They said the economy is healthy, even booming. All major sports have companies support it through commercials or billboards at the stadiums. But no sport mirrors the corporate climate more than racing. Racing is the only sport where the participants are the primary exposure for advertising.
Companies shell out millions to advertise their products on the hoods and panels of stock cars.
So it would seem that if companies are falling on hard times with cash flow and profits then sponsorship would become an issue. Hopefully each one is just an isolated case created by a unique set of circumstances. One of the indicators used to evaluate the condition of the economy is home sales. Their primary sponsor, Oakwood Homes announced they will not return to fund the team in 2002. They even went so far as to say that if a new sponsor is found this year they will back out for the rest of this season.