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DESPAIN: My Take on the Economy and Racing
The economic mess is the worst in 80 years... so what’s going to happen to racing in these tough times?...
Dave Despain  |  Posted February 16, 2009   Charlotte, NC
Dave Despain, the popular host of Wind Tunnel on SPEED. (Image: SPEED)

No off-season story got more attention than the economy and its impact on racing. The economic mess is the worst in 80 years, but I’ve not heard of any stimulus package for motorsports. So what’s going to happen to racing in these tough times?

Well, a lot of that talk we always hear about cost-cutting may actually become reality. NASCAR’s ban on testing will save teams millions, and I saw no evidence in Daytona of any negative affect on the competition.

From Formula One to the local short tracks, motorsports will have to learn to do more with less. That will build character and encourage fiscal responsibility, but I’ll say it again...racers are accustomed to hard times. For the vast majority of competitors, there is NEVER enough money. Most of those who fall in love with racing willingly accept a host of economic hardships…and most are also quick to tell you that it’s worth it.

Attitude is everything in times like this. For example, some optimistic experts see opportunity here for local short tracks…fans who can’t afford to go to the big races will still want their racing fix, and smart local promoters can profit by providing what those fans need. Remember when Chris Economaki reminded Wind Tunnel that local midget racing thrived during the Great Depression by providing cheap entertainment for folks badly in need of it.

And as we saw at Daytona, in tough times a courageous entrepreneur like Tommy Baldwin can go from unemployed crew chief to Daytona 500 car owner in a matter of weeks.

Long term, there’s no guarantee that Baldwin's story will have a happy ending, economically speaking, but again, real racers aren’t looking for a guarantee. They’re just looking for a chance to compete. So good luck to Tommy…and to all the rest of you out there who are determined to race your way through these tough times.

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or Speed Channel

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