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Perhaps no sport has been hit harder by the recession than auto racing. Advertising and ticket purchases are down across all sports, but the problems run even deeper in auto racing.
No other sport is so reliant on companies to provide its product. There isn’t a company that manufactures basketball players or football players. But auto racing, and NASCAR in particular, relies on a relationship with the auto industry to produce its cars and engines.
The closest analogies would be the companies that produce football helmets, hockey sticks or baseball bats. But those analogies don’t quite measure up to the role of auto manufacturers in NASCAR.
The role of auto manufacturers is problematic, of course, because the auto industry has been hit particularly hard by the recession. General Motors requested a bailout from the federal government. Ford, which did not request a bailout, has dramatically cut its spending. Bottom line: there is a lot less money to spend on NASCAR.
The auto industry, of course, never spent money on NASCAR simply for the fun of it. The manufacturers expected a return on their money. When a Chevrolet or Ford or Dodge won a race, that gave the manufacturer tons of exposure. A winning car is the type of advertising that money can’t buy.
The payoff for the manufacturer was the purchase of new vehicles. Fans at the track or people watching at home on TV would, for example, buy a Chevrolet truck because that’s the brand Dale Earnhardt Jr. drives.
If the fans aren’t buying, however, then the payoff isn’t there for the manufacturer. Attendance is down at most races. That reduces the number of potential buyers. Even those who attend or watch the race, aren’t likely to be buying a new car in this economy, so the payoff for auto manufacturers is greatly reduced.
These are difficult times for the auto industry. Therefore, it is a difficult time for auto racing. We try to separate sports from the real world, but the recession’s effect on NASCAR and its future is a story that can’t be ignored.

A man allegedly shoved an employee at Burger King in South Lebanon Township on March 16 in a dispute over an employee discount, township police said.
The suspect, Michael Fry, 31, of Myerstown, allegedly confronted staff and demanded that they return $4.34 because he believed his wife did not receive her employee discount, police said.
When Fry was told to leave, he allegedly used obscene language and shoved Veronica Cotto, 38, who works at Burger King, police said.
Fry left the scene before officers arrived, police said.
Fry was charged with harassment and disorderly conduct.

Wyomissing native and country music superstar Taylor Swift told Allure magazine that she doesn’t won’t to talk about her sex life.
“It’s fine to talk about love publicly,” she told the magazine. “But I think when you talk about virginity and sex publicly, people just automatically picture you naked. And as much as I can prevent people picturing me naked, I’m going to.”
Swift is on the cover of the magazine, which hits newsstands on March 24.

A man was arrested after he demanded to be reimbursed for his losses at video poker at Hollywood Casino at Penn National in East Hanover Township, Dauphin County, on March 15, state police Gaming Enforcement Office said.
The suspect Dawit Awale, 27, of Harrisburg, allegedly repeatedly argued with casino personnel and state police that he must be reimbursed after losing his money at a video poker machine, state police said.
Awale allegedly caused a disruption, and he was arrested, state police said.

A passenger was extricated from a vehicle after an accident in Swatara Township on March 15, state police at Jonestown said.
A vehicle driven by Thomas Leary, 22, of Fredericksburg, went out of control on a curve, flipped onto its side and struck a tree at North Lancaster Street and Mowery Road, state police said.
Dustin Bylina, who was a passenger in the vehicle, was extricated, state police said.
Leary and Bylina were injured, and they were transported by First Aid Safety Patrol to the hospital.
Perseverance and Bunker Hill fire companies assisted.
The road was closed for about 30 minutes.

A man allegedly punched a woman in the face several times at a bar in Pine Grove Township on Feb. 27, state police at Schuylkill Haven said.
The suspect, Matthew Seitz, 21, of Tremont, was thrown out of Paradise Pub for fighting, and the bar’s owner told Seitz in the parking lot that Seitz was banned from the bar for good, state police said.
April Harley, 28, of Summit Station, walked across the parking lot to check on the bar’s owner, and Seitz allegedly punched her in the face, knocking her to the ground, state police said. Seitz allegedly got on top of Harley and punched her several more times in the face, state police said.
A man allegedly pulled Seitz off Harley, state police said.

A man allegedly twice sold cocaine to an undercover trooper, including once when his 15-month-old child was with him, in West Reading on March 9 and in Wyomissing on March 13, state police at Reading said.
On March 9, the suspect, Thomas Haddock, 35, of West Lawn, allegedly sold 3.5 grams of cocaine to an undercover trooper, state police said.
On March 13, Haddock allegedly met with the same trooper and sold him 7 grams of cocaine, state police said. The trooper took Haddock into custody. Haddock had brought his 15-month-old child with him, and the child was turned over to family, state police said.

