A Big What If..........................

[dawg]

The high gas prices are effecting the whole country. In both overt, & covert ways.
Ford has been in financial deep Doo-Doo, for some time. Chrysler was just taken over by an equity group. It's not the best of times at GM either.
The most profitable vehicles for all of them are the high $$ trucks & SUVs. Even with DEEP discounts these aren't selling. What is selling is small econoboxes. Small cars, produce small profits.
 Suppose 1 or more of the domestics decide that NA$CAR, & the big $$$ that it takes to support it. Just no longer make marketing sense. If say Chrysler were to pull out. That would make it easier for Ford to follow. I can see "Yeah it's got a Hemi." Being replaced by, "Yeah it gets 35 MPG" pretty easily."
 The Manufacturers could decide to throw their support behind something like the old Mobile Gas Economy Run.
Remember GM pulled out of NA$CAR in, I think, '63. I remember Rex White running patched, & welded blocks, & heads. because new ones weren't available.
If such a thing happens now,(& I think it's very likely.) It would immediately kill off the struggling small teams. My loyalty isn't to any manufacturer, but I'd hate to this turn into more of a  spec. series than it already is. The COC is too close to that now.
I Know all the manufactures have said they are solidly behind NA$CAR, but they would continue to say that. Right up untill the announcement is made.
Think about this, because it may be closer than you think.

[Chris]

seeing that NONE of the car manufactures supply a single body that any nascar series runs now.... I'm gonna have to think how this is going to effect NASCAR much.
IMO I think this new COT was a great move for NASCAR to get AHEAD of the curve in case the big 3 car makers every decided to get out of NASCAR racing.
Right now no car raced looks like ANY cdar on the road.  About all any of the manufactures do is supply money to help support testing.  If I'm not mistaken I think Toyota does build the motors for their cars,.. but Chevy motors are built by NMS,... and Ford Motors are built my Yates/RFR.  Ernie Elliott still builds some motors for Dodge...
Motors is the only "Issue" I see if ALL the car Manufactures pulled out... and most of the teams seem to have that covered already.

Maybe I'm missing something.  But I think NASCAR will have a way for the giant money machine to roll merrily along

[Tyyrus]

IMO I think this new COT was a great move for NASCAR to get AHEAD of the curve in case the big 3 car makers every decided to get out of NASCAR racing.
Right now no car raced looks like ANY cdar on the road.  About all any of the manufactures do is supply money to help support testing. 

I think you have hit the Nail on the Head  , Chris !  Along with Parity and Safety , Nascar has enabled itself to be self efficient with the Car Design Issue . Only decals need be applied to achieve resemblance to the Big 3 or 4 lol ! As far as Engines , a Crate Motor would be the next step , which with the current Spec Engines is only a marginal difference ! I think Nascar is Safe within the Short term  , but would not be surprised if within the next few yrs Race lengths or engine fuel milage issues do not become a Environmental Hot Topic !!  Hybrid Cup Cars anyone   Yuck ! 

[Chris]

think Nascar is Safe within the Short term  , but would not be surprised if within the next few yrs Race lengths or engine fuel milage issues do not become a Environmental Hot Topic !!  Hybrid Cup Cars anyone   Yuck !   

I'm not so sure that is gonna be a problem... you gotta remember we been down this road with the fuel issue before:  Back with the fuel embargo in the 70's.  AT that time we were actually SHORT of fuel and you could wait in line for hours to get gas.  Thats not the problem now,.. Gas is just going up.  And that is 75% because China is growing and expanding at such a huge rate,.. THEY are the ones now driving what determines fuel cost, and steel cost, and (you name it) cost...
I mean when you have ONE city with 35 million people,.. that dwarfs ANY city in the U.S.

Back in the 70's it was pointed out that just ONE plane carrying an NFL team across country to play an NFL GAME burned MORE fuel than all 43 cars in a NASCAR race (and that if all 43 cars run the full 500 miles.)  SO you got 16 NFL games every week...
Now throw in Baseball, Baskball, Hockey, .... etc
 So I think you'd have to see ALL the major sports stopped before NASCAR would stop racing... or change their schedule.
I don't think you are gonna see that happen... All the owners of MLB, NFL, NBA, NASCAR... they would all band together in a common goal.  THAT is their livelyhood.  The MORE games the better for them.  Even if they "compromise"... less games means less revenue

[HUDSON HORNET]

I used to think that The Brian would sell NASCAR to the
Land-0-The Rising Sun ------ but now I'm thinkin' that
Rising Sun just might be Red China. 

I mean, ......... what developing nation would be completely
developed without stock car racing?   
Albeit detrimental.   

Got rice?