TIMES ARE CHANGING; NASCAR BEGINS TO FEEL THE ECONOMIC SLOWDOWN.(NEWS)

Byline: AL PEARCE

Major layoffs within days of the Homestead finale. Unlikely mergers as old rivals reach out for the same lifelines. Once-formidable teams shutting down or considering it. Cash-strapped manufacturers reducing or withdrawing financial and technical support of fringe teams. Sponsorship and marketing worries that won't be eased in the near future.

That's the picture some are painting of NASCAR's health as it heads into the brief off-season. "We aren't immune to this [economic downturn], CEO Brian France said in Phoenix. "We've said that for at least a year. We can't operate as an island and be oblivious to what's going on. Some owners are in dire straitsthe whole country is in dire straits in one form or anotherbut the idea we have a safety net for everybody in our industry is not realistic. Many things are out of our control, but it doesn't mean we don't care.

Major-league stock-car racing will undergo major changes between now and the Feb. 15 Daytona 500. "Walk around the [Phoenix] garage, and notice what these teams look like, said Eddie Wood, co-owner of Wood Brothers Racing. "A bunch of them will look different when we get to Daytona in February. You'll see some of the damnedest deals between now and then. You'll be stunned at some of the things that happen. If you're not one of the Big Five, it's going to be real tough for a while.

The Big Five are multicar, multisponsor, deep-pocketed heavyweights Hendrick Motorsports, Roush Fenway Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing, Richard Childress Racing and Penske Racing. Together, they've won 33 of this year's 35 races and nine consecutive, plus 14 of the last 15 Sprint Cups. Almost without exception, they have the funding, the marketing, the business plans and the technical resources to remain near the top of the sport for the foreseeable future.

Hendrick's "09 lineup is Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin. The Roush Fenway lineup is Carl Edwards, Jamie McMurray, Matt Kenseth, David Ragan and Greg Biffle. At Gibbs, it's Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano. Childress will field cars for Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick and Casey Mears. And Penske's team is Kurt Busch, Sam Hornish Jr. and David Stremme.

As for everyone else, the self-styled have-nots who lack almost any chance of breaking through are as follows: