Racking up frequent-flyer miles and some goodwill

The double-takes at the U.S. Airways ticket counter must have been priceless. It's difficult to imagine, Jeff Gordon lugging his suitcase through an airport terminal, waiting in line to check in, removing his shoes at the security screening checkpoint, and wandering up and down the aisle looking for available overhead storage space. But hey, in these economic times, even a four-time champion who's made $100 million in 17 years on NASCAR's premier circuit knows the value of saving a little money.

Big-name cutbacks

On the final Monday in January, four major NASCAR sponsors, including title sponsor Sprint/Nextel, announced layoffs and cutbacks.

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"I'm frugal," said Gordon, who ranks sixth on the sport's all-time win list with 81 career victories, although none of them came last year. "I just don't like wasting money. And I think that in these times, it's easy to look at where you are in terms of spending extravagantly or doing things that are unnecessary."

And these days, with the economy in deep recession and every industry suffering through mass layoffs and no clear end in sight, unnecessary can mean the private aircraft NASCAR's movers and shakers have traditionally used to get from place to place. Not surprising for a sport built on speed, people in stock-car racing love to fly. This is a series where one of the first big purchases is usually a jet, where several top drivers hold pilot's licenses, where the unrelenting schedule almost requires that people be able to get from Charlotte to Phoenix -- or wherever the stop is this week -- on demand.

But in this recession, with people losing jobs and federal bailout money being passed out like free candy on Halloween, the private aircraft has become something of a pariah, in many minds a symbol of what's wrong with the country. Sure, it looks like fun when Vinnie, E, Turtle and Drama whisk a few supermodels to Hawaii. But the reputation of the private aircraft has been besmirched, at least temporarily, by the CEOs of the Big Three automakers each flying to Washington in private jets before asking for a $25 billion loan. By the chief executive of Citigroup, which received $45 billion in federal money, reportedly using a corporate jet to take his family on a vacation to Mexico. By the same company reportedly buying a new corporate jet -- because who doesn't need a Dassault Falcon 7X -- at the cost of $50 million. (Continued)