When he looked at his racing plans for 2009, team ownership wasn't exactly on Mike Wallace's mind -- at least not at NASCAR's highest levels.

But due to the economic downturn -- not just on the sporting world's landscape -- and the always-present aspect of life in motorsports that likens it to traversing a minefield, that's the position in which Wallace finds himself.

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Wallace brought GEICO Insurance to Germain Racing for the 2008 Nationwide Series season. In a nutshell, NASCAR forbade GEICO from continuing in the series after this year because of a conflict with the series' sponsor.

The company decided to do a limited Sprint Cup schedule in 2009 with Italian road racer Max Papis, whose stock-car experience is less than limited. It's still hard to understand the decision to turn away from Wallace, a race-winning driver around whom the company built a popular advertising campaign.

It's even more stunning when owner Richard Childress selected Wallace to drive a fourth Cup car from the RCR stable at Talladega, while Papis failed to make any of the races he attempted in late 2008.

But despite the dealings and definite uncertainty, Wallace remains optimistic.

"For sure I've got nothing locked-in for next year, though we've got a lot of conversations going and a lot of irons in the fire," Wallace said this week, a cheery snap in his voice despite the chasm of uncertainty he faces.

And what makes it even more agonizing -- at least in racing terms -- is that Wallace is at the stage of his life where not only is he balancing his own competitive future, he's also looking ahead while marshalling the racing progress of daughter Chrissy, 20, and 13-year-old son Matt.

Mike's not the only one in the family on pins and needles these days. He said Chrissy's 2009 schedule with Germain Racing is far from definitive, with that ugliest of terms -- "sponsorship" -- being the apparent hang-up.

"Chrissy started out looking at a full schedule in the Camping World Truck Series, but now it doesn't look like that's going to happen," Mike said. "There was talk about doing the full Camping World East Series, but we're not sure about that, either. We're waiting to see what happens."

That the "something that happens" will involve racing is virtually a given.

Wallace's family has been consumed by racing since the three brothers -- 1989 Cup champion Rusty; Mike, a former NASCAR Weekly Racing Series regional champion; and Kenny, who also mixes racing and television -- trekked around to various short tracks with their dad Russ, who was a Midwest dirt track terror.

The joke about Mike's team ownership needs a qualifier, because Wallace has owned a lot of racecars in his day, including Legends Cars with which Chrissy made a racing name for herself and in which Matt will open this weekend's Semi-Pro Division Winter Shootout Series at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

It helps Mike keeps things in perspective.

"Matt's looking to have fun while he's figuring out if racing is something he wants to attempt to do but the key at this stage is that he's having fun," Mike said. "I've seen numerous people just burn their kids out on racing, because they're trying to live their dream through their kids, by having them do something they never had the opportunity to do.

"I've been lucky enough to race, and the kids have grown up around it. They enjoy it and they want to try it. To me it's a great way to give the kids some structure, to give them something to do to stay out of trouble and it's something they can be successful at. To have people complementing you when you do well makes you feel good about yourself, and that's a good thing."

And that's why Mike is going to take a break during this hectic holiday period to step back and take a look at how the other side truly lives.

He's planning a four-day trip next week to Haiti with family friend Tom Van Wingerden to get a first-hand look at the poverty-stricken island nation.

"I had a chance to take some Monday Night Football tickets or to go to Haiti with Tom," Mike said of his choice. "I thought I'd get a different perspective on things and to go and have some fun -- though it's not like we're going to the beach or a tourist location."

More than anything, Wallace figured his trip -- which given the background of the Double Harvest training farm and Christian school the Van Wingerden family operates outside Port-au-Prince will probably involve some work -- would give him some good grounding, no matter what his future brings.

"I'm going to see what it's all about, because I have a hard time believing what poverty can be like in this world," Mike said. "Tom's family runs this location to try and help the country, with the farm, the school and a hospital.

"I'm looking at it as a reality check, I guess, because a week ago we were in Orlando [for the Nationwide Series banquet] drinking wine and worrying about our million-dollar sponsorship deals.

"I've told them to hold off calling me back with the sponsorship deals until after next Thursday."

There's no doubt the trip will give Wallace valuable insight to share throughout the NASCAR garage, where talk of racing poverty pales in comparison to the world's reality.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.