Chevy, Ford sticking with NASCAR through tight times

The idea of NASCAR racing without Chevrolets and Fords on the track once would have been unthinkable.

But that possibility is no longer farfetched as the continuing economic meltdown puts the already struggling automakers in even greater jeopardy.

U.S. auto sales have plummeted in recent months, and Ford and General Motors, along with Chrysler, are fighting for survival amid the crisis. The three Detroit manufacturers -- along with recent addition Toyota -- are the cornerstones of NASCAR.

NASCAR boss Brian France, speaking over the weekend at Phoenix International Raceway, acknowledged that the auto manufacturers "play a very important role in lots of ways with supporting teams, the branding and heritage."

But he also said NASCAR can survive without one or more of them, if it has to.

On Friday, GM and Ford revealed multibillion-dollar losses for the third quarter of 2008, and GM warned it could run out of cash in 2009. It also suspended acquisition talks with Chrysler.

Still for those companies to remain viable, they need to sell cars and trucks -- and NASCAR remains a key marketing tool for each of them.

Terry Dolan, manager of racing for GM's Chevrolet brand, said the sport remains an attractive partner despite the company's struggles.

"We actually operate with three core principals," Dolan said in a telephone interview. "We race to win; we want to make sure the audience that follows racing is relative to the products we sell, and we must get a return on investment. We're working diligently to make sure we've got all three of those balanced.

"The plus is when you look at the NASCAR fan base. It really does align with the Chevy product portfolio and there's some tremendous loyalty to our brand that's helped us to sell vehicles to this audience for many, many years."

Brian Wolfe, director of North America Motorsports for Ford, has a similar outlook.

"We're doing what we can, both on and off the track, to try and support the company," Wolfe said. "On the track, we're winning races and contending for championships ... we're creating a winning image for our products. Off the track, our drivers and teams in NASCAR and NHRA have been working hard to get the word out about our products."

Wolfe pointed out that Ford is in the midst of a seven-week online campaign in which its top NASCAR and NHRA stars test drive new products and blog about them.