- Contract Status: Driver: 2008, Sponsor: 2008
- Paul Menard Visits Set of CSI Miami: Prior to heading out to the Auto Club Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Inc. driver Paul Menard had a busy day in Hollywood. As a guest of the studio, Menard visited the set of CSI Miami and had the opportunity to meet members of the cast. "I'm a big fan of CSI and have been for a few years," Menard said. "Today was definitely a memorable experience and it was interesting to see behind the scenes. It really gave me an appreciation for how much effort it takes to put a show like CSI together and the result, I'd say, is pretty impressive."(Co-Pilot PR)(8-29-2008)
- Menard and Yates? UPDATE: John Menard, the wealthy businessman (Menards, the privately owned home improvements company), may be losing interest in NASCAR racing after so many years, according to sources. Menard, whose son #15-Paul is driving for DEI, is reportedly in negotiations with Ford’s Jack Roush, perhaps to help fellow owner Doug Yates keep afloat in this sport, which would involve a move from Chevrolet to Ford. “I don’t have any idea what might be going on there,” DEI’s Story said. “We just met with John, and everything is good.”(Winston Salem Journal)(7-4-2008)
UPDATE: Yates Racing, with an assist from partner Roush Fenway, is making a push to sign Paul Menard from Dale Earnhardt Inc. "We believe we're the leading contender outside of the incumbent," Smith said. #38-David Gilliland and #28-Travis Kvapil currently drive for Yates Racing. DEI officials have been negotiating to re-sign Menard and feel confident he will return to the organization.(ESPN.com)(8-18-2008) Comment here
- DEI names Hutchens VP of Competition: Dale Earnhardt Inc. has named NASCAR veteran Bobby Hutchens vice president of competition. Hutchens, who previously served as general manager of Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines after a long tenure with Richard Childress Racing, will oversee all competition efforts at Dale Earnhardt Inc., including its four Sprint Cup teams. Hutchens' new position came as the result of a joint decision between DEI and RCR. The championship-winning NASCAR racing organizations have a long history of
successful collaboration including, among others, ECR Engines and the RAD aerodynamics program that also included Andy Petree Racing. Hutchens, who graduated from North Carolina State University with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1982, is highly regarded in Sprint Cup racing for his research, development and computer testing accomplishments. Hutchens has managed and developed all facets of RCR's R&D program, while overseeing RCR's engineering, engines, engine R&D, manufacturing, chassis R&D and aerodynamics programs. He was named general manager of ECR Engines when the program was put together in May 2007.(DEI PR)(8-12-2008)
- Next up for DEI: Menard's contract: So where is #15-Paul Menard in terms of his contract status with DEI beyond this season? Asked about a timetable, Menard indicated talks are under way. “Soon. In a couple of weeks,” Menard said of a decision. “We were not waiting on anybody [to decide]. We’ve just got to make sure everything is right before we do anything.” Menard carries the family company sponsorship and can take that to any team willing to field cars for him. While he insisted that he wasn’t waiting on #1-Martin Truex Jr. to make a decision, he did say that was important for DEI as a whole. “It helps the whole organization so I was happy to see that,” Menard said. “It gives us some stability and now we can go forward with some plans for next year.” DEI Vice President of Motorsports John Story said Friday that he hopes to get Menard signed soon. “We’re working really hard on it,” Story said. “It’s not signed, but I think it’s real close.” With Menard, DEI hopes to still have a four-car operation next season. Story indicated Friday that the team has sponsorship for Aric Almirola in the #8 car. The team is currently sponsored by the U.S. Army, which does only one-year deals. Almirola, sharing the ride this season with Mark Martin, takes over driving duties full time next year. “We have nothing to announce on the 8… there’s still some available inventory on the 8 but, by and large, it’s a funded program,” Story said Friday when asked whether the U.S. Army was coming back with Almirola. “The 1 is settled [with Truex]. The 15 is good [with Menard]. We’re talking to a lot of people about the 01 [currently driven by Regan Smith]. The fact of the matter is now that Martin has settled his position for next year, our sponsorship talks are accelerating quickly because there are a lot of people that have a lot of interest in DEI but they wanted to take a wait-and-see attitude as well.”(SceneDaily)(8-10-2008) Comment here
- Driven to the Outdoors schemes to be run: The timing for the "Driven to the Outdoors" program is the third quarter ...which aligns with the launch of hunting season. A program targeted towards the outdoors enthusiasts is a solid, strategic fit with the NASCAR fan. Four drivers will run special "Driven to the Outdoors". At Bristol three drivers will run the schemes: #1-Truex Jr., #07-Bowyer and #15-Menard. And #29-Harvick will run the scheme at Lowe's Motor Speedwat in October. See images of the schemes on my Paint Scheme Gallery.(8-5-2008)
- Truex to re-sign with DEI? UPDATE 2: Mark Martin’s new deal with Hendrick Motorsports will make it much easier for DEI to re-sign #1-Martin Truex Jr. Early Sunday morning, sources close to Truex Jr. said Martin’s release from the team at the end of the 2008 season would free up more than $8 million dollars. That money now appears to be spearheaded for Truex Jr. DEI has said they have an option on Truex Jr for 2009, an option that Truex Jr has discounted. Mark Martin was being paid more than $8 million dollars to drive part-time according to sources within the DEI organization. Now that Martin has agreed to terms with Hendrick Motorsports to drive the #5 car full-time next season and part-time in 2010, this money has become available for Truex Jr. Sources said DEI and Truex Jr. are closer than ever to announcing a contract extension that would lock in the New Jersey native through 2012 in the #1 car.(Captain Thunder Racing)(7-8-2008)
UPDATE: According to sources close to Martin Truex Jr., Dale Earnhardt, Inc.(DEI) and Truex Jr. have come to a verbal agreement on a contract extension that would ink the #1 Bass Pro Shop driver through the 2011 Sprint Cup Season. Truex Jr., according to sources, had serious conversations with new team owner Tony Stewart of Stewart HAAS Racing about joining Stewart. The money simply was not there. Truex Jr. was intrigued by teaming with two-time Sprint Cup champion Stewart, but the money DEI has now offered the young flagship driver is too much to pass up. Truex Jr. and DEI are attempting to work out the final details of the contract, which are said to be minuscule, in time for an announcement next week in Long Pond, PA.(Capt Thunder)(7-22-2008)
UPDATE 2: Martin Truex Jr., who has been speculated as a candidate for every driver opening in the Sprint Cup garage, isn't going anywhere. The 28-year-old New Jersey native has agreed in principal to a two-year deal that will keep him at Dale Earnhardt Inc. through the 2010 season, multiple sources close to the situation told ESPN.com on Saturday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Sources said an official announcement is expected any day, and that details with multiple sponsors remain to be finalized. Truex, asked if he has an agreement, said: "We're getting there, yeah. Things are going well right. I'm pretty happy. I just want to think about racing this weekend." He has been linked most strongly with the #12 car at Penske Racing,#4 at Stewart-Haas Racing and #33 at Richard Childress Racing. The organization also is negotiating a long-term deal to keep #15-Paul Menard, who has improved from 34th in the point standings last season to 26th. Max Siegel, the president of global operations at DEI, would not comment on negotiations. But Siegel has been emphatic that Truex was a driver he wanted to build the company around.(ESPN.com)(7-26-2008) Comment here
- Earnhardt Jr. not interested in buying DEI: Dale Earnhardt Jr. wanted at least 51 percent of Dale Earnhardt Inc. last season before he opted for a fresh start at Hendrick Motorsports. If the company were up for sale now? "I don't mean this in a bad way, but I would not have any interest in purchasing it," Earnhardt said following Thursday's first practice at Chicagoland Speedway. "I would not have any interest in purchasing any race team, just to have the ownership." The subject was broached because of an Internet report earlier in the week that claimed DEI owner Teresa Earnhardt had commissioned the investment banking firm Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. to locate a buyer or financial partner. DEI president Max Siegel refuted the report, saying the company is not for sale.(ESPN.com)(7-11-2008) Comment here
- #01 car soon to be 'sidelined'? other DEI stuff: ....however Regan Smith, the promising rookie who may not have any sponsorship next season at DEI, will apparently soon be sidelined; Mark Martin is leaving DEI at the end of the season to join Rick Hendrick; Martin Truex Jr. is trying to leave DEI at the end of the year, though that legal issue is still up in the air; and Paul Menard’s wealthy father John is reported talking with Ford’s Jack Roush apparently about moving his financial NASCAR stake there, presumably with Paul Menard driving a Roush-Yates Ford in 2009. That only leaves DEI with newcomer Aric Almirola.(Winston Salem Journal)(7-10-2008) Comment here
- Teresa Earnhardt Looking to sell DEI? UPDATE 2 Reports Refuted: Sirius NASCAR Radio's Sirius Speedway is reporting today that Teresa Earnhardt has enlisted the services of Bear, Stearns and Company [actally there is no more Bear Stearns as JP Morgan aquired them] to find a buyer -- or at least a major financial investor -- for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Bear Stearns is an investment bank, securities trading and brokerage firm based in New York City, and has been charged with finding a buyer for the entire operation. Barring that, Earnhardt is said to be interested in selling at least a minority interest in the team. DEI President of Global Operations Max Siegel declined to comment on the story when contacted earlier today.(Sirius NASCAR Radio's Sirius Speedway)(7-7-2008)
