In NASCAR, manufacturer pullouts are nothing new (cont'd)

"It was a tough period, there's no doubt about it, because we had become dependent upon them," two-time champion Ned Jarrett said of the manufacturers in the 1950s. "But it would mean more today. It would be a bigger devastation in my opinion today if the manufacturers had to go away than it was back then, because we were not as dependent on total sponsorship dollars. If you put a $300 sponsorship on the side of the car in those days, that was pretty good. Today, they have become so much more dependent. And the engineering data they offer today is much, much greater. We got a lot of support, but nothing compared to what they do today."

Although the level of manufacturer support has varied through the years, none of the past pullouts have been for financial reasons. Chrysler was still in the sport, albeit marginally so, when the company received a $1.2 billion loan from the U.S. government in 1979. The manufacturers in the 1950s and '60s almost played the role that crew chiefs do today, trying to push the rules to their limit. They'd sanction the construction of out-of-whack cars like Fred Lorenzen's "yellow banana" in 1966, a Ford Galaxy built by Junior Johnson, with a roofline so severely sloped that the driver often had trouble getting into the car.

In NASCAR's eyes, the manufacturers were trying to dictate the rules, and controversy often erupted. When Chrysler blew away the competition with its Hemi engine in 1964, NASCAR banned the power plant for the next season. In response, Chrysler pulled out of NASCAR, leading such famous drivers as Petty and David Pearson to compete in drag racing for a time. Others were left to fend for themselves.

"We raced on our own," said White, who was burned by another factory pullout in 1963. "We knew how to do that. We raced before they come along. I got a car and a tow truck and some parts and I continued on racing. We had to race on the money that we won like we did when the factory teams weren't around."

Even into the 1980s, manufacturer support was sporadic, with some deals taking place under the table even when the carmakers weren't officially participating in the sport. Today, the top race teams are capable of building their own car bodies and engines, and don't have to get them from a manufacturer. They buy many parts from independent vendors, or fabricate them on their own. Manufacturers provide cash, which race teams can never have enough of, and engineering support, which top organizations often now have in-house. They also provide time in wind tunnels, which can be difficult to get because the facilities are often booked for government or private use.

So what happens if a manufacturer declares bankruptcy and has to leave NASCAR, even on a temporary basis? "It's going to affect weekends like this, Ford Championship Weekend. The Chevy Rock & Roll 400. The Pontiac Excitement whatever. Those are the kinds of things it's going to affect, and of course it's going to affect people sending PR guys, people promoting the sport, advertising. It has a trickle down effect that eventually we're going to all feel," said three-time champion and current TV analyst Darrell Waltrip.

"Today it's more things like wind tunnel time. A wind tunnel is a big, big part of the success of a race team, has been over the last several years. So having the ability to go to the wind tunnel anytime you want to, that's worth millions of dollars," Waltrip said. "Car design, they have ... all kinds of technology that we didn't have, but teams have been able to get in-house more and more over a period of time because they've had the money to buy it. An engineering staff that we didn't have, but now we do.

"The role of the manufacture in this sport in making us successful is not as big as it was at one time, because we've had the money to be able to do it ourselves. But if the money starts to go away, and the manufacturers start to go away, again, it's a trickle down. It's going to cripple a lot of things."

NASCAR chairman Brian France said last weekend at Phoenix International Raceway that while manufacturers play an important role, the sport will survive should one have to pull out or pull back. But that doesn't mean the series isn't hoping for a recovery, or some sort of aid in the form of a bailout package being debated in Washington.

"It's not like racing is going to go out of business if the manufactures are not there," NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said. "These guys, if they had to, could build a car. But [the manufacturers] are important. Everybody in NASCAR should be hopeful that Congress is going to pass some sort of legislation that will assist all manufacturers, Ford, Dodge, Chevrolet, everybody, and help them get back on solid ground. It's important to this country, not just NASCAR, to make sure they get back on solid ground."

What if that doesn't happen? "The sport has always survived some way or another," Jarrett said. "I think that's because of the people in the sport. They're survivors, and they will find a way."