Tightening the belts

[Sparky7]

Here's a snippet from what I think is a pretty interesting article from Sports Illustrated. You can read the whole article and see the list of unsponsored rides at this point for 2008.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...ors/index.html

With several ominous reports about the economy in recent weeks, many Americans are on the lookout for a possible recession. And in the sports world, there's no one keeping a keener watch then a handful of elite NASCAR owners.
One of the most compelling stories from Daytona and the testing going on there isn't the speeds but what's painted on the sides of the cars. Obscured by the Dale Earnhardt Jr. craze and the supposed Toyota "renaissance" has been a surprising dearth of sponsorship announcements, with cars like Travis Kvapil's sporting a sponsoryates.com logo on the side of his No. 28 Ford last week -- simply because there's no other company to put there.
That's a concern, because periods of economic downturn tend to affect NASCAR teams more than most; after all, it's the multimillion-dollar advertising budgets of primary sponsors that allow this sport to run in the first place. When profits dry up in tough times, Fortune 500 companies usually slash that money, and their commitments in sports are often the first to go. Left in the lurch, teams can no longer survive simply on the purses given out for each Cup race. And before long, they're selling equipment on the auction block for pennies on the dollar.

[muggle not]

The U.S. Economy is close to to going into a recession. I agree with sparky, it will be tough for some teams to find and hold on to sponsorship. I wonder how effective sponsorship would be from some European Companies since their economy is doing OK compared to the U.S.

[R59]

You can't have it!! It's mine!

Though it's more likely to head into Chip Ganassi's bin than anyone elses... having a certain European driver.

If NASCAR wants European money to bolster it's economy, it'd better get on the red-eye and come over!! Y'all be most welcome, and I really mean that!
(though the FIA and the various European national sanctioning bodies will be shaking in their boots!)