UPDATE: Max Siegel, President of Global Operations at DEI is currently in negotiations with major investors to buy Teresa Earnhardt out of DEI, a source close to the negotiations said Monday. It appears now that Teresa is finally willing to sell, and Siegel is working diligently with a number of potential investors to take the company over. Sources said Siegel would not just be buying a portion of DEI or a controlling interest, rather, he would be buying the entire company. Sources said, Teresa has agreed to walk away from the company entirely for the right price. That price is supposedly somewhere between $115-$130 million dollars. With one exception...Teresa would retain the rights to all "Dale Earnhardt' and 'Intimidator' rights and merchandise sales. Siegel would only be buying the DEI race teams, and real estate including all race shops and the DEI headquarters in Mooresville, NC. Sources said Siegel is very serious about the purchase and appears to have investors salivating over the opportunity to own the legendary team. In addition, Teresa has grown more frustrated with NASCAR nation following her fall-out with the sports most popular driver, and wants nothing more than to be out of the public eye for good.(Captain Thunder Racing)(7-8-2008)
UPDATE 2 reports refuted: Dale Earnhardt, Inc. is not for sale -- right now. DEI president Max Siegel on Tuesday refuted an Internet report that company owner Teresa Earnhardt had commissioned investment banking firm Bear, Stearns & Co., Inc. to locate a buyer or financial investment partner. "We have not engaged Bear, Stearns or Goldman Sachs or anyone else," Siegel said. "We are contacted all the time by outside firms about getting involved in the sport. We are not for sale right now. Nothing is imminent. Are we constantly weighing that as an option? Does that make sense? Quite frankly, we don't know," Siegel said. "Every team is looking for a way to bring in appropriate resources. Every single one. We haven't engaged anybody. People obviously approach us -- they're approaching everybody. We're looking to be around for a long time in future. We're feeling pretty damn good about where we're going, competition-wise." Siegel was forced to approach his driving corps with assurance that the team is currently not for sale. "I have assured them it's not true," Siegel said.(ESPN.com)(7-8-2008) Comment here
- First Daytona pole for DEI: #15-Paul Menard's Pole in the qualifying session for the Coke Zero 400 is the first by any Dale Earnhardt Inc. driver at Daytona International Speedway. In addition, the pole is the first by a DEI driver in the Sprint Cup Series at
either of the two NASCAR restrictor plate tracks (Daytona or Talladega Superspeedway). Menard will start alongside Dale Earnhardt Inc. teammate Mark Martin in the race. The second-place qualifying effort is Martin's best at Daytona since 1990 and his best at a restrictor plate track since qualifying second at Talladega in 1991.(DEI PR)(7-5-2008)
- Sylvania on the hood of the #15 at NHMS: Menards Racing will feature Sylvania on the hood of it's #15 Menards/Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevy that Paul Menard will drive during this weekend's LENOX Industrial Tools "301". Sylvania is based in nearby Danvers, Massachusetts and has been a partner sponsor of Menards Racing since 2004.(Co-Pillott PR). See image of the scheme on my #15 Team Schemes page.(6-26-2008)
- Menard expected back at DEI: "while rumors have circulated about #15-Paul Menard and the Menard's sponsorship being courted by other teams, sources expect the driver to remain at dei through 2009 with primary sponsorship staying put as well.(6-24-2008) Comment here
- Menard testing at VIR: #15-Paul Menard and his Menards/Dale Earnhardt Inc. team will test today at Virginia International Raceway in preparation for this month's race at Infineon Raceway. In addition to today's test, Menard participated in a one day test session at the track in April where the driver of the #15 Menards Chevrolet piloted a late-model around the 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course.(Co-Pilott Motorsports Marketing)(6-4-2008)
- Turtle Wax on the #15 at Talladega: In addition to his on track competition, #15-Paul Menard will have car care on his mind this weekend as he sports the colors of Turtle Wax on the hood of his Chevy.(Co-Pilott Motorsports Marketing)(4-23-2008) Comment here
- Menard and Crafton help the community: NASCAR drivers Paul Menard and Matt Crafton are taking part in the construction of a Habitat for Humanity home today in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The drivers will help by installing insulation donated by Johns Manville. Menard and Crafton will be in Fort Wayne to give of their time and help raise awareness for the organization, while shining a light on the first green build home in Fort Wayne Habitat for Humanity history. In addition to their volunteer efforts, Menard and Crafton will sign autographs for fans in celebration of the grand opening of a new Menards store location in Fort Wayne. Menard heads to Indiana on the heels of a 17th place run in yesterday's Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway. Crafton is coming off his career best finish of second place in last weeks Craftsman Truck Series event at Martinsville Speedway. Both drivers represent Menards in their respective series.(Co-Pilott Motorsports Marketing)(4-7-2008)
- Almirola, Menard to Test at Infineon: Sprint Cup Series drivers #8-Aric Almirola and #15-Paul Menard will come to Infineon Raceway on Wednesday, April 9, for a one-day test session. Almirola, who shares driving duties with veteran Mark Martin in the #8 U.S. Army Chevy, has never competed on the Sonoma Valley road course in the Sprint Cup Series. Neither has Menard, who drives the #15 Menards Chevy. Almirola and Menard are expected to test the challenging 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course in late-model stock cars provided by a Northern California-based race team. They will be coached by road-course veteran Chris Cook, who has also worked with NASCAR drivers David Reutimann,
Johnny Sauter and AJ Allmendinger. Both will return for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR weekend, June 20-22, at Infineon Raceway. For tickets, call 800-870-RACE or visit
www.infineonraceway.com.(Infineon Raceway)(4-7-2008) Comment here
- Richie Gilmore Back at Work: Richie Gilmore has returned to work and to his new job full time. Gilmore, Dale Earnhardt Inc.'s former vice president of competition, had suffered a mild stroke in early October. He is back at work as chief operating officer of Earnhardt-Childress Racing Technologies.(SceneDaily.com)(12-11-2007)
- Teams Testing at Kentucky: UPDATE: #15-Paul Menard will be testing at Kentucky Speedway on Tuesday and Wednesday. In addition, Bill Davis Racing will be testing with test driver Frank Starr on Wednesday and Thursday. Fans are able to view sessions for free from the designated area outside the Kentucky Speedway Fan Center located off of Interstate 71 Exit 57 and Ky. Hwy. 35 N., in Sparta, Ky.(Kentucky Speedway PR)(12-11-2007)
UPDATE: BDR isn't testing at Kentucky this week. It was cancelled. Blaney and the #22 team are scheduled to test at Rockingham Wednesday and possibly Thursday.(12-11-2007)
- #15 DEI team testing: The #15 DEI team is scheduled to be testing at Kentucky Speedway this Wednesday and Thursday in preparation for next year's intermediate track events. Paul Menard will be on hand for the test and to assist in the preparation for the 2008 Sprint Cup season.(Co-Pilott Motorsports Marketing PR)(11-27-2007)
- Some changes at DEI? New crew chief for Menard? UPDATE confirmed: hearing that Dave Charpentier, current Paul Menard's crew chief on the #15 Menards/Dale Earnhardt Inc Chevy, will become DEI's Technical Director, overseeing the engineering support of the four Cup Teams [#01,#1,#8,#15] and development of DEI's race cars going forward. Also, hearing that Doug Randolph, current crew chief of Petty Enterprises #43 Dodge team that Bobby Labonte drives for, will become Paul Menard's crew chief of the #15 in 2008.(11-6-2007)
UPDATE: Dale Earnhardt Inc. continued to strengthen its motorsports operation with the promotion of several key industry experts and the addition of a veteran crew chief to its roster. Dave Charpentier, current crew chief of the #15 Menards Chevy, has been promoted to technical director, and Doug Randolph, current crew chief of the #43 Petty Enterprises car driven by Bobby Labonte, will take over as crew chief for Paul Menard and the #15. Charpentier, a long-time Dale Earnhardt Inc. employee, will oversee all aspects of engineering for the four-car Nextel Cup Series operation. He was trained as a nuclear engineer during a seven-year career in the United States Navy, and since 1989 has served in an engineering capacity with multiple NASCAR teams. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland with a degree in nuclear science. Randolph is a University of Tennessee graduate and served as a crew chief at MB2 Motorsports/Ginn Racing for the previous four seasons. He will join the team on November 26. Walter Giles, current race engineer on the #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, was named Director of Race Engineering and Jason Anderson was named Director of Design and Project Engineering. Giles and Anderson will report to Charpentier. In addition, Rex Garrett has been promoted to Director of Motorsports Operations. The nine-year Dale Earnhardt Inc. veteran will oversee the day-to-day activities of the race shop.(DEI PR)(11-8-2007)
