Now that the last top has been popped on 2008, the question must be asked: Where does NASCAR go from here?

"Here" is a troubling place, one wrought with a United States economy laid lower than Jacques Villeneuve, rumors of mergers, not to mention the cold hard facts of buy-outs and lay-offs. "Here," it seems, is not what anyone envisioned while the NASCAR bubble filled with air in recent years.

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Greed, for lack of a better word, is good

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Nonetheless, here is where we are: numerous industry workers toting pink slips instead of wrenches (you know who you are and we feel for you); teams on the brink of shutting their doors for lack of sponsorship, or reducing their race schedule; icons as nothing more than figureheads, and now in danger of losing the family business.

Hey, it happens; everyone wants to take advantage of the good times -- and NASCAR has enjoyed some very good times -- but inevitably comes The Reckoning.

Everyone knows Gordon Gekko's "greed is good" mantra. It was the sound bite that propelled 1987's Wall Street into the public consciousness:

"The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind."

Would a starting lineup with less than 43 cars be the death knell for NASCAR? Would a season without Petty Enterprises be the end of the road for NASCAR? Of course the answer to both questions is no -- the green flag would fall on the race and the sport would roll on, even sans a standalone Petty Enterprises.

In the end, greed should make NASCAR a better sport: only the best should be on the track each week -- and isn't that what big-league racing should be?

Will the current economic crunch make for a better NASCAR?
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