No immediate crew chief changes planned at DEI

Original post: SCENEDAILY - 1:40PM ET THURSDAY JULY 26, 2007 - BY BOB POCKRASS - ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR

INDIANAPOLIS - There will be no immediate crew chief changes as a result of the Dale Earnhardt Inc.-Ginn Racing merger, but not all the crew chiefs will work out of the same shop.

Paul Menard's No. 15 team will move immediately into the Ginn Racing building, where the former Ginn No. 01 team also will be housed, DEI Vice President John Story said Thursday.

The DEI teams of Martin Truex Jr. and Dale Earnhardt Jr. will remain at the current DEI shop until the end of the season.

"We'll leave the 1 [of Truex] and the 8 [of Earnhardt Jr.] at DEI's facilities so that we don't disrupt anything that they've got going on," Story said. "Both cars are inside the Chase, and we want to make sure we don't do anything that would perhaps take them out of the Chase.

"They will stay there for the remainder of the year in all likelihood, move possibly the week of Homestead to the [Ginn] facility."

As far as drivers, Mark Martin and Aric Almirola will complete the season co-driving the No. 01 car. That leaves Regan Smith, who was named last week to drive the now-defunct No. 14 Ginn car, without a Cup ride. Having started the year as Martin's co-driver, Smith will compete in the Craftsman Truck Series race Friday night in Indianapolis.

The rest of the schedule for Smith is still being evaluated.

"When we effectively took over the company, it was explained to us that it was Mark and Aric and that Regan was the driver of the 14 car," Story said with the merger having been finalized just two days ago. "The 14 became the 15, and we had two drivers [with Paul Menard] and one car.

"We have to sit down with Regan and find out what our next steps are for him and with him."

As far as crew chiefs, Dave Charpentier, who became Menard's crew chief in June, will remain as his crew chief, and Ryan Pemberton remains with Mark Martin. Former Ginn crew chiefs Richard "Slugger" Labbe and Peter Sospenzo (who worked with the now-defunct No. 14 and No. 13 Ginn teams) are in the pool of employees who are waiting to see what happens.

"Paul is very happy with Dave, and Dave loves working with Paul," Story said. "We're building a real good team there. We've got a lot to look at. The only thing we know is Ryan is going to crew chief the 01, and beyond that, we have to see where people fit in the new organization."

Crew chiefs aren't the only ones in limbo.

DEI already had two development drivers - Jeffrey Earnhardt and Trevor Bayne - in its fold. With the merger, it also now has Kraig Kinser, Jesus Hernandez and Ricky Carmichael.

Story said Carmichael's program is fairly solid because it has sponsorship from Monster energy drink, and DEI currently has Earnhardt's and Bayne's cars sold for the rest of this season.

"We have to sit down, look at the number of cars that we have, determine what we can actually sell," Story said. "That's a lot of sponsorship associated with those guys. ... There's probably a limit to the number of Busch teams we can run effectively [in the future], so what do we do next?

"Do you do a stand-alone truck program? We've got a lot of great talent."

As far as executives, it still is to be determined what role former Ginn Racing Chief Executive Officer Jay Frye will play in the company.

"We've only just begun to discuss it," Story said. "Jay has put his heart and soul and blood and guts into this company over the years, and we really want to know what Jay wants to do. We haven't gotten to that point where we've drawn a new [organizational] chart."

Workers in the fabrication shop know where they're headed. As part of the transition, DEI will move all of its fabrication work all to the Ginn shop, which has a seven-post shaker rig, a million-dollar piece of machinery that evaluates how a car handles. The Ginn shop has 180,000 square feet in one large room, which will allow all four Cup teams to be on the same floor and should improve communications among the teams, Story said.

The two shops are at most 10 minutes apart.

Story said the existing DEI shop will house two Busch Series teams in the future, as well as possibly a Craftsman Truck Series program and a two-car Busch East program.

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Martin: Earnhardt would be pleased with Martin at DEI

Original post: SCENEDAILY - 6:38PM ET THURSDAY JULY 26, 2007 - BY BOB POCKRASS - ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR

INDIANAPOLIS - Mark Martin says he thinks the late Dale Earnhardt would be happy that he is driving for Dale Earnhardt Inc.

Martin finds himself a DEI driver as of this weekend after DEI and Ginn Racing, Martin's former employer, merged earlier this week.

Martin left Roush Racing after last season to run a part-time schedule for Ginn in the No. 01 car. He will keep running that car, and he said Tuesday that he has no plans to replace Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 8 car next season when Earnhardt Jr. leaves for Hendrick Motorsports.

