What The Future Holds for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing – If There Is A Future At All
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. left at the end of the 2007 season. Mark Martin left at the end of 2008. Martin Truex Jr. is bailing out at the end of the current 2009 season.
All that will be left of Earnhardt Ganassi Racing – a hybrid of two once-proud organizations, Dale Earnhardt Inc., and Chip Ganassi Racing With Felix Sabates – after this season will be Juan Pablo Montoya and maybe Aric Almirola (who is rumored to possibly replace Truex in the No. 1 EGR Chevrolet in 2010).
You have to wonder how long Montoya will stick around unless things improve. Or, better yet, whether the organization itself will be around a year from now. Saddled with lack of sponsorship that has seen its combined efforts go from three cars to one from the Ganassi side, and four cars to one from the DEI side, I’m definitely troubled about EGR’s future.
Teresa Earnhardt can’t be happy at how the organization her late husband built not only had to merge with Ganassi just to stay afloat, but that the Earnhardt name is no longer golden when it comes to sponsors. In the past, sponsors came to DEI and paid big money to put their names on the side of the company’s cars. Now, the Earnhardt name only gets an audience and consideration about possible sponsorship if it’s followed by the word “Junior.” And even that’s no longer a guarantee of commercial or on-track success.
There have been rumors over the last couple of years that Teresa Earnhardt may sell her share of what was first DEI and now EGR, but nothing seems to indicate that just yet.
Then again, an organization that has Montoya in 9th place in the standings and Truex way back in 24th, completely out of contention to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup, may simply be living on borrowed time. There have been a few rumbles already this season that Montoya may be looking to leave the company at season’s end, one of several drivers whose names have been prominently mentioned as possibly heading to join Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman at Stewart Haas Racing.
Once, DEI’s famous Garage Mahal was one of the brightest shining lights – both literally ad figuratively – in the NASCAR world. If you drove by it during Junior’s heyday there, the place seemingly was lit up like a Christmas tree, buzzing with excitement and humming with a hard work efficiency.
But if things continue to go the way they have been this year, it may soon come to the point where only one question remains to be asked:
“Will the last person leaving EGR please turn out the lights and lock the door tight?”
Have a good weekend, everyone, and we’ll catch you back here on Monday.
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