GAS IN THE TANK; NASCAR IS NOT RECESSION-PROOF NOR IS IT PANICKED.(NEWS)

Byline: CURT CAVIN

Millions of Americans have soured at the sight of their recent 401(k) statements, but what they do about it is the key. While some panic, others show patience and plan to persevere in the strained market.

The same goes for those involved in NASCAR, many of whom have relied on massive corporate crutches for far longer than they realize. Everyone knows that the U.S. economy is in the tank, and the emptiness is felt as much at NASCAR's Big FourGeneral Motors, Ford, Chrysler and Toyotaand their Sprint Cup teams as anywhere.

Economic pain now drives spending decisions in motorsports. With once-unimaginable corporate-workforce reductions, leaders of these auto companies also have slashed their annual outlays for NASCAR by 25 percent on average, and that's only what they admit publicly. Brian Wolfe, director of Ford Racing Technology, estimates that it could be 35 to 40 percent per company.

The effect ripples to everywhere NASCAR turns, from the sanctioning body's headquarters in Daytona Beach, Fla., to the teams based near Charlotte, N.C., to tracks that host races. Confirmed team layoffs top 600 people since Novemberand those are just the full-timers.

The 2009 season has not seen its first lap, but manufacturers are certain to be less involved with ticket purchases, corporate hospitality and various forms of marketing, including media buys and title sponsorships of events.

Reduction "includes everything that we do around motorsports, said Lee White, president of Toyota Racing Development. "There is a review of everything. Certainly, if contracts have expired, it's very likely that contracts have not been renewed, or if they are being renewed, they are certainly being renegotiated.