- Four court cases against Ginn dismissed, settled? Former Ginn Racing drivers Joe Nemechek and Sterling Marlin as well as former crew chiefs Peter Sospenzo and Richard "Slugger" Labbe apparently have reached settlements with former team owner Bobby Ginn. All four cases - filed in North Carolina Superior Court in Concord, N.C. - have been dismissed, indicating that settlements have been reached. The drivers and crew chiefs were asking for the fulfillment of their contracts. The case files do not indicate how much they were paid, only that the drivers and crew chiefs have dismissed their claims. Ginn Racing merged with Dale Earnhardt Inc. in July, leaving Nemechek, Marlin, Sospenzo and Labbe as well as several other crew members without jobs. There are still two lawsuits involving other crew members pending against Ginn.(SceneDaily.com)(11-6-2007)
- DEI's Gilmore back in hospital: Richie Gilmore, vice president of competition for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., is back in the hospital, four weeks after suffering a brain aneurysm, said DEI’s Vice President of Motorsports Operations, John Story. According to Story, Gilmore was scheduled to return to work at DEI on Monday, but after a medical examination was checked into a hospital in the Winston-Salem, N.C., area on Saturday. Sunday morning at Texas Motor Speedway, Story said he had no update on Gilmore’s condition or prognosis for when he might return to work. Gilmore suffered the aneurysm four weeks ago, prior to the Talladega race weekend. He was hospitalized briefly in Birmingham and then returned to his home in North Carolina.(SPEEDtv.com)(11-5-2007)
- Chevy Renews with DEI: Chevy will continue its partnership with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. in 2008 and beyond. "Chevy enjoyed a successful relationship, including six NASCAR Cup championships, with the legendary Dale Earnhardt behind the wheel of his Richard Childress Racing Chevy, and we're proud of our longstanding relationship with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. which extends all the way back to when Dale and Teresa Earnhardt founded the business," said Ed Peper, Chevy general manager. "We're pleased to be a part of the DEI family and look forward to continued success with one of racing's leading organizations."(Chevy PR)(10-26-2007)
- DEI workers blamed for airborne shot at Bobby Ginn: Three DEI employees who allegedly planned and paid for a derogatory banner to fly over Lowe’s Motor Speedway last weekend have been fired. The banner, which read, “How much does Bobby Ginn owe you?” was pulled by a plane and flown over Lowe’s before the start of last Saturday night’s race. The banner was directed at the former NASCAR team owner, who allowed his organization to be acquired by DEI after just one year of ownership, leaving about 100 people out of a job.
But Kasey Brooks, Mike Clark and Greg Price were hired by DEI after the merger, and are believed to be responsible for the banner. Clark and Price were fabricators at DEI, and Brooks worked in the parts department. “We addressed the situation internally, dealt with it appropriately and we’re quite frankly embarrassed that this situation ever arose,” DEI general manager John Story said. There have been grumblings throughout the garage that Ginn owes former employees back salaries, and drivers Sterling Marlin and Joe Nemechek and two crew chiefs have sued him for payment. That lawsuit is in the final stages of being settled, and Ginn sent a Sept. 27 letter to most of his former employees that promised back-owed team bonuses would be paid in full via an Oct. 3 direct deposit.(AP/Thatsracin)(10-20-2007)
- Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Steve Hmiel Part Ways: UPDATE: Dale Earnhardt Inc. and director of competition Steve Hmiel have parted company. Hmiel’s responsibilities have been redistributed throughout the organization and his replacement will be named soon. “I have enjoyed a wonderful association with Dale Earnhardt Inc. over the past nine years,” said Hmiel. “It is time for me to pursue other endeavors and reestablish new goals for myself.”(DEI PR)(10-18-2007)
UPDATE: Steve Hmiel says it was a difference in opinion that led to his departure from Dale Earnhardt Inc. "Just a difference in philosophy," Hmiel said of the split Friday at Martinsville Speedway. "It was a job I grew into, so there wasn't really ever a definition [of the position]. I started out doing one thing, then added things along the way and pretty soon, you find yourself doing a lot of different stuff. But I really enjoyed it. It's a different world now, a different time. Some of the things I saw chaffed against me, and some of the things I did chaffed against them. So we sat down and talked about it and thought we might ought to just go do this."(SceneDaily.com)(10-19-2007)
- Gilmore falls ill, hospitalized, released UPDATE 2: SPEED qualifying coverage reported that DEI's VP of Competition Richie Gilmore, was taken to a Birmingham, AL hospital for a possible stroke, but was later diagnosed as an aneurysm. Gilmore was released and is headed in NC.(SPEED qualifying coverage)(10-6-2007)
UPDATE: Dale Earnhardt, Inc. vice president Richie Gilmore has been treated and released from a Birmingham, Ala. hospital after suffering what has been diagnosed as a minor aneurysm. Gilmore suffered stroke-like symptoms on Friday and was taken to Birmingham for evaluation. He is currently back home in Mooresville, NC. “I spoke with both Richie and his wife Lisa on a couple of different occasions today and Richie is doing well,” said Max Siegel, president of global operations for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. “He was released today from the hospital and he’s back home getting some rest. He will undergo further evaluation and precautionary testing next week.”(DEI PR)(10-7-2007)
UPDATE 2: Richie Gilmore is expected to be out at least a month after suffering a brain aneurysm last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. Gilmore was released from a Birmingham, Ala., hospital on Saturday and returned to Charlotte by plane. He was hospitalized again on Monday for tests, but his blood was too thick to do a proper dye test. He underwent the dye test on Wednesday and was scheduled for two MRI's on Thursday. Hmiel said Robbie Benson has taken over Gilmore's duties heading up DEI's side of the engine program with Richard Childress Racing.(ESPN.com)(10-11-2007)
- DEI West to house Cup cars; #01 stays: Max Siegel, president of Global Operations for Dale Earnhardt Inc., said the facility DEI inherited in the merger with Ginn Racing has been renamed DEI West. Siegel said Sunday that the #15 Chevrolet team and the #01 Chevy operation already have moved to the DEI West building. The #8 team and the #1 operation will stay at DEI headquarters until the end of the season. "We don't want to do anything to disrupt the 1 [Martin Truex Jr.] or the 8 [Dale Earnhardt Jr.] right now," Siegel said. "Those teams work really well together." Truex is DEI's one driver in the Chase. After all the Cup teams move to the new facility, current DEI headquarters will house all the administrative offices, along with the Busch Series team and Busch East operation. Siegel also said he hopes to make an announcement within two weeks on a new sponsor for the #01 Chevy. Siegel confirmed that DEI has decided to continue to use 01 as the number.(ESPN.com)(10-1-2007)
- Sylvania on the hood of the #15: Not only is Sylvania the title sponsor of this weekend's race at New Hampshire, but it's also Paul Menard's hood sponsor on the #15 Menards Chevry. The company is based in nearby Danvers, Massachusetts and has been a partner sponsor to the Menards Racing program since Menard joined Dale Earnhardt Inc. in 2004.(Team Menard PR)(9-13-2007)
- Marlin, Nemechek file lawsuit against Ginn Racing, DEI Sterling Marlin and Joe Nemechek have sued Ginn Racing and Dale Earnhardt Inc. for alleged breaches of their contracts, which included a base salary of $1.2 million apiece. The separate suits, filed Sept. 7 in Cabarrus County, N.C., do not specify how much they have been paid or what they exactly are owed. Also suing Ginn and DEI are crew chiefs Richard "Slugger" Labbe and Peter Sospenzo. Ginn and DEI merged prior to the Indianapolis race in July, and Marlin and Nemechek found themselves without a place in the organization. The points of the #14 of Marlin ended up moving to the #15 of DEI with Paul Menard as the driver, while the #13 Nemechek team was eliminated. "Demand for payment has been made ..., but [Ginn and DEI] have failed and/or refused to pay all or any part," the complaints state. The contracts of both drivers and both crew chiefs were filed as part of the complaints and give an insight to what the current rate is for drivers. Both drivers joined the organization when it was MB2 Motorsports. Marlin began in 2006 with a base salary of $1.1 million, and that increased to $1.2 million for 2007. Nemechek started with MB2 in 2004 and received $900,000 for 2004, $1 million for 2005, $1.1 million for 2006 and $1.2 million for 2007. Both drivers got to keep 45% of their race winnings (Nemechek, who was 27th in points in 2006, had $4,099,914 million total in race winnings last year, while Marlin, 34th in points, had $3,248,034 million) and 33% of souvenir sales. Their bonus schedules were $50,000 per win, $25,000 for a top-five, $10,000 for a top-10 and $5,000 per pole. Winning a Cup title was worth a $500,000 bonus, while second through fifth in the final standings were worth $250,000; sixth through 10th were $150,000; 11th through 15th were $100,000 and 16th through 20th were $50,000. Each received a $500 per race travel allowance, a seat on the team plane and a hotel room for each race. They also got a personal car. They agreed to 50 hours of personal appearances for a sponsor plus two days for commercials or media events as well as unlimited track hospitality visits not to exceed 30 minutes in length. They were both responsible for their own insurance. There is a morals clause in each contract stating they "shall not associate with gamblers or other notorious characters; shall not use illegal drugs; and shall not consume alcoholic beverages except in moderation but in no event within eight hours prior to driving in a race or practice."
