HAMPTON, Ga. -- One day after General Motors announced that it may have to file for bankruptcy to stay in business, Chevrolet drivers voiced their support for the troubled manufacturer at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

They also uniformly expressed their belief that GM -- and by extension the Chevrolet brand -- will not only survive its current financial problems, but eventually emerge from them stronger than ever.

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Chevrolet has shown for years that they're very committed to racing, and that's not going to go away.

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JEFF BURTON

"I think the biggest thing is that we've got to get people to not be afraid to start spending money again. That's the only way the economy is going to recover -- to get people confident that they can start spending money again," said Tony Stewart, who doubles as a driver and owner at Stewart-Haas Racing, which fields his No. 14 Chevy and the No. 39 Chevy driven by Ryan Newman.

"The good news is that GM is doing its part with Chevy brands. They're building cars that are affordable and efficient. From the manufacturer's side, that's all you can ask for. I think they've really responded and done a good job in that aspect."

Stewart's assessment of GM was echoed by Kevin Harvick, who drives the No. 29 Chevy for Richard Childress Racing.

"General Motors is a very strong brand," Harvick said. "Obviously, they are going through tough times, but they are in a wonderful restructuring process right now. They're putting their company back on its feet. I think when the economy turns, they're going to be as good as they have ever been going forward.

"We're all here to support them. It's a huge company. It's a very strong company -- and I think they'll be as strong as they've ever been when all this turns in the right direction, as with thousands and thousands of other companies that have restructured and made themselves more efficient."

Shares of GM hit a low of $1.27 late Friday morning -- the lowest share price for the company's stock in more than 75 years. General Motors said in a statement Friday that has not changed its intention to avoid a bankruptcy filing, and that an out-of-court restructuring remains its best option to survive the worst auto sales climate in at least 27 years.

The Detroit automaker lost $30.9 billion last year, and is surviving on $13.4 billion in U.S. government loans it already has received. While it is seeking up to $30 billion from U.S. lawmakers, GM also is hoping to get help from other countries. The automaker's Adam Opel AG subsidiary has said it wants to secure at least $3.8 billion in aid from the government of Germany.

"As a prudent business measure, the company has analyzed various bankruptcy scenarios," GM said in its statement. "However, the company firmly believes an in-court restructuring would carry with it tremendous costs and risks, the most significant being a dramatic deterioration of revenue due to lost sales."

Video
• Burton, Newman, Gordon talk about the troubles facing GM

That is what worries Jeff Burton the most. The driver of the No. 31 Chevy for RCR said Friday that GM's financial woes merely reflect that of the greater ills plaguing the entire country.

"Obviously, my biggest concern is that if the overall economy doesn't allow people to go look at vehicles and purchase them -- because that impacts us in a great many ways, just as it impacts General Motors in a great many ways," Burton said.

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We've got to get off of our wallets and get back to being Americans again and living our lives the way we're used to.

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TONY STEWART

Burton insisted that if only Americans will give the Chevy brand a chance, they will like what they see. But he readily admitted that isn't going to matter if the bigger picture of the ailing economy doesn't improve first.

"In my opinion, with Chevrolet in particular, if we can get people to go sit in 'em and drive 'em, they're going to buy 'em. They've made huge improvements," Burton said.

"My big concern as it relates to Chevrolet is freeing up credit, giving people the security they want if they want to buy a car, that they have a job and they can do it. The real key is what's the overall economy? Chevrolet has shown for years that they're very committed to racing, and that's not going to go away. But if the economy doesn't get jump-started, if credit doesn't get freed up, if people feel insecure about their jobs or don't have one, not only Chevrolet but a lot of manufacturers of all kinds of products are going to have a difficult time. I'm much more concerned about that."

Thursday's announcement that GM was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy was followed by more bleak economic news when it was announced that the unemployment rate in the U.S. has reached 8.1 percent -- the highest in 25 years. That is evidence that GM is far from alone in facing a difficult financial future, at least in the short term.

"I don't know that you can just pin it on General Motors," Harvick said. "I think if you want to go through the garage and really pin situations on just about any sponsor in the garage. You can just look around and see how bad it is for everybody.

Newman added: "There obviously is a sense of concern. I've gotten a little bit of information about what's going on, but nothing that's going to tell me what's going to happen or anything like that. It's a tough time for everybody out there, and Chevrolet is doing all they can to make sure they don't get caught in a situation like [having to file for bankruptcy]. It's kind of a wait-and-see situation for them, as well as everybody else out there."

It is bad enough out there right now to keep Harvick from turning on the television news programs at night.

"You turn on the news and I hate to say this in front of all you guys [in the media center], but I don't watch it," Harvick said. "It's so hard to turn the news on because everything is so negative. It's always the worst that is reported -- and I think from everything that everybody has talked about, I really believe that going forward, [GM is] going to end up being stronger than they have ever been."

Newman said all he can do is try to keep his No. 39 Chevy up toward the front on race days, and into Victory Lane if he can. He said he figures every little bit helps.

"We need to get through this cycle and see how everything goes," Newman said. "I'm doing everything I can as a Chevrolet driver to try to help them in all ways possible."

Stewart warned that the consequences would be harsh for NASCAR if one or more manufacturer isn't able to survive the current economic crisis.

"The fallout if we lose any of these manufacturers, it's going to be tremendous," Stewart said. "And I think it's at the stage now where we can't rely on our government to do it all for us. We have to take an active role ourselves -- and I'm not saying as drivers or as NASCAR. I'm saying as a whole country together. We've got to get off of our wallets and get back to being Americans again and living our lives the way we're used to.

"I know that's easier said than done. Every time you turn on the news, you're petrified. I sit there and watch the news and I beg to turn the channel to something else, to where I'm not so depressed. I know it's partially reality, but at the same time, the only way to get through it is to resume doing what we do again."

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