Nascar dead if Big 3 recieve bailouts???

[ssdd]

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/16/if-automakers-get-a-bailout-should-nascar-die/?icid=200100397x1215599075x1200948884

[goodone414]

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/16/if-automakers-get-a-bailout-should-nascar-die/?icid=200100397x1215599075x1200948884



May be Dead anyway!!!







Report: GM may dump Daytona sponsorshipsby FOXSports.com



Updated: December 14, 2008, 12:01 AM EST 73 comments add this RSS blog email Print General Motors' troubles may drastically affect NASCAR's crown jewel in 2009.

The automaker still has not decided whether it will renew its contract to sponsor the Daytona International Speedway and its premier race of the year, the Daytona 500, according to the Detroit News.

The Detroit-based company has a multiyear agreement to support the speedway as well as its premier stock car race, but that contract expires on Dec. 31. The Daytona 500 is set to run on Feb. 15.

"I know we've had some talks with them, but right now, we are continuing to explore opportunities," speedway spokesman Andrew Booth told the Detroit News. "We don't comment on our prospects."

GM has been scaling back its corporate sponsorship in sports as it tries to cut costs across the board. It already has ended deals with golfer Tiger Woods and baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates and decided not to buy any ad time for next year's Super Bowl.

According to the Detroit News, GM's sponsorship deals with Daytona started in the early 1970s. The contract includes providing fire and safety vehicles and pace cars, but GM hasn't disclosed how much money it spends on its Daytona speedway deal or NASCAR sponsorship.

[XDCX]

These are tough times and NASCAR is a lightning rod with some politicians. I wouldn't be surprised if GM backed away from their Daytona sponsorship and all of the Detroit 3 scaled back their involvement in NASCAR.

Ironically, that would leave Toyota as one of NASCAR's top promoters. I doubt that's what NASCAR wants as they try to keep the sport relevant to their fan base.

On a different note, I was amazed at how much Honda was spending on F1 racing - it was almost $1 Billion/year according to the AutoExtremist. No wonder they pulled out - that's an insane amount of money to be spending regardless of the current economy.

[XDCX]

I just read a story on ESPN that reported that Dodge will remain in NASCAR for 2009 but they'll be cutting their budget by at least 30%.

Here's a link to the news report: http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/news/story?id=3777985

Dodge Motorsports director Mike Accavitti did a nice job with the interview - especially the part where he stated that closing the manufacturing plants for 30 days really isn't that big of a deal given that the plants are always closed for two weeks during the holidays anyway.

If Accavitti is fired over the holidays we'll know he violated the "no good news" mandate that imposed on all Chrysler managers by Cerberus. :rolleyes: