Past, present, future: Do they all involve Johnson? (cont'd)

2. The economy is crippling some race teams. How different might the Sprint Cup garage look in 2009?

David Caraviello: Very. I think there are going to be a handful of smaller operations who aren't going to find sponsorship for next season and aren't going to come back. There are going to be a lot of crew guys out of work. But the heavy hitters will still remain.

Duane Cross: I don't think the fans' perception of the garage will be much different; the big names will still have their sponsors. To those within the industry, it'll be very different.

DEI, Ganassi merge

Teresa Earnhardt and Chip Ganassi will combine their slumping race teams next season, an effort to stabilize their organizations in a tough economic time.

• Complete story, click here
• Head2Head: Good move?

Joe Menzer: Well, the way this is headed, you are going to have an extension as we go forward of what we're already seeing now: about four true super teams dominating the landscape more and more. The four super teams, of course, are Hendrick, Roush Fenway, Joe Gibbs Racing and Richard Childress Racing.

Duane Cross: This is not the time to be a second-tier operation. The money just isn't going to be there for these teams to compete, even with the move toward the new car (which was supposed to level the playing field).

David Caraviello: Everybody's wondering what's going to happen to a lot of these smaller and middle-level teams. The thing is, I don't think a lot of them still know what's going to happen.

Duane Cross: Brian France says that eventually we'll see a more level playing field -- but that will come too late for several teams.

Joe Menzer: You might be able, over time, to throw Gillett Evernham Racing in there with the Hendricks and Roushes. At least they won a couple of races this season. But they and Penske, who happen not so coincidentally to be running Dodges, don't appear to be close to the same level as the others previously mentioned.

David Caraviello: Well, GEM has some sponsor limitations right now that Penske doesn't. And what about Ganassi and DEI? Petty Enterprises? These aren't fringe organizations, and each of them is facing some very uncertain times.

Duane Cross: Take this a step further: "Super" teams will have a four-driver max. You'd need 10 of those and still not have a full field (not that there will be 10 "super" teams). Does anyone truly believe that 43-car fields are going to be the norm?

Joe Menzer: Oh, come on, DC1! Everyone knows that Roush Fenway already is circumventing that rule by "assisting" the fielding of teams at Yates Racing. Hendrick is going to be aligned with Stewart-Haas Racing, closer than ever before. And RCR already is intertwined with DEI, which wouldn't likely exist right now without them.

Duane Cross: Yeah -- and name me a full-time sponsor for Yates. There are not going to be enough dollars to sustain these second-tier teams -- even the likes of Earnhardt Ganassi and, which are big names within this sport. Sorry to rain on the parade, but this sport will be haves vs. haves very soon.

Joe Menzer: The fact that Yates has run this entire season without a true primary sponsor (at least in terms of dollars) proves that some combination of Roush/Ford/NASCAR have helped keep them afloat. As far as Petty, Ganassi, etc., you are right. They cannot survive in the current climate without merging with someone bigger and better.

Duane Cross: And neither Yates team has been a factor. That's the elephant in the room no one is addressing. It's now the sport of who-has-the-most-money.

Joe Menzer: I still can't figure out why Penske struggles so much. They've got the money and the expertise, one would think, plus the sponsorship dollars.

David Caraviello: Sponsorship dollars are in short supply right now, which is why everybody's talking about mergers. But no one knows if and when all this stuff is actually going to happen. People are wondering if it will be testing -- if there is testing -- before we see the type of announcements we usually see at Homestead. (Continued)