As far as the crew chiefs, Labbe, hired as the crew chief for Marlin in August 2006, and Sospenzo, hired as crew chief for Nemechek in October 2006, were earning $450,000 annual salaries. Labbe was guaranteed another $50,000 if his bonus money didn't reach that amount, while Sospenzo was guaranteed $25,000. Their bonuses were $20,000 for a win, $10,000 for second-fifth, $5,000 for sixth-10th, $2,500 for 11th-15th and $1,000 for a pole. A season championship was worth $100,000, second-fifth ($75,000) and sixth-10th were $50,000 for Labbe and sixth-12th were $50,000 for Sospenzo. They also got a personal vehicle as well as reimbursement for motorhome expenses. They agreed to make 10 away-from-the-track appearances. They also signed confidentiality agreements related to technical data and car setups. They also agreed that if they left they company, they would not attempt to hire any crew members for a year.(SceneDaily.com)(9-10-2007)
- Menard's #15 to have Energizer on the Hood: #15-Paul Menard’s hood sponsor for the Pennsylvania 500 is Energizer Battery Company. Energizer is one of the world's largest manufacturers of dry cell batteries and flashlights.(Team Menard PR)(8-3-2007)
- Menard chips in to help DEI/Ginn merger happen? UPDATE denied: The other half of the Ginn-DEI story began to emerge yesterday, and it isn’t as pretty a picture as the one painted at Thursday’s press conference. According to one report, which could not be immediately confirmed, John Menard, the wealthy businessman whose son, Paul, is a first-year tour racer at DEI, apparently stepped in with a check to help make the merger happen. Ginn concedes sponsorship problems forced him to shut down two of his three Nextel Cup teams.(Winston Salem Journal)(7-28-2007)
UPDATE: With rookie driver #15-Paul Menard being a major beneficiary of the Dale Earnhardt Inc.-Ginn Racing merger, and his father, John, being a multi-billionaire, it would be easy to conclude that maybe the Menard family played a role in bankrolling the merger. DEI Vice President John Story said that was not the case in the merger, where Menard got the owner points from the #14 Ginn car and is now in one of the top 35 locked-in positions instead of having to qualify for races on speed. "John Menard got a phone call from us after the transaction was complete to let him know that it was done and Paul was now 30th in [owner] points," Story said Saturday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "It was never contemplated nor [was] the request ever made to John Menard to be a potential player in this transaction. ... [Team owner] Teresa Earnhardt has done well for herself over many, many years." The merger also should slow rumors that Paul Menard could leave and take the car sponsorship from the family company with him. "Paul has really given us his commitment and we've given him ours that we're going to work together and we're going to build this program over the next couple of years," Story said.(SceneDaily.com)(7-29-2007)
- No crew chief changes at the new DEI: There will be no immediate crew chief changes as a result of the Dale Earnhardt Inc.-Ginn Racing merger, but not all the crew chiefs will work out of the same shop. Paul Menard's #15 team will move immediately into the Ginn Racing building, where the former Ginn #01 team also will be housed, DEI Vice President John Story said Thursday. The DEI teams of #1-Martin Truex Jr. and #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. will remain at the current DEI shop until the end of the season. As far as drivers, Mark Martin and Aric Almirola will complete the season co-driving the #01 car. That leaves Regan Smith, who was named last week to drive the now-defunct #14 Ginn car, without a Cup ride. Having started the year as Martin's co-driver, Smith will compete in the Craftsman Truck Series race Friday night in Indianapolis. The rest of the schedule for Smith is still being evaluated. As far as crew chiefs, Dave Charpentier, who became Menard's crew chief in June, will remain as his crew chief, and Ryan Pemberton remains with Mark Martin. Former Ginn crew chiefs Richard "Slugger" Labbe and Peter Sospenzo (who worked with the now-defunct #14 and #13 Ginn teams) are in the pool of employees who are waiting to see what happens.
Crew chiefs aren't the only ones in limbo: DEI already had two development drivers - Jeffrey Earnhardt and Trevor Bayne - in its fold. With the merger, it also now has Kraig Kinser, Jesus Hernandez and Ricky Carmichael. Story said Carmichael's program is fairly solid because it has sponsorship from Monster energy drink, and DEI currently has Earnhardt's and Bayne's cars sold for the rest of this season. As far as executives, it still is to be determined what role former Ginn Racing Chief Executive Officer Jay Frye will play in the company. "We've only just begun to discuss it," Story said. "Jay has put his heart and soul and blood and guts into this company over the years, and we really want to know what Jay wants to do. We haven't gotten to that point where we've drawn a new [organizational] chart."
