On Thursday, GM said in its annual report that auditors raised serious doubt about the automaker's ability to continue operating. The company has received $13.4 billion in federal loans and is seeking an additional $16.6 billion from the government.
Tony Stewart, who has a long relationship with GM, said he believes the company is doing what it can to recover.
"The biggest thing is we've got to get people to not be afraid to spend money again," he said. "GM is doing their part. The Chevy brand is building cars that are affordable and economic and efficient. From a manufacturer's side, that's all you can ask for. I think they've really responded and done a good job in that respect."
Stewart said the fallout would be "tremendous" if any of the major American automakers went out of business.
"I think it's at the stage now where we can't rely on the government to do it all for us," he said. "We have to take an active role ourselves. I'm not saying as drivers or NASCAR. I'm saying our country together. We've got to get off our wallets and go back being Americans again and living life the way we used to."
Atlanta Motor Speedway owner Bruton Smith called on the federal government to do whatever it takes to keep the Big Three from going under.
"It's an abomination," he said. "This country owes them."
He pointed to the role Detroit played during World War II, when the car companies quickly shifted their focus from automobiles to producing the machinery of battle.
"They saved this country during World War II," Smith said. "What if we get in another major, major war? Who's going to build things? We need to do whatever we can to save those companies."
There seems no end to the bad financial news, Stewart said.
"Every time you turn on the news, you're petrified," he said. "When I sit there watching the news, I'm begging to turn the channel so I'm not so depressed."
------
TRUEX HURTING: Martin Truex Jr. was taken to a hospital emergency room after Saturday's final practice for treatment of a kidney stone.
His status for Sunday's Cup race wasn't known. Truex is scheduled to start from the 23rd position.
"He was complaining of discomfort and pain during practice," NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said. "They had him checked out and that's what it is. They're trying to pass the stone."
------
TOOLS, ANYONE: Kobalt Tools, the sponsor of Sunday's Cup race, is donating $300,000 worth of tools to schools around the country.
The first donation was made by a fairly prominent delivery man -- three-time defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, who dropped off a load at nearby Lovejoy High School on Friday.
Johnson will also run a special "Tough Tools for Cool Schools" paint scheme during the April 5 race at Texas Motor Speedway.
"These tools will be used to rebuild our homes, they'll be used to rebuild our country," Johnson said Saturday. "It's extremely important for our country."
------
ANOTHER VALUABLE DONATION: NASCAR pioneer Raymond Parks is giving back to the sport he helped build.
Parks and his wife, Violet, announced Saturday they are donating his vast collection of memorabilia and trophies -- 29 from the earliest days of stock-car racing -- to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, which is scheduled to open next year in Charlotte, N.C.
The 94-year-old Parks owned the car driven by the first NASCAR race winner, is a two-time NASCAR champion himself and swept every race run on the beach at Daytona.
"I think I was 11 years old when we ran our first Cup race in
Parks, a Georgia native, did not speak during a ceremony at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but he and his wife posed for photos with a commemorative brick that will be placed outside the new Hall in tribute to his racing career.
"Raymond doesn't have any living children, so to preserve this collection, we needed to put it somewhere it was going to be taken care of," his wife said. "It's important to have it in the museum. This memorabilia has always been very important to Raymond."
------
START AND PARK: With only 36 cars funded for the entire Cup season, a number of low-budget teams are attempting to qualify for races each week.
The tenuous financial situation raises the possibility of some teams entering simply to "start and park" -- a practice in which financially strapped teams spend as little money as possible on their car and crew, simply hoping to qualify for the race, run a few laps, head to the garage for some bogus reason and collect the last-place prize money.
NASCAR doesn't have a specific rule prohibiting such tactics, though officials say they'll step up enforcement to make sure teams give legitimate reasons for dropping out.
Four-time cup champion Jeff Gordon sees nothing wrong with a team starting and parking.
"That's up to them if they think they can make money," Gordon said. "I don't think NASCAR needs to get in the middle of that. You want to have competitive cars and trucks out there on the racetrack. At the same time ... it's their business. They have to survive. They have to do what's best for them. I don't see where having a few cars and trucks out there doing that really affects the racing we put on or affects the fans."
Todd Bodine, who finished third in Saturday's truck race but has yet to line up a sponsor for the next race, said "start and park" doesn't make financial sense in the lower series, where the purses are much smaller than in the Cup series.
"You can't make a start and park pay for itself in trucks," he said. "It's really hard for anyone to do this without a sponsor. You're not even going to come close on what the payoffs are. I think we're going to see the fields dwindle down here as we go along."
------
BIG HIT: Colin Braun walked away from a big crash during the truck race. He can credit the SAFER barrier.
The padded wall on the inside of the back straightaway cushioned the impact of a nearly head-on blow after Braun's Ford was bumped from behind coming out of turn two on a restart, slid sideways down the track and smashed into the barrier.
Such crashes caused serious injuries in the past, when concrete walls surrounded tracks. But the "Steel And Foam Energy Reduction" wall is designed to soak up most of the G-forces from an impact, reducing the chances of a driver being injured.
Braun climbed out of the truck on his own, was checked at the infield care center and released. He finished 26th.
------
LUG NUTS: This will be the 100th Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, which opened in 1960. ... Martinsville Speedway president Clay Campbell made his Roadster debut in a short-track race that followed the truck event. Atlanta Motor Speedway president Ed Clark has already wrapped up the Roadster title in the Winter Flurry series, so he sat out. ... Mark Martin went 256 races without winning a pole before claiming the top spot for Sunday's race. During that drought, he qualified second 16 times. "Wow," Martin said. "How about that."
NASCAR team owner Ballew arrested on DUI charge
Kakhaber Kaladze: Derby Win Is Vital For Milan’s Scudetto Bid
FIFA Ranking - Tunisia Drop Eight Places
