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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
SADLER: Detroit’s Dilemma
The fact the automakers are forced to pull back in various ways is a huge story with a monumental impact on NASCAR...
Hermie Sadler  |  Posted June 18, 2009   Charlotte, NC
Hermie Sadler is a reporter for NASCAR RaceDay, NASCAR Victory Lane and NASCAR Live! on SPEED. (Photo: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)

The backyard of the major U.S. automobile manufacturers provided the backdrop for an exciting fuel-mileage finale last Sunday at Michigan International Speedway, but by far the biggest story of the weekend was the automakers themselves.

In a somewhat anticipated move, General Motors officially announced it would curtail its spending in NASCAR racing, effective immediately with cuts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series. GM is expected to meet with Cup owners this week and in the coming days to discuss cutbacks at their level.

The fact the automakers are suffering and forced to pull back in various ways is a huge story with a monumental impact on NASCAR, but in the big scheme of things, it’s more important to consider the thousands of people who have lost their jobs, houses and health insurance long before NASCAR teams lost any of their funding. These are the people we should be concerned about.

NASCAR will persevere. Its teams will trudge on and fans will probably never see a difference in the competition on the track.

All the U.S. auto manufacturers have had a long and successful relationship with NASCAR and its teams, and those affiliations have provided a prime platform to market products and sell cars to NASCAR fans, so the sport will continue to be vital to the auto industry.

The manufacturers support teams on different levels with sheet metal and engine parts; technical and engineering support; cash; and “courtesy” vehicles for owners, drivers and teams. While it remains to be seen what teams will lose what support, unfortunately, most cuts are going to affect the teams most in need of the aid. Many of the supported teams in the Truck and Nationwide Series rely heavily on the parts, cash and vehicles in order to operate. Some of these teams will struggle to survive because this manufacturer support will be difficult to replace with other revenue amidst the current economic climate that has rendered sponsorships smaller and scarcer.

Some of the top-tier Sprint Cup Series teams will be forced to trim and adjust their budgets accordingly, but in most cases they are more equipped to handle the loss of support and money than the lower-tier Cup teams, Truck and Nationwide Series teams. Larger multi-car organizations have more resources to begin with and can weather the storm better than their smaller, less-funded counterparts.

Fortunately, NASCAR has been ahead of the economic curve in some respects by eliminating testing and changing pit road policies in the Truck Series to curtail expenses. In light of previous layoffs throughout NASCAR earlier in the season, hopefully we won’t experience as many job cuts stemming from the manufacturer pullback, but we most likely won’t emerge from this adjustment unscathed.

This is an unprecedented time in American history and in the history of NASCAR, and everyone is looking more closely at how business is conducted. The U.S. automobile manufacturers have been with NASCAR through thick and thin and enabled the sport to evolve into the powerhouse it has become. Now it is time for NASCAR and its fans to help out Detroit.

In addition to buying vehicles from automakers that support NASCAR, the best assistance we can offer is to be patient with the manufacturers and with NASCAR during this adjustment period. Try to look past the current uproar and chaos and enjoy what we love about the sport – the competition and great storylines building throughout the season. And hope like hell everything settles down in the coming months.

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

Hermie Sadler is a reporter for NASCAR RaceDay, NASCAR Victory Lane and NASCAR Live! on SPEED. Sadler began racing as a 10 year old and has more than 300 starts in the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series. He also owns the United Wrestling Federation, which promotes live professional wrestling events in the Southeast. To learn more about Sadler, visit HermieSadler.com or to access behind-the-scenes information about TNA Wrestling, click on “Hermie’s Hot Seat” at TNAWrestling.com.

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