Workers in the fabrication shop know where they're headed. As part of the transition, DEI will move all of its fabrication work all to the Ginn shop, which has a seven-post shaker rig, a million-dollar piece of machinery that evaluates how a car handles. The Ginn shop has 180,000 square feet in one large room, which will allow all four Cup teams to be on the same floor and should improve communications among the teams, Story said. The two shops are at most 10 minutes apart. Story said the existing DEI shop will house two Busch Series teams in the future, as well as possibly a Craftsman Truck Series program and a two-car Busch East program.(SceneDaily.com)(7-26-2007)
- Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Ginn Racing Merge; Official Announcement: Dale Earnhardt Inc. has become even stronger through a merger with Ginn Racing. Effective immediately, the team will feature the Chevys of #15-Paul Menard, #1-Martin Truex Jr., #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #01-Mark Martin and #01-Aric Almirola. Martin and Almirola will combine to drive the #01 Army Chevy for the remainder of the 2007 season as well as the entire 2008 season. Menard drives the Menards Chevy, Truex drives the Bass Pro Shops Chevy and Earnhardt handles driving duties of the Budweiser Chevy. All four entries are inside the top 35 in Nextel Cup points heading into this weekend's Brickyard 400. Regan Smith, who was originally slated to drive the Ginn Clubs and Resorts Chevy in the Brickyard 400, will instead compete in the Craftsman Truck Series race at Indianapolis Raceway Park Friday night in the Ginn Resorts Chevy Silverado. Specific schedules for Martin, Smith and Almirola will be announced later. In addition to Nextel Cup Series competition, the company will continue to field entries in the Busch Series, the Busch East Series and will analyze its future involvement in the Craftsman Truck Series. The numerous teams of Dale Earnhardt Inc. will operate from both the original facility built by Dale and Teresa Earnhardt as well as the nearly 180,000-square-foot facility currently housing Ginn Racing's teams. The buildings are less than five miles apart in Mooresville, N.C. Dale Earnhardt Inc.'s current management team will be responsible for all day-to- day activities and transition plans have already begun to develop. John Story, vice president of motorsports operations for DEI will oversee the expansion of the company's racing efforts. In completing this merger, points on Ginn Racing's #13 car, which was 34th in Nextel Cup owner's points, have been eliminated.(Dale Earnhardt Inc PR), been told the #78 team will NOT be allowed to buy the points for the #13 car, so the #21 Ford supposedly will move up into the top 35 of owners pts and get the guaranteed spot. Bill Elliott will run the #21 car at Indy with Ken Schrader in the #49, no word yet if Schrader will return to the #21 at Pocono next week.(7-25-2007)
- DEI, Ginn Merger to Be Announced Wednesday: Dale Earnhardt Inc. will announce on Wednesday that it is merging with Ginn Racing, effective immediately, and will acquire all Ginn assets, including its massive headquarters. Sources said the company will be known as Dale Earnhardt Inc., but that Ginn owner Bobby Ginn will remain a partner in the business. DEI president Max Siegel will oversee the operation, and Ginn CEO Jay Frye will assist DEI executives John Story, Steve Hmiel and Richie Gilmore in sorting out personnel details, sources said. DEI will field four fully-funded racecars in the Allstate 400 this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway -- the #1 Chevy driven by Martin Truex Jr., the #8 driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr., the #15 driven by Paul Menard and the #01 driven by Mark Martin. One of Ginn's other two former cars, the #13 or 14, essentially becomes Menard's #15 team, and the other team will simply discontinue operation [rumors still say that the #78 team will get the owner points from the team]. Menard will pick up the owner's points held by Ginn's # 13 car that was 34th. DEI plans to move its entire operation to Ginn's Mooresville, N.C., facility. The organization begun by the late Dale Earnhardt has been looking for land for almost a year because there is no room to expand at the current facility. #13-Joe Nemechek and #14-Sterling Marlin were given their release last week, with rookie Regan Smith moving into Marlin's car for the remainder of the year before the merger. Smith likely will finish the season splitting the #01 with Martin. Sources said Martin is committed to running at least 22 races for DEI next season and working long-term with the developmental driver program as he was at Ginn.(ESPN.com)(7-25-2007)
- DEI buying Ginn? UPDATE 3: hearing a deal could be announced in the next week or so, where Dale Earnhardt Inc. would buy into or outright Ginn Racing. Ginn Racing currently fields the #01-Mark Martin/Regan Smith, #13-Joe Nemechek and #14-Sterling Marlin teams.(7-16-2007)
UPDATE: Dale Earnhardt, Inc. [#s 1, 8, 15] and Ginn Racing [#s 01, 13, 14] are working on a merger agreement that, if finalized, would meld the two organizations into a single company, multiple sources close to negotiations told ESPN.com on Monday. The deal is not done, but a decision will be made soon. Both organizations hope, sources said, to firm up outstanding details and announce a partnership immediately. This deal is an elaborate proposition that entails several obstacles, including how best to reduce from six Nextel Cup teams to the maximum four. The obvious answer, sources said, would be to eliminate Ginn's financially-strapped #13 and #14 teams.(ESPN.com)(7-16-2007)
UPDATE 2: Tim Packman talked with Dave Moody on Sirius Speedway Tuesday afternoon and stated that Dale Earnhardt, Inc. has entered into a meger/acquisition of Ginn Racing. Reportedly, the #14 team's points will go to #15-Paul Menard and he will be locked into the field. #01-Mark Martin will drive at Indianapolis under the DEI banner, and the #13 team points will possibly be sold to Furniture Row Racing and #78-Kenny Wallace to lock him into the field. It is unknown what will happen to Regan Smith, who was scheduled to drive the #14 this weekend.(7-24-2007)
UPDATE 3: ESPN's David Newton reported on NASCAR Now Tuesday that #01-Mark Martin, #1-Martin Truex, Jr., #8-Dale Earnhardt, Jr, and #15-Paul Menard will drive for DEI this weekend at the Brickyard. Menard will be locked into the race using the #14 team's points. Ginn Racing CEO Jay Frye will stay with DEI. DEI will move it's motorsports operations to the Ginn facilities in Mooresville, NC. A determination has not been made on Regan Smith's future with the team. An announcment should come sometime Wednesday.(7-24-2007)
- #78 to get #13 owners points? UPDATE: hearing the #78 Furniture Row Racing team will 'buy' the owners points of the #13 Ginn Racing team unless a sponsorship deal can be put together for the #13 team to run at Indy. A deal could be announced for the owners pts early this week. Joe Nemechek was driving the #13 Chevy for Ginn Racing and was recently told he was free to look for another ride by Ginn Racing. Kenny Wallace drives the #78 Chevy for Furniture Row Racing. The #78 is 43rd in owners pts and out of a guaranteed starting spot; the #13 is 34th in owners pts and has a guaranteed spot in the starting lineup.(7-24-2007)
UPDATE: Ginn Racing hopes to have a decision on the future of the #13 car before Friday's Nextel Cup qualifying at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a source close to the situation told ESPN.com. The financially strapped organization has been in discussions with Dale Earnhardt Inc. about possibly selling the #13 team for its owner's points or merging with the company formed by the late Dale Earnhardt. There have also been discussions with selling the points to the #78 car of Kenny Wallace in time for Sunday's race at Indianapolis. The Barney Visser-owned team is 42nd in points and has made only nine races this season. Ginn could also race the car with Joe Nemechek if a sponsor can be lined up at the last minute for the high-profile race. But sources said it is clear the car, 34th in owner's points and comfortably inside the top 35 guaranteed a spot in each race with a 244-point lead over 36th, will not be idle this weekend.(ESPN.com)(7-24-2007)
- DEI interested in adding existing Nextel Cup team: Dale Earnhardt Inc. is looking to expand its Nextel Cup operation and has inquired about acquiring an existing team [#13 Ginn Racing?]. DEI vice president John Story said Monday the purchase of a team in the top 35 of car owner points would be used to shore up DEI's #15 team driven by Paul Menard. Menard is 39th in owner points and has failed to qualify for six races.(Fort Worth Star Telegram/AP)(7-11-2007)
- DEI News, Dale Jr replacement; Menards to return: Max Siegel, president of global operations for DEI said that he hopes to have a replacement for Dale Earnhardt Jr. hired by the end of the month. He would not discuss possible drivers for that seat. Siegel also said that despite some speculation Paul Menard and sponsor Menards will return for next season. DEI hired Kevin Buskirk to lead its test team. Buskirk, who had been an engineer and crew chief at Robert Yates Racing, replaces Tony Eury Sr., who left to join JR. Motorsports.(Roanoke Times)(7-8-2007)
- RCR-DEI Engine Debut at Daytona: Earnhardt-Childress Racing Technologies will debut the new common engine package this weekend at Daytona International Speedway. All six Richard Chiledress Racing [#07,#29,#31] and Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI) cars [#1,#8,#15] will run the new engine.(RCR PR)(7-4-2007)
- New York Investors Looking for Cup Teams: The buzz in the garage in New Hampshire is that at least two New York-based investment banking firms have been making the rounds among Nextel Cup teams, looking to invest in one or more teams, eventually taking a race team public with a stock offering. So far, there have been no takers among the NASCAR team owners. At least one of the investment firms has talked with multiple teams in the garage, including Robert Yates Racing [#38 & #88], Dale Earnhardt, Inc. [#1, #8, #15] and Roush Fenway Racing [#6, #16, #17, #26, #99], multiple sources said. The idea has been for the companies to make cash investments of upwards of $50 million in a team and then at some point sell their interests, perhaps by public stock offering. “We looked at their business plan and it didn’t make sense to us,” said Roush Fenway Racing President Geoff Smith, who confirmed his team had been contacted by a New York-based investment fund that he did not identify by name. Robert Yates talked extensively with the potential investors and reached the same conclusion. “You sit in a room with about 20 bankers and you spend about 18 hours in there with them and you realize that they didn’t contribute anything to the gross national product except maybe going to the bathroom,” said Yates, who also has entertained merger and/or partnership offers from Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Robby Gordon Motorsports and Hall of Fame Racing, among others, before deciding to go it alone. Another team principal who spoke on condition of anonymity Sunday morning at New Hampshire, said the team he works with was approached by investors, but chose not to get involved with them, either. “They had a ton of money, but they didn’t know anything at all about racing,” he said, adding the team was not in need of a cash infusion and would only consider an outside investor if that investor could add significant value to the team.(SPEEDtv.com)(7-2-2007)
- DEI Still Talking to Budweiser; Working on Fourth Team: Max Siegel, president of worldwide operations for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., said Saturday that the team is still talking with Budweiser, still hoping to add a fourth Nextel Cup car in 2008 and is still looking for a replacement for #8-Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in the No. 8 next year. “We still have our existing commercial relationship with Bud, talking about what’s best with everybody, still engaged in conversations with potential drivers,” Siegel said Saturday at New Hampshire. “Hopefully in the next four weeks we’ll get something wrapped up here.” Of the team’s car count next year, that’s still up in the air, too. “We have a couple of unique situations that could give us a fourth (car in 2008),” Siegel said. “Realistically, by ’09, definitely we’ll be a four-car team.”(SPEEDtv.com)(7-1-2007)
- Tony Eury Sr. spoke Thursday [June 28] with Claire B Lang on Dialed In on XM Satellite Radio: About Leaving DEI and moving to JR Motorsports - Eury Sr. said Dale Junior has tried to get him to come work for him for two years and this time he went to Junior and said "was he ready" and Junior said "yes come on."
