The latest rumor floating around the garage is that Chip Ganassi Racing is looking to merge with either Dale Earnhardt, Inc. or Petty Enterprises. While just three months ago co-owner Felix Sabates was emphatic about not merging, tough economic times producing fewer sponsorship opportunities is making it harder for this team to survive.
“We're keeping our options open. Obviously, the way things are going today with sponsors, unless you have the sponsors you can't run.
"We only have a sponsor for the 41 car [Target] and the 42 [Wrigley's Big Red] for half a year. We're looking at all possibilities." DEI and Petty Enterprises are in similar situations. DEI has only the No. 1 car of Martin Truex Jr. fully sponsored for next season, with partial sponsors in line for the No. 8 and none for its other two cars."
Petty Enterprises is in a similar situation. But why not merge all three organizations? Think about, you could move two time Busch Champ Martin Truex, Jr. and Aric Almirola over while adding Juan Pablo Montoya and Bobby Labonte to the roster creating a possible powerhouse.
The major sticking point is DEI’s relationship with General Motors. Both Ganassi and Petty run Dodge cars, but DEI uses Chevys. One or both teams would have to get out of their contract with their respective manufacture to make it work. The move would allow Petty to basically compete with the big boys, and hopefully get Truex, Jr. back into a competitive ride. It would also allow all three teams to pool their money, sponsorship and technological innovations to bring back a little more balance into the Series.
(Photo: AP and Getty Images; source)
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