CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - It's now been five years since Toyota eased into NASCAR in the third-tier Truck Series — three since the automaker graduated into the premier Sprint Cup Series — and a foreign brand didn't bring the sport to a halt. Nor did it ruin the racing. If anything, its improved both the competition and overall health of the industry.

Now, NASCAR says it is willing to consider other foreign automakers.

BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, and Mercedes-Benz all have manufacturing plants inside the U.S. - the same criteria Toyota met when NASCAR accepted the automaker into NASCAR in 2002 - and Volkswagen is building a facility in Tennessee. Any of those manufacturers can approach NASCAR about coming on board, and chairman Brian France is apparently willing to listen.

"We're the pre-eminent place in North America for car manufacturers to build their business with an auto racing group," France said before Sunday's race. "We remain that and clearly there's some companies that are going to look at opportunities that may not have even been there in the past that could be presented in the future."

That his comments came at Michigan International Speedway - a short drive from the home offices of Ford, GM and Dodge - probably didn't sit well with those in NASCAR.

But Chrysler and GM are in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and the restructuring plans have led to cutbacks in each auto racing budget.

Then came GM's decision late last week to end its support of teams in the lower-tier Nationwide and Truck Series, a cutback that leaves Toyota as the only manufacturer supporting teams in either of those series.

But GM's cost-cutting could also reach the Cup series as early as this week, and every Chevrolet-supported team has got to be on edge as owners wonder just how much cash might vanish from the 2009 budget.

There were 14 Chevy's in the 43-car field Sunday, and six of the 12 drivers currently qualified for the Chase for the championship are GM-supported. If that money dries up before the end of the season, it will have wide-ranging effects on the competition.

There would be no way for Richard Childress Racing to revive its slumping program before the end of the year, and Juan Pablo Montoya would have an extremely difficult time making his first Chase. Tony Stewart's bid to become the first driver/owner to win a championship since the late Alan Kulwicki would become much harder, and many longtime loyalties to Chevrolet could be tested.