Recession affecting NASCAR in car counts

With all the merging that's been happening recently, will NASCAR even be able to field a full 43-car field for every race in 2009?

The answer isn't obvious, at least yet. But by my count, there are only 38 teams that will definitely be at every NASCAR Sprint Cup race. It's uncertain whether or not Bill Davis Racing or Hall of Fame racing, who each field a single car, will be racing on a full-time basis, or at all, next year.

Also, the Wood Brothers and Front Row Motorsports, both of which also run single-car efforts, will scale back to part-time.

So with only 38 sure-fire teams showing up to races every weekend, how long before even more teams quit because of the financial crunch? Just two seasons ago, NASCAR teams seemed to be well within the black as nearly 50 teams showed up to every race. But so much as changed since.

BAM Racing has closed up shop along with Morgan-McClure Motorsports. Petty Enterprises and GEM have merged and so has DEI and Ganassi, and Michael Waltrip Racing and JT-Daugherty Racing.

Other organizations may also be on the chopping block. Yates Racing fields three cars, but only one has full-time sponsorship. Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing has just two and a half sponsors for its four teams. Stewart-Haas Racing is struggling to find a sponsor for its second team with driver Ryan Newman. Bill Davis Racing has no sponsor and the part-time Wood Brothers team also is sponsor-searching for the 12 races they plan to run.

Full-time teams for 2009 (38):
Hendrick Motorsports (4 cars), Roush Fenway Racing (5), Joe Gibbs Racing (3), Yates Racing (3), Michael Waltrip Racing/JT-Daugherty Racing (3), Richard Childress Racing (4), Gillett Evernham Racing (4), Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing (4), Penske Racing (3), Red Bull Racing (2), Stewart-Hass Racing (2), Robby Gordon Motorsports (1).

Part-time teams (7):
Wood Brothers (1), Front Row Motorsports (1), James Finch (1), Germain Racing (1), No Fear Racing (1), E&M Motorsports (1 Daytona 500), Cope/Keller Racing (1 Daytona 500)
The last two teams may only run the Daytona 500.

Unknown plans (2):
Hall of Fame Racing (1), Bill Davis Racing (1)

NASCAR is not immune to the financial crisis that has hit the United States and the world. But just how hard it will be hit has yet to be determined.