Full Throttle

I thought the holiday season was a time of family, friends and good cheer. It’s hard to make that case if you spend any amount of time reading some of the headlines floating above NASCAR Nation.

To be sure all is not well.

Track officials and teams in all of NASCAR’s top three professional series are either still looking for sponsorship for 2009 and beyond or spending time worrying that the companies in the fold may find themselves having to cut back on spending, or even walking away from their contracts.

That said, to hear some tell it, The End is Near.

“NASCAR in general is at risk with a broad bankruptcy in the industry, and I think [not bailing out the Big Three] would just frankly take out NASCAR,” said Dr. David E. Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research, a nonprofit group that studies the industry.

“But assuming there’s some sort type of bridge loan to the Big Three and we’ll get stability in the credit markets, I think NASCAR will live and at least two of the Big Three will continue to participate.”

Well gee, thanks for the vote of confidence doctor, but doncha think taking “out NASCAR” is a bit overblown?

Even one of NASCAR’s own has donned his Chicken Little Crash Helmet: “We’re optimistic that Congress will help support the automakers and help them get through this very difficult time,” said Andrew Giangola, Director of Business Communications for NASCAR.

“It would affect NASCAR if the manufacturers were not with us. It would very strange to watch NASCAR and not see Chevy and Ford and Dodge racing around the track.”

Andrew, I’ll give you the Dodge scenario, their parent Chrysler has left stock car racing several times and NASCAR did just fine without them. But what are the odds of NASCAR ever competing without Chevys and Fords in the starting field?

I’d say slim to none even if both manufacturers pulled out completely - and there’s no indication they will - a billion dollar industry doesn’t blow away like dust in the wind.

Many might remember what happened in 2002 when Kmart filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy and suspended its sponsorship of the Haas-Carter Motorsports team in the Cup series, as well as its involvement with the Daytona 500.

NASCAR lost $1.4m and reportedly Haas-Carter lost $19.2 million when the bankruptcy court ruled in K-Marts favor.

Admittedly that sum is a drop in the oil pan for NASCAR but Daytona survives and Haas lived on in one form or another until swallowed up Tony Stewart to form Stewart-Haas Racing.

Regardless of what the Congressional Kleptomaniacs in D.C. do- and at the moment they aren’t inclined to bailout Detroit - Brian France isn’t about to start floating loans of credit to keep teams in business.

The sport is and always will be a survival of the fastest and fittest.

History teaches that Stock car racing in the 1960s featured intense behind the scenes battles between the factories, rules makers, track owners, promoters, and racing teams.

Factory engineers produced wild and overpowered (for the time) stock cars that raced in shootouts from Southern dirt and small ovals to bigger and bigger super-speedways. The racer’s edge sought by each factory led one small team after another to pack up and pull out.

The cause maybe be different, but the effect will be nearly the same, small teams will merge, gain needed sponsorship (or both), or die.

But NASCAR as a sport will live on.