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Posted on 11/21/2008 5:30:10 PM PST by WestCoastGal
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From That's Racin
Talk about a hostile work place environment.........yikes!
thatsracin [news] Robby Gordon 3rd as Sainz regains Dakar Rally lead http://snipurl.com/9p9tt about 5 hours ago from twitterfeed
Just don't throw anything out the window, they are watching! lol
Be awesome if he could win.
With a depression coming on I expect the booze company will fund at least 2 more cars for Crash. If I have anything to do with it I expect 2 Buck Chuck to field a car soon driven by Foster Brooks...
Yes Trader Joe’s should sponsor a car.Think I will send them Twitter message or “tweet”
I just found Karl Rove joined. http://twitter.com/KarlRoveChannel
And now, where does the Dinger go?
Organizers shortened Friday's stage from 260 miles to 151 miles after drivers struggled with sand dunes on Thursday.
Excuses, excuses...
UPDATE: Gillett Evernham Motorsports and driver Elliott Sadler have reached an agreement that enables Sadler to retain his position as driver of the team’s #19 Dodge, thereby moving AJ Allmendinger to a part-time ride, multiple GEM sources told ESPN.com. It seems Allmendinger will drive a fourth GEM Dodge on a limited basis.(ESPN.com)(1-9-2009)
Good, I like Dinger. :)
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. met with members of the media while appearing at the 2009 Speed and Sound, Nashville, Tennessee.
DALE EARNHARDT, JR.
Q. Talk about having two major factors in your life with racing and the business side of things:
DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Well, you sort of go into it real easy, I guess. I don’t know. When I first started doing any type of business venture, even if it was really small, you know, you really worried about how it might affect the driving, because the driving is my real passion and that’s what I really like to do. I don’t want to affect that in any way, because I want to do that as long as I possibly can.
You go into it slow and you learn. One of the more important things I guess is having the right people in the right place to handle the business side of it, ‘cause, I mean, I like to do different types of things, but to be honest, my business experience isn’t as good, I guess, as my racing experience. I have to lean on a lot of people, lean on some people’s judgment. You put good people in the right place; they’ll run those type of deals for you, where you can focus on the racing.
Once you get the ball rolling, the thing pretty much takes care of itself. Just getting it off the ground.
Q. What’s the most fun element you have? What do you enjoy most?
DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I think I enjoy the bar the most. I’d always wanted to get involved in ownership of a night club of some sort, ‘cause I really enjoy the entertainment side of it and I enjoy the camaraderie. It’s kind of fun to be there and to see the employees working and see them taking pride in what they’re doing, the meetings they have after every night, hearing everybody, how uniform everything is, how structured it is.
I don’t know, I take a lot of pride in it. I think it’s nice to see the employees and everyone working there taking the same amount of pride in it. That’s probably right now the most entertaining part for me.
Q. Question regarding Ms. Thayer Lavielle, VP/Marketing & Brand Development at JR Motorsports
DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: We sort of have a tug of war, me and her. She comes up with some great ideas, things that we need to do, some areas that we may have opportunities in, success in. She doesn’t really try to change the perception of me and what I think I am, what I like to do, what I like to be, how I like to act, what I choose. She doesn’t really affect that or try to change that.
One of the things that’s I guess exciting for her, in our sponsorship change in the last year, we’re able to drive down a lot more avenues, do a lot more things, especially with the younger adults. So that’s exciting for her and we’re working in that area a little bit.
But for the most part, I don’t know, me and her have a lot of fun. You know, she’s definitely a big asset to our company.
Q. Can you talk about this event, bringing NASCAR drivers and country artists together? It’s all about the fans. Talk about how cool that is, what it must mean for the fans.
DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I think it’s exciting for them to be able to get something going, you know, before the racing season starts. We’ve all had a good month and a half off. Sort of been out of sight, out of mind. I’m sure the fans, just like the drivers, are really excited about getting the season started.
This is a little bit of an activity prior to that to really sort of kickoff the next year. Everybody’s kind of creeping back toward going to work. You know, this is basically the first real public function we’ve done at the beginning of every year over the last several years. It’s a good way, I guess, to sort of get back into the groove. You know, you sort of sit that month and a half off and get used to being a bit of a bum. Now we’re easing back into work. It’s a good way to get it going.
Q. What is Daytona going to be like this year without the testing? Changes things up from the past.
DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I doubt it will be any different. I doubt it will be unrecognizable. I mean, it’s probably going to be about the same.
Q. Has the lack of testing affected your team at all?
DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: No. Gave a lot of guys a lot more time at home with their families. I thought it was a good change of pace. Whether it’s something that will be — I don’t know if this will be the norm for years to come, but it was a nice little change of pace. Gave everybody a good rest. Made the off-season a little bit longer.
