Given that General Motors currently is restructuring under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection - with the United States government, at least for the time being, as its primary shareholder - nothing is off limits in the quest to find cost-saving measures.

"It's not just racing," said GM Racing's NASCAR group manager Pat Suhy, who fielded questions from reporters in the Cup garage Friday morning. "It's everywhere, from manufacturing and engineering, all the other sales and marketing activities - we're going through a reinvention. We're going to find out where we come out of it on the back end, and continue to be successful here and elsewhere.

"We're looking at everything. In broad terms, there's not going to be any stone left unturned."

Jim Hunter, NASCAR vice president of corporate communications, said he didn't think the GM cuts would have a negative effect on the quality of racing in the series.

"It's no secret that's GM's restructuring its business, and as a result, it's not surprising that anyone connected to the company will be affected. We certainly hope they rebuild the company to meet the changing economy. Obviously, Chevrolet has millions of fans, and they want to see Chevys successfully compete.

"I don't think it will affect competition, which is better than it's ever been. We expect competition to remain as good as it's been in the first half of the season. Our fans are loyal, the most loyal in sports, and our racing still provides the best marketing opportunity in sports. I think our fans are still going to want to see Chevrolets on the track."

In reality, the cuts may help the smaller teams that are accustomed to operating without factory support. Earnhardt says he doesn't expect sympathy from those who manage to compete without additional funding from the manufacturers.

"Obviously, the support that Chevy was able to provide us was, in a lot of ways, a privilege only to a few teams," he said. "Not everybody has had that support. So you see a lot of other guys that are getting to the racetrack without that kind of manufacturer support. To me, it was always a feather in your cap, and never take it for granted.

"We'll be able to try to do some unique programs with our sponsors and future partners to try to cover that expense, but I personally in no way feel that it's changed my relationship or my perception toward Chevrolet and how I'll work with them in the future."

by Reid Spencer/Sporting News