Cutbacks bring out yellow for NASCAR

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I guess most NASCAR fans didn't realize it at the time, but we have been living in the sport's halcyon days over the last 10 years. You've likely walked around the track on a race weekend, so you know what I mean: Trinkets, knick-knacks and giveaways galore. And it was never any better than the 1990s and the early part of this decade. Ten years ago a spend thrift racing scribe could easily get through the day on the swag in the media center. Feeling a bit snacky? Grab a pack of greasy Slim Jims, followed by a bag of bright Skittles to cleanse the palate, both invitingly positioned and for the taking. Need something to write with and on? The media centers of recent yesteryear were a regular Office Depot -- truckloads of pens and pads, and a rainbow of highlighters. And for those really long days of bad racing when there was never enough caffeine on tap? Goody's powders in those crinkling paper wrappers. Who would have thought that NASCAR's prosperity would have been evident in free packages of pork products, candies and crushed aspirin? Prosperity, however, truly left the building when NASCAR announced last week that there would be no testing in 2009. It may not sound like a major deal, but it signals that everyone in the sport is tightening the belt when no team is allowed to practice on its own dime. The no-testing policy will help teams and could be very lucrative for non-Cup tracks like New Smyrna, Caraway and Hickory. One point is clear in this Jimmie Johnson-ruled world of NASCAR right now: No one knows what will happen in about 10 weeks when Speedweeks 2009 kicks off. Anyone want to take a guess on a car count for the Daytona 500? It has been 55-60 a year over the last decade, with 15 or 16 going home after the Twin Races. I would be surprised if more than three or four rigs leave Daytona on that anxious Thursday afternoon. As for racing coverage, don't expect as many reporters to drive down. Many Charlotte-area writers might do the nearby January Cup preview tour, but Daytona might be too expensive for the paper. It will probably be worse after Speedweeks, too. At least the Daytona 500 has prestige and the allure of a giant purse; California, Las Vegas and Atlanta can't boast as much. Many of us expected the rocket-like sport to descend to earth a bit, but no one foresaw a NASCAR crash landing. And with that iffy outlook, I'll see you next February from Daytona -- with spacious parking in the media lot and more leg room in the media center. (Bill Whitehead covers auto racing for Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers. Contact him at wwhitehe@ircc.net.)