We have all the technology, all the things, all the engineers, all the stuff we need to really simulate testing, have an idea of what the cars are going to do, how they’re going to react, so we should show up in the ballpark. It should be an advantage for us, due to the technology and personnel we have that can simulate and guesstimate where we are and get us in the ballpark when we show up for the racetrack.
Q. Rick (Hendrick, owner Hendrick Motorsports) is losing weight because Mark is working him out. He told me he would like to see Dale Jr. working out with Mark, Mark working out with Jeff Gordon. How are the dynamics with Mark coming on board, being so healthy?
DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: He’s always took good care of himself. He’s a good example to follow. But we really haven’t — like I said, we just started getting going back to work. This is the first thing I’ve done all year. I shot a commercial yesterday. I ain’t even seen Mark since the end of last year, so... He had his birthday party over at the River.
Q. He did?
DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: Yeah. Thought that was pretty cool.
Q. How fun was that?
DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I didn’t go. He had it. I was working (laughter). I hope he had a good time, though. I thought that was really cool.
Q. What do you plan to do tonight?
DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I’m going to be in Mooresville.
Q. You’re not staying?
DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: No. I mean, sounds like a blast. But, you know, I’m telling you, the off-season, you count every day (laughter).
Q. The River?
DALE EARNHARDT, JR.: I’ll be there tonight. That’s where I’ll be
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Bobby Labonte in the No. 8, Juan Pablo Montoya in the No. 41, Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 1 and Aric Almirola in a part-time role.
That is the scenario officials at Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing are discussing, sources close to the situation told ESPN.com.
Labonte
Almirola was slated to drive the No. 8 vacated by Mark Martin this season, but the company was having trouble finding sponsorship for the untested driver.
Labonte, who received his release from Petty Enterprises last month in order to pursue other opportunities, is expected to fill the seat that Dale Earnhardt Jr. made famous before he moved to Hendrick Motorsports.
The 2000 Sprint Cup champion, according to sources, has drawn interest from several sponsors. He was unavailable for comment.
Montoya drove the No. 42 during his first two years with Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. But with that car only half sponsored by Wrigley’s and the No. 41 fully funded by Target, officials are looking to make the switch for what had become the top driver at Ganassi.
Truex will remain in the No. 1 sponsored by Bass Pro shops as he was at Dale Earnhardt Inc. before the merger.
Almirola would drive the fourth car in next month’s opener at Daytona International Speedway and a select number of other races unless officials find a way to fully sponsor that car for the season.
Officials from Earnhardt-Ganassi could not be reached for comment.
Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009
SANTIAGO, Chile - Leader Carlos Sainz of Spain tightened his grip on the Dakar Rally on Sunday by winning the 8th stage between the central Chilean port city of Valparaiso and La Serena.
Sainz covered the 294 kilometers (182 miles) in 3 hours 47 minutes, 19 seconds, leading home a clean sweep of the top three stage places f0r Volkswagen drivers.
Dieter Depping of Germany was second, 4 minutes, 2 seconds behind the Spaniard. Mark Miller of the United States was third at 4:12, followed by Spain’s Nani Roma, driving a Mitsubishi, at 4:15, and Giniel De Villiers of South Africa, another Volkswagen driver, at 10:48.
Sainz is followed by De Villiers, Miller, Roma and American NASCAR driver Robby Gordon in a Hummer in the overall standings of the race, which is being staged for the first time in South America.
Thanks.
I’ve been meaning to look this up all day and just never got around to it. Been too busy doing nothing. :)
I predicted this last year......
A NASCAR team source told ESPN’s Kelly Naqi that Dale Earnhardt Inc. president of global operations Max Siegel is close to leaving the team.
Siegel said he’s talking to DEI chief executive officer Teresa Earnhardt about his future plans with the team, which was part of a merger and has been renamed Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates.
When contacted, Siegel said, “This has been a great opportunity and I have always been committed to doing what’s in the best interests of the sport and the company. I am currently in discussions with Teresa about how I can have the most positive impact on the future of DEI.”
So who will be next in line for another "great opportunity?"
Well Smoke predicted DEI would become a museum and it virtually has with the DEI teams moving first to Ginn and now to Ganassi. That’s not really an ‘opportunity’. The real opportunity was missed when a certain someone let a certain someone leave DEI.
Lee Spencer is senior NASCAR writer for FOXSports.com. She also is a correspondent for “Around the Track” on FOX Sports Net.
Updated: November 16, 2008, 10:42 PM EST 72 comments add
By now, what is left of the original DEI will begin the pilgrimage to their new home, 17 miles across town.
