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.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 07/17 at 12:05 AMIf a tree falls in the woods and nobody hears it….
This is sort of the same thing with EGR. Letting Junior go, for better of for worse, was the worst move that DEI could have made. Yes, Mark Martin was a helluva choice to replace Junior in the #8, but even he admits that replacing Junior was futile because not only did Junior have the name, he had the merchandise sales and huge popularity and there was no way that he could replace that. Once they lost Junior, what was left? Martin Truex Jr.? What, did Theresa Earnhardt think she could just plug in any guy with a Jr. suffix as the flagship driver and no one would notice?
I actually submitted this question to Jerry eons ago: If EGR folds, will anyone shed a tear? Fans, other divers, or other owners? Or has she burned so many bridges and ticked off so many people that no one would care, hell might even say she deserved her comeuppance?
Sorry Jerry, but I’m using your space for a personal post. (I do agree with your thoghts on EGR.)
I just wanted to thank the dirver of the white pickup with Oklahoma plates that passed me just outside of St. Joseph, Missouri. Sorry I didn’t get your name as I was filing with gas, and you yelled, “Hey, Taglia - You the one that posts to Jerry all the time”. ( The plates on my car read “TAGLIA”.)
Yes, that was me you yelled at, nice talking to you, hope you had a safe trip home.
-Taglia
Woohoo, Taglia, you’re famous.
I won’t shed a tear if DEI, err EGR, folds. I would, however, be sad that the organization that Dale Earnhardt worked so hard to build was flushed down the toilet by his wife.
Taglia,
Taht was me in the truck. I told my friend to yell at you. I saw that plate and kept trying to figure out where I had seen that word before. Can’t be many of you out there, so I took a guess.
KClimer
Quapaw, Ok
Thanks for replying, KClimer from Quapaw, OK. You made me laugh all the way back to Nebraska.
I’ll be down in KC again next week so if anyone is around, let me know.
-Taglia
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