"It wasn't an easy decision for sure. I had a lot of feelings for that place. It was kind of hard to drive out of there cause Teresa and Dale have been really good to me.....whenever I went to work in the mornings I felt like I was going into my own shop. But you know it was a decision I had to make. You know that place is getting bigger and bigger and it's not the same place that I built many, many years ago and it's a lot bigger and Dale Junior gave me an opportunity here I was real pleased with and looking forward you know I like building stuff and I like going forward and that's what we are going to get to do here."
On DEI Moving Him from Crew Chief to R&D -did he leave because he didn't like the switch from Crew Chief:
"It didn't matter to me about the crew chief job but they just wanted me to strictly go run an R&D team and that just really was something I wasn't ready to do. If I work on something and I make it go fast I like to be rewarded for it. And the reward that I get is spraying champagne in victory lane and patting everyone on the back and telling them they did a good job and an R&D team wouldn't give that to me and that's the main reason for turning the R&D team down. I can't say nothing bad about DEI. I worked their 20 and a half years they told me my options were open I could do whatever I wanted to do but there just wasn't a lot of options there and Dale Junior gave me the opportunity to come and do this and I felt like that's what I want to do.
Was it true he sat at home rather than work after they moved him from Crew Chief job at DEI?
Well - After I quit doing the Menards car they actually told me to take two weeks and think about what I wanted to do and nobody was going to bother me and just do what I wanted to do so I just hung out in Myrtle Beach for a little while and me and my wife took off went to Myrtle Beach spent a weekend and came back and stayed home one weekend and let her skin heal up from the sunburns and then we went back again. We haven't done a whole lot of work in the last three or four weeks but we had a good time.
Tony Senior said he and Tony Junior have discussed what Tony Junior will do.
Q) Will Tony Junior announce his decision soon?
A)..There's a lot of stuff going on. He's got a lot of stuff going on and you know I just don't really know. They are trying to decide who's going in the 8 car who the crew chief is going to be whether it's going to be him whether it's going to be somebody else who the sponsor is going to be and there is just so much stuff going on over there. Their main goal now is to try to win that championship in that Budweiser 8 car and that's what they are focusing on doing right now and you know he might not even make a decision until Homestead is over .....
On the 24/48 Penalties: "Myself I do not agree with the penalties that they gave Chad and Steve because I don't think we were really addressed that the body parts of the car was that critical........as far as I'm concerned if there's not a template there it's ours and that's the way the crew chief's look at cars."(XMRadio)(6-30-2007)
- Sylvania on the #15 hood at NHIS: #15-Paul Menard's Menard's Chevy will feature Sylvania as the hood sponsor. Sylvania, is based in Danvers, Massachusetts and has been a partner sponsor to the Menards Racing program since Menard joined Dale Earnhardt Inc. in 2004.(Co-Pilott Motorsports Marketing PR)(6-28-2007)
- Eury Sr. leaving DEI...to JR Motorsports? UPDATE: Claire B. Lang reported on XM Radio Tuesday that Tony Eury Sr. [former #8 and #15 crew chief] has resigned from Dale Earnhardt Inc.'s research and development team and will be named Director of Competition at JR Motorsports today.(XM Radio)
AND David Poole reported on Sirius' Morning Drive that Tony Eury Sr is expected to announce this afternoon that he is leaving DEI to become the team director at #88-JR Motorsports. Early in June, Eury reportedly accepted a Research and Development position with DEI after stepping down as Paul Menard's Nextel Cup crew chief.(6-27-2007)
UPDATE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. has turned to a familiar face and proven winner to help lead the competition efforts of his race team, announcing today that his uncle and longtime NASCAR crew chief, Tony Eury Sr., has been named Director of Competition at JR Motorsports. Commonly referred to as “Pops” around the NASCAR garage, Eury Sr. will oversee competition and technical support for all of JR Motorsports, which includes a full-time Busch Series program, a USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series entry, and three late model teams. His new role at JRM will begin immediately, as he will work closely with crew chief Wes Ward, motorsports director Steve Crisp, and
driver Shane Huffman in preparation for Saturday’s Camping World 200 Busch Series race at New Hampshire International Speedway. “Tony Sr. brings wins, championships, and an immeasurable amount of knowledge to JR Motorsports,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “He also brings a sense of trust that you only have in family. This company needs his expertise, and I’m glad he sees the potential at JR Motorsports to want to work here. I hope I can provide him the same amount of success here that he has achieved over the years, and I hope he enjoys working here as much as I know he enjoyed working at DEI (Dale Earnhardt Inc.).”(JR Motorsports PR)(6-27-2007)
- Menards sponsorship to Penske in 2008? John Menard is reported to be considering moving his sponsorship from Dale Earnhardt Inc. [#15 Paul Menard] to Roger Penske’s Dodge team, with Penske expanding to a three-car operation. Menard, according to sources, has chopped his list to two owners, and it appears that #7-Robby Gordon is no longer in the running. Menard, who is supporting son Paul on the Cup tour at DEI, has been reported interested in purchasing DEI from Teresa Earnhardt [which has been rumored many times but always denied](Winston Salem Journal)(6-23-2007)
- Chevy unveils paint schemes to commemorate 50 Years of the '57 Chevy: One of the most recognizable cars in American motoring history reaches a notable milestone this year, a milestone which NASCAR, Chevy and Motorsports Authentics proudly celebrate. The 1957 Chevrolet, a car which turns 50 years old this year, will be commemorated at August 19’s 3M Performance 400 Nextel Cup race at Michigan International Speedway by at least 11 Team Chevy drivers. Unveiled by Jimmie Johnson at MIS today, a Monte Carlo SS race car featuring decals with cues from the iconic 1957 design is similar to the ones Johnson and other Team Chevy drivers will race during the August event. On August 18, ’57 Chevys along with many other historic vehicles will hit the streets during Metro Detroit’s Woodward Dream Cruise. That same weekend, Team Chevy Nextel Cup Series drivers #4-Ward Burton, #8-Dale Earnhardt, Jr., #24-Jeff Gordon, #48-Jimmie Johnson, #14-Sterling Marlin, #01-Mark Martin, #15-Paul Menard, #96-Tony Raines, #1-Martin Truex, Jr., #78-Kenny Wallace and #18-J.J. Yeley will take to the track at MIS with their cars wearing special ’57 Chevy paint schemes. To commemorate this special event, Motorsports Authentics will replicate their cars with die-cast models and offer apparel and novelty items related to the event.(GM Racing PR), see an image of the #48 Scheme on my #48 Team Schemes page.(6-16-2007)
- Some teams looking to add 4th team: The season is not even half over and several teams say they want to expand for next season. Officials from Dale Earnhardt Inc., Evernham Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing have said they'd like to expand to four cars next year. There have been hints other teams might look add a team. How many actually do will depend on what kind of sponsorship they can find.(Greensboro News and Record)(6-16-2007)
- Menard, Sauter, McCumbee to do double duty Pocono: While #15-Paul Menard has yet to turn a lap around the Pocono Raceway, hw is looking forward to his double duty weekend at the 2.5-mile Long Pond, Pa., track. Not only will Menard focus his attention on making a solid Nextel Cup Series debut at the track, but the Dale Earnhardt Inc. backed team will race in Saturday’s ARCA event. Menard was heavily involved in the planning of the set up of the ARCA car. Crew Chief Mike Grechi and Menard came up with two solid setups to try in Friday’s practice. Grechi brings the experience from his past achievements at Pocono. No stranger to ARCA Series success himself, Menard went to Victory Lane in the 2003 ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway.(DEI site), other drivers planning on running both races [ARCA/Cup] include Johnny Sauter and Chad McCumbee.(6-7-2007)
