Yellow is out for NASCAR in tough econmoic times

What wins on Sunday sells on Monday.That's the way it was.Back in the good ol' days of stock-car racing.Back before NASCAR raced away from its Southeastern, blue-collar roots and chased the big-money marketing of Madison Avenue."You'd go to the track or watch a race on TV and you could pick out a car, because they looked like the models you saw on the street," said Ronnie Shultz, owner and general manager of Bill Shultz Chevrolet in Fort Pierce, Fla. "Now, the cars all look the same, except for the nameplate."And, really, there's nothing stock about them.Yet, it works.Not to the same degree it worked in the 1970s and '80s, or even through the '90s and into early 2000s. But to a large number of NASCAR fans, brand loyalty still matters, especially when it comes to cars.If their guy drives a Ford, they drive a Ford, too.That's why America's "Big Three" automobile manufacturers -- General Motors, Ford and Chrysler -- continue to invest so much in NASCAR.That's why Toyota couldn't wait to buy its way onto the track."I think it helps," said John Pierson, owner of Toyota of Stuart (Fla.). "We haven't seen an immediate impact, but this is all part of a 10-year plan. By being involved with NASCAR, Toyota is planting a seed in young people's minds. They see our cars on the track and see a cool vehicle, a performance vehicle, and maybe they'll consider buying a Camry when they wouldn't have before."Certainly, the added visibility provided by racing on the NASCAR circuit can't hurt. And Toyota doesn't appear to be going anywhere, even with the recent downturn in the global economy.But what about the American-based carmakers? What about Ford, GM and Chrysler, all of which have been so hard hit by financial troubles that they might require a government bailout to stay afloat? What if Ford, Chevy or Dodge disappeared from the NASCAR track? Already, plummeting auto sales in the U.S. have forced manufacturers to cut back on team support and sponsorships. And twice in the past three days, NASCAR chairman Brian France addressed the possibility of further pullbacks; even complete withdrawals from the circuit."I don't think you'll see Ford pull out," said Mike Wetzel, general manager of Sunrise Ford in Fort Pierce. "You might see it in other venues, but not NASCAR. That would be the last thing they'd pull out of."Because it works.But to what extent? Better yet: Is the return still worth the investment these corporations make? And would car sales suffer if the manufacturers left the NASCAR circuit? "That's really hard to say," said Bill Russo, general manager of Dependable Dodge in Vero Beach, Fla. "Honestly, I don't think it would make much difference. Whether Dodge wins or loses races doesn't seem to help or hurt."The loss of a car manufacturer, however, surely would hurt NASCAR, regardless of how much France tried to diminish such a setback.Same goes for the loss of race teams: About one-third of the field doesn't have sponsors lined up for next year, so unless NASCAR finds ways to cut costs -- France says doing so will be a priority this winter -- the circuit could struggle to run 43 cars per race.Just as important, though, is finding ways to cut costs for racing fans many that no longer can afford to go to the track.They're hurting, too.Attendance was down again in 2008, so much so that some marquee drivers couldn't help but comment on the empty seats."It will be Topic 1 in the offseason for all the tracks," France said earlier this week, "to make sure that they're doing everything they can to be sensitive to a race fan that's being tested every way with the economy."Clearly, NASCAR needs to make cuts -- to its fields, its ticket prices, and its sick profit margins -- if it hopes to sell the sport through this economic crunch.Otherwise, what wins on Sunday won't matter on Monday.And not just to carmakers.(Ray McNulty is sports columnist for Scripps Treasure Coast (Fla.) Newspapers, The Stuart News, Fort Pierce Tribune and Vero Beach Press Journal. On the Web at www.tcpalm.com.)