These tough economic times have hit the NASCAR world in a big way. Talk of support for the Big Three was prominent throughout much of Friday night's awards ceremony. Teams the like of Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Chip Ganassi Racing have been forced to merge in order to save their struggling operations. Now, all the buzz is focused on one of the most renowned teams in all of NASCAR history.

The name Petty has been synonymous with NASCAR since its inception. Petty Enterprises took the checkered flag in the inaugural Daytona 500 with Lee Petty behind the wheel. Richard grew the family name into a household name by winning 200 races, seven Daytona 500s and seven championships. Third generation Kyle came along in 1979 and carried on the family tradition. Young Adam Petty, Kyle's son, broke on the scene in 1998 and appeared to be the future of not only the family, but the company itself.

Ten years later, Petty Enterprises is on the brink of leaving the sport for good. At the end of the 2007 season, the Petty team moved from their historic shop in Randleman, NC to Mooresville, NC. Earlier this year, the team took on an outside investor - Boston Ventures - simply to stay in business.  Now, as the team looks to the future it appears a merger is the only option.

Talks with Gillett Evernham Motorsports are reportedly underway, with the deal looking more like an acquisition than a merger. ESPN.com reported the team cut another thirty-nine employees on Monday, bringing the total number of layoff to sixty-five since the end of the season. NASCAR.com reported Monday that Kyle Petty is no longer a part of the family business, making it seem as if things are beginning to unravel.

Tough economic times are now affecting the biggest names in our sport - with little exception. Talking with HardcoreRaceFans.com in Atlanta this October, the King himself admitted things are getting tougher than ever.

"It's the most serious it's ever been, as far as I can see," Richard Petty said of the economy. "We're so involved in the everyday market now. When we were independent and we didn't have sponsors and all that stuff, then the economy didn't affect us that much, now that we are the economy and involved in the economy it will affect us that much more."

Losing a Petty presence in NASCAR would alter the sport like it has never seen before. All economy talk aside, it is hard to imagine a NASCAR without a Petty. Sixty years, ten championships, nearly three thousand races, 268 wins, 890 top-5s, 1269 top10s and 151 poles. Those numbers are unmatched and epitomize the Petty name.

Our entire nation is going through major growing pains right now and NASCAR is along for the ride.  As tough as it's ever been - as Petty indicated, the face of NASCAR is going to change as well. Layoffs, mergers, lack of sponsors and the failure of the Big Three will make for a sport unlike any time before.

"It's liable to change the sport for a short period of time because everybody sort of has to back up and say this is what we've got and this is what we can do," Petty added. "But as quick as everything breaks, we're going to break with it."

Entering its sixty-first season, NASCAR has weathered the storm to become one of the most popular sports in the world. Many Hardcore Race Fans have resented the impact of corporate America in the sport. With all the talk of the potential loss of Petty Enterprises, it seems that influence has cost the sport one of the greatest names in all of NASCAR.