GM to make "NASCAR-wide" funding cuts
The scalpel of bankruptcy that is slicing off GM's sponsorship activities hasn't touched NASCAR's top tier Sprint Cup series, but the Nationwide and Camping World Truck series' have been trimmed. NASCAR drivers Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Kevin Harvick have teams running in the lower two series, and have been told by GM that they will lose funding.
Harvick runs three trucks in the Camping World Truck Series and hasn't commented on what GM's move will bring. Earnhardt, with the backing of Hendrick Motorsports, fields two cars in the Nationwide series and a team spokeswoman said "we are fully capable of adjusting our business model to this change" to continue racing.
For now, Chevrolet has no plans to pull out of NASCAR entirely and the Sprint Cup remains immune to the cost cutting. As the red carpet event, everybody knows the fans want to see Chevrolet doing the ovals, and we imagine there will be quite a few other painful measures taken before the Bowtie would bow out of oval racing.
[Source: AP via Google News]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Kevin 11:10AM (6/14/2009)
The headline contradicts the article. When something is done "-wide"
it would imply that the entire scope of the product is touched. Since
the first sentence says that Sprint Cup hasn't been touched yet, the
cuts aren't really "NASCAR-wide".
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dwightB 11:16AM (6/14/2009)
LOL. I noticed that as well.
VP 1:42PM (6/14/2009)
Actually the headline is correct. The body is wrong. While the other two series are loosing all funding, even the Sprint cup teams are expected to loose some level of funding. It's just not entirely.
Haub 11:19AM (6/14/2009)
Oh noes not teh nascar !!11
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Blake Luttrell 11:57AM (6/14/2009)
They needed to do do this a LONG time ago.
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DC 12:11PM (6/14/2009)
Ah jeez, here come the NASCAR bash trolls.
Its a shame and shows how down GM really is. Their contributions to the sport is a scant $125 million a year. And when you look at the overall advertising budget as well as what CEO pay to some bailed out companies is, this withdrawal is just plain stupid.
All this does is hurt the competitors and GM's reputation even more.
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Sanders 4:16PM (6/14/2009)
Normally, I wouldn't bother with the e-ink, but it's this simple: Nascar has no relationship to any currently produced automobile. So why bother wasting your money there.
Jim 9:19PM (6/14/2009)
"Nascar has no relationship to any currently produced automobile."
as if F1 does.
Sanders 9:57PM (6/14/2009)
I see semi-automatic transmissions on production cars. I see multi-valve engines. I see new fuel injection schemes. I see ABS and traction control. I see carbon fiber.
I don't see carbs or 4-speeds being adopted by manufacturers from nascar. And you were saying???
A-style 11:53PM (6/14/2009)
That's exactly 125 million a year less the US tax payers wouldn't have to pay.
Heimbachae 8:57AM (6/15/2009)
i've been saying this for months now. ban nascar.
Jim 9:15AM (6/15/2009)
"I see semi-automatic transmissions on production cars. I see multi-valve engines. I see new fuel injection schemes. I see ABS and traction control. I see carbon fiber.
I don't see carbs or 4-speeds being adopted by manufacturers from nascar."
I don't see any open-wheel, open-air cars on the road with engines revving to 19,000 rpm.
" And you were saying???"
What I'm saying is that whether the entrants bear any resemblance to road-going cars has nothing to do with its worth as a racing program. Should we get rid of Sprint cars too?
Your post (and all others like it) are nothing more than whiny "I don't like it, so it shouldn't exist" crap.
Redeemed 12:14PM (6/14/2009)
Of course they will cut NASCAR. It doesn't fit into the "green" agenda being pushed by their CEO (no, not the puppet in Detroit, the one in Washington).
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rick C. 4:13PM (6/14/2009)
They can race with the ALMS were the technology (transfer) is relevant to real products and oh, by the way, they encourage the use of biofuels and other alternative technologies. So much for your conspiracy theory.
Jim 9:22PM (6/14/2009)
Redeemed, I have a call on line one for you. Says he's a "Mr. Hannity," and he has your latest marching orders.
Redeemed 8:42AM (6/15/2009)
If you want to leave your head burried in the sand and pretend Obama isn't calling the shots, that's your denyal to live in. It has nothing to do with "Democrat" or "Republican".
Jim 9:23AM (6/15/2009)
"If you want to leave your head burried in the sand and pretend Obama isn't calling the shots, that's your denyal to live in."
It would help if the stuff you're saying wasn't practically a word-for-word repeat of crap from lucianne and townhall.
"It has nothing to do with "Democrat" or "Republican"."
funny how I don't hear any democrats saying this...
Tourian 9:24AM (6/15/2009)
@Redeemed
You mean to tell me the President of the United States, the Commander in Chief, the Leader of the Free World is...is..IN CHARGE?!!!!111 OMG, say it ain't so? I had no idea!.
/sarcasm
Jim 9:28AM (6/15/2009)
"@Redeemed
You mean to tell me the President of the United States, the Commander in Chief, the Leader of the Free World is...is..IN CHARGE?!!!!111 OMG, say it ain't so? I had no idea!.
/sarcasm"
not only that, but he's a sekrit atheist muslim and his brownshirts are going to round up your kids and put them in FEMA camps while seizing your 401k and I've lost track of the latest filth out of Glenn Beck.
Shane From Australia 5:10PM (6/14/2009)
As far as i am concerned, GM and Dodge have no right to be racing because motorsport is a luxury not a right and for as long as GM and Dodge only exsist because of welfare from the public purse then they should forfiet the right to race.
Basically, why should the public pay for GM and Dodges luxury especailly when a sizeable percentage of society (tax payers) don't even support these manufactuers.
As we speak ... only Ford and Toyota have the right to compete in NASCAR until the 'two welfare cases' can afford to spend thier 'own' $$$'s and not the publics.
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