NASCAR notes: GM troubles not lost on NASCAR drivers

AVONDALE, Ariz. — What’s bad for General Motors can’t be good for NASCAR Chevrolet drivers.

News that General Motors reported a $2.5 billion quarterly loss on Friday and could run out of cash in 2009 without government help left drivers concerned about the brand whose cars are among the fastest in the Sprint Cup Series.

Tony Stewart drives a Toyota this year, but has close ties to General Motors. When Stewart becomes co-owner of his own team next year, he’ll resume his longtime relationship with GM, which already supports Stewart’s open-wheel programs.

“We’re passionate about General Motors. We’re passionate about the Chevy brand and we want them to be successful,” Stewart said at Phoenix International Raceway. “That’s why we’re a part of them, obviously.”

He said the worst part is when he hears about layoffs because he knows that people, not just a company, are suffering.

“As a team owner, you have to worry about that, too, because it trickles down to us also,” Stewart said. “If we’re going to have our sponsors taken away, then we have to lay people off. You are always very concerned about it, but we haven’t seen that effect so far with our programs at either the open-wheel level or Cup level.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said all he can do is his best to promote Chevrolets.

“I do what I’m supposed to do and do my job and try to do the best I can to sell cars for them on Mondays,” he said. “I hope they’ve got the right people in the right places to turn it around and stop the bleeding. That’s all you can hope for.”

Earnhardt doesn’t believe GM will go the way of failed banks.

“They’re too big,” he said. “The government won’t let them fail.”

NASCAR teams already have felt the economic pinch with a series of layoffs, including a small downsizing earlier this week at Hendrick Motorsports.

“We certainly worry about it,” said series points leader Jimmie Johnson, who is poised to win a third straight championship for Hendrick. “I think everyone in the world is worried about their financial future.”

Former driver Rusty Wallace, a Nationwide Series team owner and ESPN analyst, said the circuit must adjust with the times.

“They can’t just go wide open and full bore ahead with no cost savings, no nothing,” he said. “They can’t treat it like they have no idea we’ve got a crisis and there’s no sponsors out there. They’re going to have to be aware of that, and I think they are.”

NASCAR PUNDIT: Jeff Burton has said he might someday enter politics when his racing career is over, so he paid particularly close attention to this year’s presidential race.

Burton says he is a Republican who doesn’t always follow the party line. He called the election of Democrat Barack Obama “an exciting time for our country.”

“In some ways I’m really excited and looking forward to what could happen in the future,” he said, “and in other ways I’m really nervous about it. There are a lot of good things that I see there and a lot of things that concern me.”

But, he added, “for our country, and even the world, it’s a remarkable thing for a young guy like that with little experience to be elected president, and of course the first African American to be elected president. That’s some special stuff. That’s real special stuff.”

NO SPOT FOR SPOTTER: Spotter Stevie Reeves could help Jimmie Johnson win the Sprint Cup title, but Reeves was part of recent Hendrick layoffs and will not be with the team next season.

Johnson spoke of the situation diplomatically.

“First of all, Stevie has done a great job for us over the last couple of seasons,” he said. “As a year winds down, teams are looking at improving in different areas and that is a position that we are going to make a change in.”

He said the Hendrick team wanted to let Reeves know about the change in plenty of time for him to land another job.

“You look at Stevie and a couple of other people inside the No. 24-No. 48 ship, there are some changes that have come along and are taking place,” Johnson said, “and it’s just natural, end-of-the-year stuff to make our team stronger and better in the future.”

FIESTA CHOICE: Tony Stewart has been chosen as grand marshal for the Fiesta Bowl parade in Phoenix on Jan. 3. Stewart is the first driver to be so honored. He also will be part of the coin toss before the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale on Jan. 5.

Stewart, a two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, said his success long ago in Phoenix led him to quit his job in a machine shop to become a full-time driver.

Fiesta Bowl executive director John Junker had a warning for Stewart about the parade, though.

“We do have one rule,” Junker said. “There is no passing in the parade.”