BY ERIC FISHER
Remember when the 76ers were scaring people? Remember when people were boldly proclaiming that the Sixers are a better team without free-agent signee Elton Brand in the lineup?
Those days are over. Reality has returned.
The seven-game winning streak in January? Forgotten. The four-game winning streak entering all-star weekend? Replaced by the four-game losing streak following the all-star break.
The Sixers aren’t awful. They aren’t good. They’re simply mediocre (31-31).
They just completed a three-game stretch against last-place teams. Victories over Memphis and Toronto were sandwiched around a hideous loss to the short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Sixers will need to play much better than that during this next stretch, which begins Friday night against Chicago at the legendary Spectrum. The Sixers will then host Miami on Sunday before embarking on a five-game West Coast trip that begins with the Lakers and Suns.
If the Sixers aren’t careful, could they slip out of the playoff picture? Nah! This is the NBA Eastern Conference. A winning record is not a necessity for making the playoffs. The Sixers are seventh in the Eastern Conference and, barring a collapse, appear on track for a playoff berth.
But making the playoffs isn’t going to get hearts beating any faster with excitement. And the Sixers’ chances of beating one of the top three seeds – Cleveland, Boston or Orlando – seem extremely slim.
Even with a healthy Brand, the Sixers would have had difficulty getting past one of the top seeds. Without him, they are vulnerable to being exposed in a halfcourt game, as has happened in the past.
In short, the Sixers play an exciting style, but they are nothing to get excited about. Not this season.
So let’s look ahead to next season. Is this team on the right track? Can the Sixers take the next step?
The answer to those questions may depend on Andre Miller. The veteran point guard (16.7 points per game, 6.4 assists, 4.6 rebounds entering Wednesday’s game) will be a free agent this summer. If he leaves, the Sixers will be in deep trouble.
Miller may be as valuable to his team as any professional athlete in Philadelphia. He is a coach on the floor, distributes the ball and isn’t afraid to take a big shot. Not coincidentally, the Sixers’ slide coincides with Miller’s calf injury.
If Miller leaves, the Sixers will be left searching for a starting point guard. Lou Williams can’t play the point. Well, he can, but don’t count on him to distribute the ball the way Miller does.
The Sixers almost have to re-sign Miller. Otherwise, they’ll likely take a giant step backward.
But re-signing Miller doesn’t guarantee success. This team still has some big holes. Two of their starters, center Samuel Dalembert and guard Willie Green, arguably wouldn’t start on a decent team. Both are sub-par at the offensive end of the court.
The offense at off-guard comes from Williams, but he’s an erratic shooter. When he’s hot, he’s red-hot. When he’s off … the Sixers are in trouble.
The greatest hope for the future centers around young forwards Thaddeus Young and Marreese Speights. Young, a 20-year-old, second-year player, displays loads of potential. Young, who scored a career-high 29 points during Wednesday’s victory over Toronto, drives to the hoop with authority and can hit a mid-range jump shot. He also appears to have a high basketball I.Q.
Speights, a 21-year-old rookie, is making an impact in just 15.4 minutes per game. He certainly developed faster than almost anyone – even the Sixers – expected. Speights averages 7.7 points coming off the bench. These two relative youngsters should get even better as they mature. The Sixers deserve credit for drafting these building blocks for the future.
Let’s not forget about Andre Iguodala. Clearly more comfortable as a small forward than off-guard, Iguodala is averaging 18.0 points in 39 minutes per game. Unlike Young and Speights, however, Iguodala’s best days may not be ahead of him.
After a while in the NBA, what you see is what you get. What you get with Iguodala is a good scorer and strong defender with a solid all-around game. What you don’t get is a star. Iguodala would be a good second- or third-fiddle on a championship contender. Unfortunately, he needs to be more than that on the Sixers.
A huge question mark, of course, is Brand. Signed to a big-money, free-agent contract, Brand is sidelined for the rest of the season due to shoulder surgery.
How good will Brand be next season? We don’t know. But his “star” days may be over. His injury woes could continue.
The importance of Miller’s return can’t be overstated. Even if Brand returns to form, the Sixers could be in for another season of mediocrity if Miller departs for another team.
There are a lot of unknowns about the Sixers’ future. But there is one thing we can say with near-certainty: this season will be another case of “Wait ‘til next year.”

A reward is being offered for information that leads the arrest or conviction of the suspect responsible for the burglary of the Fredericksburg Eagle Hotel on Jan. 1, authorities said.
Lebanon County Crime Stoppers and the Penna State Police Jonestown are searching for The suspect is described as a light skinned male, about 6 feet 1 inch, average build and wearing a light colored winter jacket, authorities said. Suspect may be from the Fredericksburg area, authorities said.
State police at Jonestown are investigating.
The Lebanon County Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 and the owner of the Eagle Hotel is offering an additional monetary reward for information that would lead to the arrest and or conviction of the suspects responsible for this burglary. Callers do not have to give their names but will be assigned a code. People with information can contact Crime Stoppers at 717-270-9800.

Martin Truex Jr. finished 10th at Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500. But, in honor of radio great Paul Harvey, who passed away on February 28, now it’s time for “the rest of the story.”
Less than 24 hours earlier, Truex was taken to Spalding Regional Medical Center, south of Atlanta, due to a kidney stone. Truex passed the stone, which is both good news and bad news.
The good news is that Truex would not have to worry about experiencing the excruciating pain that occurs when a kidney stone is moving. It is doubtful he could have driven with that type of pain. The bad news, though, is that passing the stone can leave some … how shall I say it? … residual discomfort in a sensitive region.
To make matters worse, Truex could not take certain kinds of medication for pain because it could affect his driving. You don’t want to experience the side effect of drowsiness while operating a motor vehicle at speeds faster than 100 mph. (If that’s not on the warning label of at least one medication, it should be.)
Fortunately for Truex, he reportedly felt fine before the race. He certainly didn’t show any ill effects while driving. In fact, he posted his best finish this season and moved up seven spots, to 19th, in the Sprint Cup standings.
Truex doesn’t want a repeat performance next week at Bristol. Well, he would take the Top 10 finish; but this time he’d skip the kidney stone.