- Eury, Sr. Out as Menard's Crew Chief; New Position for Gilmore?: UPDATE 2: Sirius Speedway's Dave Moody reports that Tony Eury, Sr. is out as #15-Paul Menard's crew chief, effective immediately. DEI Vice President and General Manager John Story confirmed that Eury is no longer crew chief for the #15 team. Dave Charpentier will reportedly become the team's new crew chief. In addition, Moody says that reports state Richie Gilmore is out as Director of Motorosports with DEI and will become Director of Research and Development with the team.(Sirius Speedway)(6-6-2007)
UPDATE: Interviewed on Sirius Speedway, John Story confirmed that Dave Charpentier will serve as interim crew chief for Menard and Tony Eury, Sr. will move to a Research and Development position within DEI. Story added, "Richie Gilmore's role remains unchanged. He has gotten himself very involved in working with RCR to establish Earnhardt Childress Technologies company, and we needed someone from our side to head it up. Richie will eventually be spending the vast majority of his time on that."(6-6-2007)
UPDATE 2: Tony Eury Sr., who worked on the first team ever fielded by Dale Earnhardt Inc. in 1985, has been named to lead the company's newest team. DEI has been building this full-time operation, devoted primarily to testing, since late April. Through the first 13 races of 2007, Eury has been crew chief of the #15 Menard's Chevy driven by Paul Menard. Dave Charpentier, team engineer, will serve as the team's interim crew chief.(DEI PR)(6-7-2007)
- Menard to leave DEI? UPDATE 2 denied: John Menard, the wealthy businessman who is helping bankroll Teresa Earnhardt’s DEI operation for racer-son Paul [Menard, #15], may be ready to pull out, too. Menard could wind up back working with struggling #7-Robby Gordon — the two have long been business partners, and Gordon is trying to get his team righted again.(Winston Salem Journal)(6-1-2007)
UPDATE: Robby Gordon has issued the following statement regarding Paul Menard: "It is the ultimate goal for RGM is to one day field two cars in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. Despite speculation, there have been no discussions pertaining to Paul Menard joining RGM. John Menard has been a long time supporter of my racing program and is on board for ten events in the 2007 season - nine co-sponsored by Mapei and one co-sponsored by Johns Mansville."(RGM)(6-2-2007)
UPDATE 2: #15-Paul Menard denied a published report indicating he’s considering leaving Dale Earnhardt Inc., possibly to join Robby Gordon’s team. “That’s not going to happen,” said Menard, whose best finish this season is 15th at Texas. But Menard did say these are anxious times at DEI since Earnhardt announced last month he will leave the team at the end of the season. “We’ll be OK as long as we get good people in key positions,” Menard said. “That’s what every race team wants and needs, and it’s probably what we don’t have at DEI right now. In the long term we’ll have to build that up and if we have to move some people around to make the appropriate changes, then that’s what needs to be done.”(Thatsracin)(6-3-2007)
- Tryson close to a deal with DEI: Pat Tryson, who was fired by Roush Fenway Racing last week, is close to a deal with Dale Earnhardt Inc. Richie Gilmore, the director of motorsports at DEI, hopes to have Tryson signed within the next two weeks. "He's looking at a couple of other options, but right now we're at the top of his list,'' Gilmore said before Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. DEI officials also are narrowing their search for a driver to replace Dale Earnhardt Jr., who is leaving the company his father built after this season. They have a list of five candidates and could have that narrowed even further by the end of this week. They are looking not only at drivers currently inside the Nextel Cup garage but drivers who have been champions of other series. "The testament to this organization and what the company stands for is reflected by the high level of interest from people across this entire sport,'' said Max Siegel, the president of global operations at DEI.(ESPN.com)(5-27-2007)
- DEI and RCR team up to build engines: One of NASCAR's greatest partnerships - Childress and Earnhardt - has been expanded with the creation of Earnhardt-Childress Racing Technologies. Richard Childress and Teresa Earnhardt announced today that the joint venture partnership will combine the Chevrolet engine departments of Richard Childress Racing (RCR) and Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI), with engine development work to begin immediately. Construction of a permanent stand-alone facility located between RCR and
DEI will begin later this summer with completion expected by mid 2008. A specific site has not been announced, although a location has been identified pending zoning approval. Until that facility is complete, all work will be divided between the RCR's engine shop in Welcome, N.C. and DEI's shop in Mooresville, N.C. It is anticipated that all six RCR and DEI cars will run the first common engine at Daytona in July. Earnhardt-Childress Racing Technologies will develop and build engines for the Chevrolet Nextel Cup Series and Busch Series teams campaigned by the two companies. A long-term goal of the joint venture will include an engine leasing program for teams in NASCAR's top three divisions. The partnership also has long-term plans to diversify and expand beyond NASCAR by providing race engines to teams competing in series such as the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series, various off-road and stock car series, sports car series, etc. This is not the first time RCR and DEI have worked together in a technology partnership. RAD, an acronym for the three teams owned by Richard Childress, Andy Petree and Dale Earnhardt, was formed in the late 90's as an aerodynamic consortium between the programs. The partnership was considered wildly successful with the three teams dominating the aerodynamically sensitive restrictor plate tracks Daytona and Talladega for the next few years.(DEI PR)(5-18-2007)
- Andrews tests for DEI been told and confirmed that Tim Andrews, son of #43 crew chief Paul Andrews, tested a DEI Chevy at Kentucky Speedway on Tuesday, May 15th. Andrews is running a part-time ARCA and Busch East schedule in 2007.(5-17-2007)
- Earnhardt Jr.: 'We'll be driving Chevys' UPDATE: #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. nearly started laughing Friday and said, 'Nah,' when asked if it was really possible he could drive a Ford next season. Dale Earnarhdt Inc., which is in negotiations with Earnhardt Jr. for a contract extension and also must sign a new dale with Chevrolet, has had preliminary talks with other manufacturers and also has talked about a possible merger with Robert Yates Racing. But Earnhardt Jr. couldn't see himself driving anything but a Chevy. As part of his negotiations with DEI, he wants majority ownership of the team. "We'll be driving Chevys, I'll promise you that," Earnhardt Jr. said following qualifying Friday for the Crown Royal/Jim Stewart 400.(SceneDaily.com)(5-5-2007)
UPDATE: The latest on the Dale Earnhardt Jr. saga: The “Robert Yates” NASCAR brand will remain a Ford brand, even in any merger with Dale Earnhardt Inc., according to sources familiar with the Yates-DEI negotiations. However Earnhardt, who has been the heart of DEI, insisted he will be in Chevrolets again next season, no matter what. Those two facts make the DEI-Yates negotiations peculiar, particularly since Earnhardt has been negotiating a new contract with DEI owner Teresa Earnhardt, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. demanding controlling interest in DEI. If DEI officials are negotiating a possible switch to Ford, then Earnhardt would clearly appear to be not involved with those talks. Which would mean if Yates and DEI do come to terms, it would almost certainly be a Yates-DEI merger without Earnhardt in the mix. There has been rampant speculation the past few days that Earnhardt may be moving to either Richard Childress’ Chevy team or Rick Hendrick’s Chevy team.(Winston Salem Journal)(5-7-2007)
- Ford Racing Aware of DEI-RYR Merger Talk: In response to media reports from this past weekend, Ford Racing confirmed it is fully aware of merger talks that have taken place between Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI) and Robert Yates Racing (RYR) officials. “Ford is fully committed to Robert Yates Racing for the long-term, and they have assured us that are similarly committed to Ford,” said Kevin Kennedy, Ford Racing Technology Communications Manager. “Robert and Doug have been in contact with Ford about the nature of the discussions. We have a valued partnership with them, and they are keeping us informed of those discussions like a true partner would.
