Top NASCAR owners, drivers support America's struggling auto industry
As the American auto industry struggles and looks to Congress for financial support, some leading Chevrolet team owners and drivers in NASCAR are voicing their support for Detroit's Big Three automakers.
Team owner Rick Hendrick of Hendrick Motorsports, whose organization fields four Chevrolets in the Sprint Cup Series, stressed that if something isn't done to rescue the financially strapped domestic automobile industry there will be a ripple effect throughout the nation.
"The Big Three are the backbone of our country," Hendrick said in a news release sent out by Chevrolet. "With nearly 7,000 people working at Hendrick Motorsports and Hendrick Automotive Group alone, I see their impact firsthand. The manufacturers play an irreplaceable role in the global economy and support millions of Main Street, American jobs. I feel a responsibility to those people and their families, and our leaders in Washington should, too.”
Richard Childress, owner of Richard Childress Racing, expressed similar concerns and said NASCAR wouldn't be where it is today without involvement from Chevrolet, Dodge and Ford.
"The Big Three have also played an important role in NASCAR for decades," Childress said.
"I can’t imagine racing anything but Chevrolets," Childress said. "Chevrolet is a big part of the excitement for millions of racing fans across the country, and it is important for our representatives in Washington, D.C., to ensure the continued financial viability of the U.S. auto industry."
Jimmie Johnson, the driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet who just won his third consecutive Sprint Cup Series championship on Sunday, noted the seriousness of these economic crisis.
"We need to reach out," he said. "“I have been with Chevrolet my entire racing career, and I honestly can’t imagine what our sport would be like without them, let alone what our country would be without Chevrolet."
Four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon also says everyone needs to get involved in asking Congress to bailout the Big Three.
"There is no doubt that the challenges facing all three Detroit automakers affects each and every one of us," said Gordon, who is Johnson’s teammate at Hendrick Motorsports. "It’s time for every one of us to act responsibly and step up and ask our congressman to support in the continued survival of the automakers and the future of this country."
Dale Earnhardt Jr. also understands the impact Chevrolet has had on NASCAR during its 60-year history and the importance the role the automaker has in the country's economy.
"I have awesome fans, and I hope they will reach out to our leaders in Washington to help Chevy and our other domestic carmakers," said Earnhardt Jr., who just completed his first season with Hendrick. "There is nothing more American than Chevrolet, and we need to make sure it stays that way.”
