Would NASCAR be forced to go to a generic car like was used for years in the former IROC Series?
"We'll never see that," Gossage said. "Roush is still going to run Fords and Hendrick is still going to run Chevys."
The truth is NASCAR runs a generic car now. The new car is identical in almost every detail except the front grill and decals.
NASCAR still would have cars, but the business model would change dramatically if the teams lost all manufacturer support.
"NASCAR will definitely survive,'' said
Kasey Kahne, who drives the No. 9 Dodge. "The manufacturers are a huge part of this, and hopefully they can stay a part of it. But they can only do what they can do. Whatever happens, we'll figure it out and get through it."
“
Gordon This is personal for me. I have an investment from a business standpoint. I can only tell you as a Chevy dealer that we've got the best products we've ever had.
” --
Jeff Gordon
For Jeff Gordon, it's more than just how NASCAR gets through the crisis. Gordon owns a Chevrolet dealership.
"This is personal for me," he said. "I have an investment from a business standpoint. I can only tell you as a Chevy dealer that we've got the best products we've ever had.
"But I'm definitely concerned about it. I'm more concerned about it for the economy of our country, not our sport. Racing to me is much further down the list of how it impacts things."
Even
Denny Hamlin, who is part of the Joe Gibbs Racing team that switched from Chevy to Toyota last year, believes it's critical to keep all the manufacturers in the sport.
"This is an American sport and you have to have American cars in it," Hamlin said. "Regardless of what money they're putting into it, I think Chevrolet, Dodge and Ford need to be in the sport."
Jimmie Johnson said anyone in NASCAR who says he isn't worried about it is either lying or uninformed.
"We all think about it," he said. "It's affecting our lives, our livelihoods, our families and the sport we love."
LINK:
NASCAR drivers aren't just worried about losing Chrysler and Chevrolet for their sport's sake, they're worried about it for the nation's sake - ESPN
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