"I think Dale would be pleased," Martin said Thursday prior to a Chevrolet golf tournament at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway course. "I regret that Dale Jr. will be moving on, but at the same time, I look forward to learning from the current master, which is [DEI's] Martin Truex Jr. with the way they are running right now and working with [DEI's] Paul Menard, a tremendous raw talent.

"This is something that's exciting for me. I think Dale would be as pleased about it as I am. It's not something I ever dreamed of happening."

But could he dream about being in the No. 8, the number that represents the Earnhardt patriarch, Ralph Earnhardt?

"I expect to be in the 01," Martin said. "We haven't talked seriously [about that]. I'm pretty certain I will be in the 01 car, but I learned a few years ago to never say never.

"It is my expectation to drive the No. 01 car and work with the team I love so much."

Martin walked into the DEI shop for the first time Monday with the deal imminent.

"When you go in the doors at DEI and you step in the shop, if you're old-school like me, you realize the legacy," the 48-year-old Martin said. "It means more to me than it would to someone that didn't ... My character and myself as a driver was shaped by competing with Dale Earnhardt.

"I have enormous respect and appreciate for Teresa [Earnhadt, DEI owner] and everyone at DEI for their tireless efforts in continuing his legacy."

The merger obviously had Martin's approval in what has been a crazy year since he announced he would leave Roush after 19 seasons to drive for Bobby Ginn, who had just bought MB2 Motorsports.

Martin was sharing the No. 01 ride with rookie Regan Smith and will mentor Smith as well as new co-driver Aric Almirola the rest of this season. He also will work with a slew of young drivers that are in the DEI stable as a result of the merger.

"Bobby and I had a long-range plan, a five-year plan," Martin said. "We have taken a huge step to becoming a super-power. The way we got there was a little bit of a winding road, some unexpected, but certainly the opportunity to work with young drivers is very important to me, and I have a tremendous opportunity to do that with this merger.

"We can get stronger and I can do more of what I had hoped I could do."

Martin said he would be a "small part" of representing Dale Earnhardt Inc..

"When you say 'DEI,' you say that quickly, and you don't think about it," Martin said. "I thought about it when I stepped inside the door. When I saw the pictures on the wall, it put me back to competing with him in the '80s and '90s, and it made me realize what was about to take place. I'm excited about it." more


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Earnhardt ready for more late-season magic

Original post: News-Record Greensboro, NC by Dustin Long Staff Writer

Dale Earnhardt Jr. calls it the most important decision crew chief Tony Eury Jr. made last season.

Eury gambled and kept Earnhardt off pit road as most of the field stopped late in last year's NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Earnhardt turned the top-10 finish into a rally that helped him make the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

He needs similar magic this season. Earnhardt enters Sunday's race at Indianapolis in 12th -- the final transfer spot for this year's Chase. Seven races remain before the Chase begins.

Last year, Earnhardt was 28th with 20 laps left at Indy before the caution slowed the field. Earnhardt moved to second when he didn't pit and held on to finish sixth.

The run helped Earnhardt regain momentum after back-to-back last-place finishes. He scored six straight top-20 finishes to make the Chase.

Earnhardt is being pressured from behind. He leads 13th-place Ryan Newman by 30 points, but Newman has outscored Earnhardt by 97 points in the last two races.

Earnhardt leads 14th-place Kurt Busch by 77 points, but Busch has gained 159 points on Earnhardt the past two races.

Can Earnhardt make the Chase in his final season at Dale Earnhardt Inc.?

"I think Dale Jr.'s chances of making the Chase are excellent," said former champion Rusty Wallace, who also is apart of ESPN's broadcast crew. "I believe he's got something to prove.

"To be quite frank, his teammate, Martin Truex, has been flying in that DEI car, running real strong. I think that's proven to Dale Jr. that he's got the car he needs to compete. Now he's got to make it happen. I'd be real surprised if Junior is not in that top 12."

NO CHANGE: Both Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton said earlier this month that NASCAR should test competitors for drugs more often then just when series officials suspect there is a problem.

NASCAR president Mike Helton told the Indianapolis Star that the policy based on "reasonable suspicion" works and that additional testing can be done by teams.

"We're a group of independent operators, not a league," Helton told the newspaper. "We're very comfortable that our policy is a good fit for NASCAR and we're not going to change it."

WEB CASTS: NASCAR.com will stream the next six Cup races live, beginning with Sunday's event at Indianapolis. The Cup races fans can view online will be Indianapolis, Pocono, Watkins Glen, Michigan, Bristol and California. The Web site also will continue to stream live the Busch Series races.

