NASCAR Banks on Automakers' Survival

Nov. 20, 2008— -- What happens if you produce a show for millions of people and some of your biggest brands bow out?

Executives at the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing hope they never have to find out. They're banking on the assumption that General Motors, Ford and Chrysler -- the nation's big three automakers that are now teetering on the brink of bankruptcy -- won't pull their support from NASCAR.

"It would be a very big blow if they were to not be with us. They're part of our heritage," NASCAR chairman Brian France told ABCNews.com. "It's part of our tradition to have Chevrolet racing around the track, and Ford, and so on."

The well-publicized troubles of the Detroit auto industry and their appeals for help from the federal government have left a cloud of doubt hovering over the automakers' racing future.

In published reports several days ago, France went so far as to say he was confident that NASCAR would survive should an auto manufacturer pull support from the racing business. On Wednesday, however, he downplayed talk of a possible post-Big Three future, telling ABCNews.com that NASCAR was "trying not to anticipate that scenario."

"We're optimistic that Congress and [the automakers] will get through this challenging time," he said.

NASCAR is doing its part to help the automakers, he said, by working with them to step up promotions of their cars, including new fuel-efficient vehicles.

Cars, like hybrids, aren't racing yet, France said, but a Ford hybrid did serve as the pace car at a Sunday race -- the last race of this year's NASCAR season -- in Miami.

The automakers are "fighting like mad" to stay in business, France said. "We're going to do everything we can to help them."

NASCAR, meanwhile, is grappling with its own economy-related woes. Though about 120,000 fans still attend each race, NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said attendance is down about three to five percent this year.

France blamed attendance declines in part on last summer's high gas prices.

"The difficulty and cost to get to our events went way up," he said.