Hey, NASCAR, Why Don’t You Do Some Bailing Out?

NASCAR and its top car owners have been less than shy about begging Washington to bail out the auto industry. They’ve said it’s OK to help out GM, Ford and Chrysler—even if that means giving them something that Toyota doesn’t get in what is supposed to be a free-market economy.

Makes sense in my book. If you’re in trouble, you get extra help. Your predicament may be a result of shoddy business practices, but this is the time to save the day, not assess blame.

So, it’s only fair for NASCAR to do some bailing out, using the exact same template it so readily supports the government utilizing.

Rick Hendrick, for the purpose of this discussion, is Toyota. He shouldn’t get any help from NASCAR because he doesn’t need any.

But Glen and Eddie Wood are a different story. Why should they have to pay the same amount for tires on a race weekend?

Richard Childress is Toyota, too. He has all the funding he needs to fuel those haulers traveling across the country. Let him continue to write those checks.

But allow Max Siegel/Chip Ganassi to apply for a fuel credit, so that a good portion of their travel expenses are underwritten.

Jack Roush, much as it may disgust him, is Toyota as well. He can stomach last-place prize money, so if it only pays $70,000, so be it. But if a Doug Yates entry blows an engine at lap 30, he is guaranteed to take home $100,000.

(Wait! Aren’t those the same teams? According to NASCAR, no. Remember, Brian France, I’m following your mindset, not mine.)

Where does the money come from? Well, the tire money comes out of the big check Goodyear sends to NASCAR every year to be the exclusive tire provider. The fuel fund comes out of the big check Sunoco sends to NASCAR every year to be the official fuel provider. And the prize money comes from the tracks (most of which NASCAR owns via ISC), a pittance considering the pork NASCAR tracks got in tax breaks as an add-on to the banking bailout.

If NASCAR can be so vocal about the government spending billions to save storied companies—despite America being trillions in debt—why shouldn’t highly profitable NASCAR be more than happy to provide less than a fraction of that to save storied teams (not to mention their employees)? Car owners who already have full sponsorship should be front-and-center supporters.

If NASCAR proves they are serious about investing, I’ll be a whole lot more willing to listen the next time they ask somebody else to.