This is no surprise to anyone, as most thought it was only a matter of time, given how long the automakers have been struggling. With Chrysler filing for backruptcy and GM expected to follow suit, can they realistically sustain putting money in motorsports? Most say no. Add in the fact that they’re taking tax payer money, and the “no” becomes more definitive.

The WSJ calls Chrysler’s troubles “another humbling blow to the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing.”

As I’ve said before, I’m not sure this is a humbling blow. Sure ticket sales and attendance are down, viewership is declining, and sponsors are having a hard time staying in the sport during these tough economic times. But, that’s not because Chrysler and GM are struggling. It’s because we’re in an economic downturn that resulted in job losses for a large portion of NASCAR’s working class fanbase.

I’m sure many auto-plant workers are or were NASCAR fans. And, with the automakers laying off a large number of workers, those NASCAR fans can’t afford to go see races live. Add in other NASCAR fans in different professions that have been layed off, and it’s no surprise that there is a decline in attendance.

But again, that’s due mainly to economic conditions, and tangentally to the fall of the automakers.

If GM and Chrysler were to pull out of the sport, NASCAR would still survive. The COT almost guarantees that. The cars don’t resemble anything that is sitting on a showroom floor in any auto dealer.

The cars are nearly identical, with the only distinguishing factor being the decals. If automakers pull out, those decals would most likely go away. But, the teams would still exist.

The cars are built in-house by teams. They have their own shops, and engineers, so even if factory support were to cease, the teams with major sponsors would find a way to function.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that NASCAR isn’t struggling or that things wouldn’t get worse, if automakers started pulling out.

I am, however, saying that NASCAR would still survive, because in the end, the logos emblazoned on the hood and quarter panels mean more than the fake head and tail lights on the cars.

Mike Accavitti, an official with Dodge Motorsports, said:

The partnership not only will transform Chrysler into a new, stronger car company with many strategic advantages, it will enable the company to better serve our customers with a broader and more comprehensive lineup of vehicles. NASCAR is a strategic part of our marketing plan and the Dodge brand. We plan to continue our Dodge sponsorship and relationship into the foreseeable future.

The Treasury Department is planning on giving Chrysler as much as $3.5 billion, while the Canadian and Ontario governments are going to provide ths company without about $800 million in exchange for 2 percent equity.

The answer? Probably not much would happen.

While NASCAR touted the safety aspects, the savings, and the closer competition as reasons for the new car design, I think that the Car of Tomorrow also freed NASCAR from the mercy of the carmakers.

Sprint Cup cars are made by teams individually. There are no NASCAR factories that crank out COTs like GM or Chrysler plants. These cars are custom built in race shops by Sprint Cup teams. I imagine that other than providing parts, the carmakers have little to do with production or maintenance.

Don’t get me wrong, I know that carmakers provide support for their cars. But, if that support goes away, the make wouldn’t necessarily.

Last year, Dodge announced it would pull its factory support from what is now the Camping world Truck Series. At the time, Mike Delahanty, senior manager of Dodge Motorsports, said:

We’ll have no factory-funded teams. When times are tough, there are certain things that are lower on the priority list than others. There’s a lot of Dodge trucks, engines and parts out there, [teams] may choose to run them. We just won’t be writing the checks to any teams.

I’m sure that any carmaker that left the sport at this point would take the same stance.

Sure, some teams might stop using their cars. But, teams like Hendrick Motorsports and Richard Petty Motorsports would continue building their race cars, and would still compete.

Large sponsorships would, most likely, keep the bigger players in the sport. And the relatively low cost of competing these days, with the testing ban, would keep most of the smaller teams in the sport.

So, even if Dodge and Chevy were to leave, the sport would find a way to survive. After all, this isn’t the first time automaker support was in jeopardy.

In her column dated yesterday, she wrote:

If Obama can tell GM and Chrysler that their participation in NASCAR is an “unnecessary expenditure,” isn’t having public schools force students to follow Muslim rituals, recite Islamic prayers and plan “jihads” also an “unnecessary expenditure”? Are all those school condom purchases considered “necessary expenditures”?

Upon further reading about this story, it looks like Car and Driver didn’t originally label the article a joke.

Media Matters for America features a Live Search cache snapshot of the article, which does not include the later-added Happy April Fools text under the headline.

Knowing that, it’s no wonder so many people are up in arms about the article, and were so easily duped.

I apologize for being under the impression that the article was clearly marked all along. This explains why C&D said they went “too far,” and pulled the article.

C&D is a reputable magazine, and most people would take their reporting at face value. I know I would. And other than the computer-generated image of Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 Chevy, driven by the late Dale Earnhardt Sr, there was no indication that something was fishy with this article.

I point to the image because it is not authentic in that the supposed Chevy is supporting a Mercedes Benz-like grill, not the Chevy front with the bowtie. But is that really enough to know the article is fake? No.

Regardless of whether or not I think that article was in poor taste, it is certainly understandable to take it at face value.

And, in this case, C&D used its reputation to trick people, and for that they should be sorry. 

Several media outlets are still covering this story. They are: ESPN, Newsday, Investor’s Business Daily, and CNBC, just to name a few.

Some teams the sport that biggest names, Petty, Earnhardt, and Waltrip could enter the 2009 season with unsponsored cars. Chip Ganassi racing’s No. 40 team lost its Coors sponsorship last season, and managed to stay afloat using a patchwork of one-race deals. The team was shut down earlier this season. Chevron is pulling its Texaco sponsorship of Ganassi’s other team, the No 42 next season.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Nationwide team, JR Motorsports lost its primary sponsor when the U.S. Navy announced it would not return to the No. 88. The team has won two races this season, and sits third in points, and it lost its primary sponsor. That’s an indication of how bad things are.

Earnhardt Jr. said:

The economy is the way it is, there isn’t much you can do about it. A lot of these guys are going to walk around empty-handed next year. …  We’ll race the races we can afford to race. A lot of the people that work there are family and so that place has to be open.