It seems like just yesterday that DEI was moving into the Ginn Racing building, though the merger between the two outfits was actually a year ago. This time, however, the mood will be much different as it won’t include all their co-workers and friends, many of whom have been laid off. This time the move is to unfamiliar territory, with unfamiliar faces and unfamiliar management calling the shots.
But these crews have become accustomed to a nomadic life; it’s the price racers pay to compete at this level.
There were still people like crew chief Kevin “Bono” Manion who believed that as long as the Earnhardt name was on the door, they were racing for the Intimidator’s memory. But every year since Dale Earnhardt’s death was another year removed from his vision.
Michael Waltrip’s contract was not renewed at the end of 2005 and Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danny Earnhardt (Senior’s brother) and the Eurys (Tony Sr., known throughout the team as “Pops,” and Tony Jr.) left the building last year. Sure, there were still plenty of people in the company that had ties to Dale Sr., including his other brother Randy, but DEI was quickly losing the swagger it held when the seven-time champion graced its halls.
Still, the one thing these racers never lost was heart. That doesn’t mean that there weren’t days of deep discouragement. There have been morose overtones throughout the entire garage — but more so with the DEI crews, especially as the weeks went by without full-time sponsors for the Nos. 01, 8 or 15.
That doesn’t mean there weren’t opportunities for DEI to find funding before the economy tanked. But with an absentee owner who lacks business acumen when it comes to sponsor relations, it’s hard to cultivate backing.
It’s also difficult to build support among the troops.
One long-time DEI employee at Homestead-Miami Speedway pointed to Richard Childress standing on top of the suites above pit road.
“He’s a racer,” said the crewman. “And Richard is here every week. Look at Rick Hendrick. He runs a huge automotive business but he’s here on Sunday. Jack Roush is at the racetrack every weekend. When Ray Evernham owned his race teams, he was here. Same for Robert Yates.
“That’s what it takes to be successful in NASCAR. You have to have an owner that’s invested in the sport.”
The newly named Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing will have an owner at the racetrack — Chip Ganassi. Ganassi entered the NASCAR ranks the same year Earnhardt died on the last lap of the Daytona 500. Ganassi is a racer. Although he’s never won a championship in NASCAR and only has six wins in 724 starts, he is the king of open wheel racing. If he can apply half the passion to NASCAR that he has for the IRL IndyCar Series and Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series, the wins will come.
As the move shakes out this week at EGR, the new organization will initially be run by committee with Ganassi President Steve Lauletta rumored to be the point man. Lauletta spent more than a decade at Miller Brewing and was in charge of marketing and special events. His long-time motorsports experience will help both companies get through the months ahead, particularly with the need for additional sponsorship for two of their four race teams.
“It’s going to be a lot of work,” Lauletta said.
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Top stories | Rumors | Video | Photos For the DEI teams, last year’s changes after their merger with Ginn meant removing decals. With the Car of Tomorrow, it’s likely the primary modifications from Dodge to Chevrolet will involve altering the noses, tails and engines. Steve Hmiel, Ganassi’s director of competition is a familiar face in the sea of change. Until last October, Hmiel served as technical director at DEI. Hmiel’s knowledge of both Chevrolet and DEI’s personnel will be instrumental in overseeing the changeover.
With more than 200,000 square-feet between Ganassi’s main shop and the engine shop there will be plenty of room to spread out. There are ongoing meetings to determine the relationship between Ganassi and the Earnhardt Childress Racing engine program, which currently supplies engines to all of the DEI teams. Sources told FOXSports.com that ECR will build engines for the Nos. 1 and 8 while engines for the Nos. 41 and 42 will be built at the Ganassi shop.
Another partnership that will ease the transition is the friendship between Brian Pattie and Manion. Although Pattie, Juan Pablo Montoya’s crew chief, was being courted by Michael Waltrip Racing, he politely declined the offer last week. The No. 42 team’s improvement weighed heavily on Pattie’s decision, as did the possibility of working with his best friend.
“The way we’ve run the last two months I believe we’ll make the Chase (for the Sprint Cup) next year,” Pattie said. “The last 10 races we’ve tested. That’s how we used this Chase. I feel really confident every week that we’ve come to the track.”
“It’s going to be like one team,” Manion said. “Brian and I will be inseparable.”
succinctly and accurately expressed.
I am loving keeping up with this Dakar Rally this year. Ten or 15 years ago one of those Harley world tours outfits had an offering of a course very similar to the one they are running for the rally. I wanted to do that *so* bad. Was way out of my price range but I poured over the itinerary information and drooled for months.
Politically, I wouldn’t have worried about doing it then. Now, there’s just no way, but I can sure enjoy watching the progress of Dakar.
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