DOVER, Del. -- General Motors, the nation's largest auto manufacturer and parent company of the Chevrolet brand that's won 32 championships in NASCAR's premier series, is expected to file for bankruptcy protection Monday. How the ensuing restructuring may impact the carmaker's racing interests is anyone's guess.

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This economic downturn we've had has hurt everybody. It's hurt every manufacturer, Toyota and everybody else.

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RICK HENDRICK

But Rick Hendrick, who has won eight NASCAR titles with Chevrolet and owns a number of car dealerships, was hopeful Sunday at Dover International Speedway.

"From what I've heard, and I don't know a lot more than what you read in the media, but if they do file for bankruptcy [Monday], which all indications are that they will, it's kind of a planned get-in, get-out situation," Hendrick, who fields four Chevrolets on the Sprint Cup Series, said after his driver Jimmie Johnson won the Autism Speaks 400.

"I've got a lot of faith in GM, and especially Chevrolet. I've been with them for a long, long time. Our business is good, the products are good. And this economic downturn we've had has hurt everybody. It's hurt every manufacturer, Toyota and everybody else. But I think some people, maybe their pockets were deeper than others. But I feel like we're going to be good and we're going to be OK. They've got great products right now, so I'm hoping that if [bankruptcy] happens, that they'll get in and get out in a hurry and we'll just take it a day at a time."

A bankruptcy petition will be filed Monday at 8 a.m. ET, CNN reported quoting an anonymous source. President Barack Obama will address the nation shortly before noon, and reportedly detail his hopes for a turnaround. The filing will mean the federal government will take a degree of control of the carmaker's future.

General Motors will become the second car manufacturer with NASCAR ties to declare bankruptcy, joining Chrysler, which competes under its Dodge brand. Hendrick said he is hopeful that the bankruptcy filing will not affect Chevrolet's NASCAR's program, which is essentially used by the manufacturer as a marketing platform to try and sell passenger cars.

"You just never know," Hendrick said. "We just have to do the best we can. They've been a big asset to this sport, and when you look at their competition, the people they're heads-up with are here, so I've had no indication that they're going to cut back or do anything."

And if a worst-case scenario becomes reality and a government-controlled General Motors is forced to pull out of racing? It seems Hendrick has no intention of removing the bow tie from the front of his race cars. "My Plan A is Chevrolet, and my Plan B is Chevrolet, and my Plan C is Chevrolet," he said.