OUCH: Roush Fenway Racing officials confirmed Tuesday that Carl Edwards suffered a dislocated right thumb after a crash in a dirt late model race last weekend in Nebraska. Edwards still plans to compete in both the Busch and Cup races in Indianapolis.

PIT STOPS: Matt Kenseth will drive the car he finished second with at Indy last year. ... Tony Stewart is scheduled to compete in a dirt late model race at the track he owns, Eldora Speedway in Ohio, after practice ends Friday at Indianapolis. ... Terry Labonte's son, Justin, will drive a truck for Darrell Waltrip Motorsports on Friday at O'Reilly Raceway Park.


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NASCAR merger means Earnhardt's No. 8 available

Original post: Doug Guthrie Wed, Jul 25, 2007 at 10:27 PM

See how things work out?

With Wednesday's announced merger of Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Bobby Ginn Racing, the new entity has control of Nextel Cup cars No. 01, No. 1, No. 13, No. 14 and No. 15.

Kind of makes No. 8 an odd fit, doesn't it?

As for the merger, Teresa Earnhardt found the suitor who fit her needs. She will keep control and her late husband's name on the door of the company they founded together, but she'll move into Ginn's place four miles down the road in Mooresville, NC. His shop is bigger and brand new and it has a seven post shaker (a suspension dynamometer) that is all the rage. Really, the big mechanical device has become an extremely expensive must have if you want to be a front running team in any form of motor sports.

Getting Mark Martin under DEI's banner for the remainder of the season is the public relations move that helps ease minds fretting over the departure at season's end of the red-headed stepson Dale Earnhardt Jr., AKA the most popular race driver in the United States. ESPN reports that Martin already has committed to 22 races for DEI next season.Sponsors are going to like this -- and Budweiser is still out there dangling on the end of the line.

Kyle Busch would complete the picture when he makes his announcement in a week or two about where he's going to drive next season. He has said his choice is between DEI, Richard Childress Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing, and Evernham Motorsports.

Martin sharing the 01 with Aric Almirola, Martin Truex in the No. 1, Busch in the No. 14, and Paul Menard in the No. 15?

I was wrong Wednesday night on Rob Pascoe's "On the Track" NASCAR talk radio show on WDFN when I repeated speculation about Kenny Wallace's Furniture Row team buying the No. 13 to obtain the top 35 guaranteed starting honors. Apparently the No. 13 is officially "parked," which moves the Woods Brothers No. 21 into the valuable 35th owner's points. Bill Elliott will continue in the Ford this weekend at Indy and Ken Schrader will be in the Bam Racing No. 49. At the next stop in Pocono, who knows?

With Ginn dismissing Joe Nemechek and Sterling Marlin, Regan Smith will be driving Ginn's truck in the Craftsman series race at Indianapolis Raceway Park on Friday night instead of in the Brickyard 400.

Running out of money is never fun. Moving in with the widow might be a blast.
Original Post by Doug Guthrie Wed, Jul 25, 2007 at 10:27 PM

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Sources say DEI, Ginn hope to have deal by Indianapolis race

Original post:By Marty Smith ESPN.com

Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Ginn Racing are working on a merger agreement that, if finalized, would meld the two NASCAR organizations into a single company, multiple sources close to negotiations told ESPN.com on Monday.

The deal is not done, but a decision will be made soon. Both organizations hope, sources said, to firm up outstanding details and announce a partnership immediately.

This deal is an elaborate proposition that entails several obstacles, including how best to reduce from six Nextel Cup teams to the maximum four. The obvious answer, sources said, would be to eliminate Ginn's financially-strapped Nos. 13 and 14 teams.
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No Guarantees

Original post:ESPN.com



Jeff Gordon probably could coast to the Nextel Cup title under the old rules. But a whopping 303-point lead under today's Chase format doesn't guarantee him anything, writes Terry Blount.read more

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Marlin, Nemechek out at Ginn Racing

Original post:ESPN.com; Associated Press

MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- Ginn Racing replaced Sterling Marlin in its No. 14 Chevrolet with 23-year-old rookie Regan Smith on Tuesday, and released veteran Joe Nemechek.

Jay Frye, Ginn Racing's CEO and general manager, also said that Aric Almirola, another 23-year-old, signed with Ginn Racing from Joe Gibbs Racing and will become Mark Martin's co-driver in the No. 01 Chevrolet for the remainder of this season. Almirola will also share the ride with the veteran racer in 2008. (continued)


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