With a few exceptions, NASCAR is an open society. No, you can't walk up into Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s transporter or chase drivers in the motor home lot, but anyone with the right kind of ticket can walk through a garage area that is the beehive of the sport. You can watch as crewmen yank parts out from underneath the hood. You can listen in on scanners as crew chiefs talk strategy. You can stand behind pit road and watch over-the-wall guys prepare equipment. You can bask in a gossip-tinged environment where nothing -- personal or professional -- stays secret for very long.

Except for one thing, that is. The exact amounts that sponsors pay to back race cars have remained as closely guarded as the bullion behind the gates of Fort Knox. It's no secret that it takes roughly $25 million to fund a championship-caliber vehicle at NASCAR's highest level, but precisely how much primary sponsors pay is something that team owners -- who run privately-held companies, after all -- refuse to openly discuss. No question, there's a lot of money flying around, with multi-year deals and often multi-sponsor packages used to get cars on the track. And in times like these, that money wields plenty of leverage.

Nothing illustrates that better than the sponsor shuffle that unfolded earlier this week involving Penske Racing and Richard Childress Racing, the latter of which lost Shell/Pennzoil to Roger Penske's organization. The impact on the 2011 season is clear -- Kevin Harvick (who may be on the brink of leaving Childress' team) loses his sponsor on RCR's No. 29, Shell/Pennzoil moves to Kurt Busch in a No. 22 car at Penske, and Brad Keselowski slips behind the wheel of one of the most recognized vehicles in the history of NASCAR racing, a No. 2 car made famous by Rusty Wallace and backed by Miller Lite.

But on the surface, the logic behind it all seems confounding. Even if he had a rotten season last year, isn't Harvick easily a more popular driver among fans (and potential consumers) than Busch? Hasn't Busch formed something of an identity as a Miller Lite spokesman, pitching the brand at every opportunity -- and in nearly every media conference -- with no qualms about tipping back a few and firing up the crowd at events put on by the brewery? And for all Keselowski's brashness and promise, isn't Miller taking a large step backward in stature and visibility by trading a former champion on the brink of a second straight Chase berth for a rookie currently 25th in points?

Those are head-scratchers, and clear answers can be difficult to find. "With all of our partners, we have discussions about their business and how we can help their business," Jonathan Gibson, Penske vice president for marketing, said when asked about the reasoning behind the Miller Lite car change. "So as this whole thing transpired, we had the opportunity to talk with both Shell and Miller about the best fit, and it all worked out for Kurt and for Brad to make those changes." (Continued)