If Truex leaves, it could mean the end of merger and demise of DEI
NASCAR is a lot like the weather in Michigan. If you don’t like what you see, stick around because it will probably change soon.
Talk has re-emerged that Martin Truex Jr., who had signed up to drive for DEI (Now Earnhardt Ganassi) for the 2009 season, may in fact be looking elsewhere for a ride. The issue involves the contracts he and his sponsor Bass Pro Shops have with DEI, which require him to have two full-time teammates for the deal to stand.
Currently, in addition to Truex’s fully sponsored team, the #41 car has a full Target sponsorship and the #42 has a partial sponsorship from Juicy Fruit. The #8 DEI car currently has no sponsor for 2009. Though all four would show up at the track to compete each week, Truex may legally be allowed to get out of his contract by claiming the Ganassi cars are only his teammates as a result of this merger. Or even if they count as teammates, there is only 1.5 seasons worth of sponsorship, less than the two specified in the contracts as a requirement.
The details can be argued, and perhaps Truex is just posturing and won’t leave at all, but this is further proof how important someone with a sponsor has become in the garage during this difficult time for the economy. Truex is a solid driver, no doubt, but if you compare him to the rest of the garage he’s far from spectacular. He’s had some good runs, but I wouldn’t exactly call him a superstar.
But compared to his teammates at Earnhardt Ganassi (an unproven Almirola, a struggling Montoya and perhaps a past-his-prime Bobby Labonte) Truex is a stud and the team will do everything it can to keep him. If he were to leave, they would be in an even worse spot than they are right now. Both DEI and Ganassi have struggled mightily over the past few years, and this would be a crushing blow to the newly merged team. Considering there is no driver running around with an attached sponsor, it’s likely the team would only have three drivers.
Even more shocking is the possibility that the merger could be made null and void by a Truex departure. Look at the state of DEI. They had four cars in 2008. The #01 disappeared due to lack of sponsorship. The #15 disappeared when Paul Menard jumped ship. If Truex takes his sponsorship away to another team, the #1 could potentially disappear because there would be no way to operate the team without sponsorship money. That leaves the #8, which has a young, unproven driver and no sponsor.
Why would Ganassi want to stay merged to that?
That would leave DEI as a standalone team with one car and no sponsor … which would mean it’s time to sell the shop and lock the doors. (or, as an alternative, Jr. could swoop in with a few bucks to buy the team at a discount, fulfilling his dad’s hopes for the company).
In short, what happens with Truex will have much deeper implications than where he’s driving next year. It will be very interesting to see how it all plays out.
http://beyondthetrack.blogspot.com/2008/12/if-truex-leaves-it-could-mean-end-of.html
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will stay comfortable and stylish during 2009 with a continued relationship with the Wrangler(R) brand. Today, the denim giant proudly announced it will once again be the official jean of Dale Earnhardt Jr. for a sixth consecutive year. The NASCAR superstar will continue to be featured across a range of high-profile consumer promotions and Wrangler(R) marketing initiatives.
“It’s been an honor to work with Wrangler for all these years, and this relationship has always meant a lot to me,” said Earnhardt Jr. “Wrangler has been a great supporter of my family, my teams and the sport. I couldn’t be happier that we’ll continue to build on the things we’ve already accomplished.”
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/081210/20081210005164.html?.v=1
Well then, the possibility of Truex leaving DEI leaves a lot to ponder. It’s not a surprising bit of news, but sure brings an emotional outburst of “NO” for the DEI future. That is, unless Jr. thinks he wants to pony up and buy the company.
That would have to be a tough decision for Jr. I think. I would hate to see him lose his opportunity to take DEI, but I would also hate to see him lose these opportunities that Rick Hendrick has given him. And I wonder if driving for Hendrick and operating DEI wouldn’t be too much for him at this point. His dad did it with Childress, but is Jr. ready for that?
Well, you’ve given me another big off-season item to ponder in this down time. LOL
I wonder if Jr. is ready to jump back into that mess at this point? He’s got a promising career going with Hendrick and he knows he’ll have the vehicles he needs, as well as sponsorship, to get the cup eventually. After the upheavals of the trying to buy the company last year he might not want to dive back into that mess. OTOH, if the time is right, he might have to move now or watch his daddy’s company go down the tubes.
And as a side note, I think the writer here is selling Bobby Labonte short. IMO, if given the equipment again he would be able to make the same type of “comeback” that Jeff Burton has. I know RPE has given Bobby their best, but as much as I love all things Petty, the reality is that they’ve really not been contenders on the equipment side of things in years. ~sigh~ Yes, I also realize that DEI/Gnassi won’t have the equipment to provide a Cup contender either. Just my $.02.