We fully expect they will remain with Ford for many, many years.” Robert Yates Racing and Ford have a relationship that goes back to the formation of the race team in the late 1980s, and Dan Davis, director of Ford Racing Technology, has repeatedly stated that the manufacturer is fully committed to bringing RYR back to the top of the field. Media reports this past weekend also stated that Ford had been in discussions with DEI about a switch from Chevrolet to Ford for the 2008 season. Davis has repeatedly said that Ford is interested in adding championship-level teams to its Cup roster. “We definitely have been talking with DEI. Truthfully, we’ve been having informal talks with them for several years,” said Kennedy. “We have not yet made a formal offer to them, but we know that their GM contract is up at the end of the year. We had some discussions with them, and we’ve made it clear that we’d love to have them in our program.”(Ford Racing)(5-1-2007)
- DEI to buy RYR? UPDATE 4: It was reported on SPEED's NASCAR Raceday that Dale Earnhardt Inc (DEI) is interested in buying Robert Yates Racing (RYR) and RYR is interested in joining forces with DEI. It was also reported that the teams would end up being in the Chevy camp.(4-29-2007)
UPDATE: In attempts to strengthen its teams and expand to four cars, Dale Earnhardt Inc. [#'s 1,8,15] has had preliminary discussions with Robert Yates Racing [#38, #88] about a partnership, as well as Ford Motor Company and another manufacturer, DEI executive team member John Story confirmed Sunday morning. While the company also is in the midst of contract negotiations with NASCAR's most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., DEI is working toward trying to solidify its future. That means getting the finances and the technological support it needs from a manufacturer and working toward fielding a fourth team by 2008 or 2009, said Story, who oversees sales, marketing and communications activities at DEI. What would be more startling would be the potential move to Ford or another manufacturer considering Chevrolet's long relationship with team founder Dale Earnhardt. The Chevrolet deal is not contingent on Earnhardt Jr. remaining at DEI, Story said. Yates said his team would remain Ford. Story said that talks with Yates could continue even if DEI remains with Chevrolet.(in part from SceneDaily.com)(4-29-2007)
UPDATE 2: With Robert Yates Racing and Dale Earnhardt, Inc. discussing a potential merger, how would that affect Yates-Roush Engines, which makes the motors that power all of the Ford NASCAR Nextel Cup teams? RYR co-owner Doug Yates was adamant that his team will not switch to Chevrolet power no matter what, and Roush Fenway Racing President Geoff Smith said he hopes any deal will build up the Ford NASCAR Nextel Cup effort. “We’re aware that he’s marketing his teams,” Smith said of Robert Yates prior to Sunday’s Talladega race. “We have a joint engine business that’s affected by the number of customers that we have. We want to see the Ford number of teams remain at least at its current level for the benefit of the engine business and for the competitive benefit for Ford Motor Co.”(SPEEDtv.com)(4-30-2007)
UPDATE 3: Dale Earnhardt, Inc., [DEI] will move to four Nextel Cup Series teams by 2009, be it through the acquisition of another team or the addition of a fourth team in-house, team executive John Story said Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway. Story said DEI has been in discussions with Robert Yates Racing for four-to-six weeks about a partnership, but cautioned that those talks are preliminary and that no documentation has been exchanged between the teams. If DEI were to acquire Yates, one of the two teams would have to forsake its manufacturer. Yates, a Ford flagship team for nearly two decades, would move to Chevrolet; or DEI, whose founder, Dale Earnhardt, won seven championships in Chevrolets, would move to Ford. "The only proposal we have right now for a manufacturer next year is from Chevrolet," Story said. "Teresa [Earnhardt] has been tremendously loyal to Chevrolet for a lot of years. We've had some conversation with a couple other manufacturers. They've called to inquire what our contract situation was. We told them, in fairness, we are going to sit down and exhaust our options with Chevrolet first, and if the opportunity came up we'd talk to somebody else. We haven't seen anything in writing from anybody else." RYR president Doug Yates said they'd rather stay in Fords, and that Ford Racing officials see a DEI merger as a way to get Ford back to prominence in Nextel Cup. But he didn't rule out a manufacturer switch. How this impacts Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s contract negotiations isn't known, but Story said a deal with Ford and RYR isn't contingent on Earnhardt Jr. staying at DEI. Earnhardt Jr. wants controlling interest in DEI, but Chevrolet officials want to keep him.(ESPN.com)(4-30-2007)
UPDATE 4 Toyota denies talks: Toyota’s Lee White says his company was not involved in any talks with DEI: “We have not had any conversations with Dale Earnhardt Jr. “There is a tremendous amount of both equity and liability involved with Dale Earnhardt Incorporated and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet has such equity built into Dale Earnhardt Jr. and that particular race team - that equity is great for the bigger picture and the health of our sport. Right now Toyota is not ready to take on the liability that would come with that scenario.”(Winston Salem Journal)(4-30-2007)
- DEI Announces the Earnhardt Entertainment Division: Max Siegel, President of Global Operations for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., announced the formation of the Earnhardt Entertainment Division, a new entertainment division within DEI that will merge the various aspects of the entertainment industry with NASCAR. The Earnhardt Entertainment Division will develop, produce and distribute
music, film and television, visual imaging and digital content, as well as special event projects. The company will announce its plans to collaborate with major entertainment partners on several exciting projects in the upcoming months.(DEI PR)(4-20-2007)
- Earnhardt Still Wants Majority Ownership of DEI: #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. has not backed down from his demand for majority ownership in his late father's company, his sister said Tuesday. "Fifty-one (percent) is the right number because that gives us control," said Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, Junior's sister and business manager. "We'll take 75 or 95 or whatever we work out. At the end of the day, 51 gives you control. "And we want control." Earnhardt is in the final year of his contract with Dale Earnhardt Inc. and has made owning a share of the company a major issue of his negotiations. He raised the stakes even higher in February when he said he actually wanted 51 percent of DEI - not just a piece of the team. Earnhardt Elledge said the ownership stake was not the breaking point of negotiations, but that time could run out for a new agreement to be reached. [DEI President Max] Siegel has said he believes a decision can be made by May, and Earnhardt Elledge said the next two months are crucial.(Associated Press)(4-11-2007)
- DEI's Max Siegal to be honored: The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding will honor Max Siegel, President of Global Operations for Dale Earnhardt Inc., on Thursday, March 8th, 2007 during their annual New York Spring Benefit at the home of Denise Rich. During the ceremony, President Rabbi Marc Shcneier and Chairman Russell Simmons will award Max Siegel the Joseph Papp Racial Harmony Award in recognition of his efforts to promote better relations between African-American and Jewish communities. "These awards mark outstanding achievement by corporate leaders who have advanced the cause of diversity and race relations," says Rabbi Marc Schneier. Max Siegel was recently appointed to President of Global Operations of Dale Earnhardt Inc., the top motor sports franchise in NASCAR. Siegel oversees the entire organization including competition, marketing, sales, sponsorship and distribution for all DEI¹s properties including motor sports teams, licensing, promotion, business development, and the Dale Earnhardt Foundation. The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, under the leadership of Rabbi Marc Schneier, President, and Russell Simmons, Chairman, is a national non-profit organization dedicated to promoting racial harmony and strengthening inter-group relations. The organization is committed to the belief that direct, face-to-face dialogue between ethnic communities is the most effective path towards the reduction of bigotry and the promotion of reconciliation and understanding.(Susan Blond PR)(3-7-2007)
- New sponsor for Menard? UPDATE: hearing that #15-Paul Menard will make a sponsorship announcement on Saturday morning at Daytona. No word if it is for the Busch or Nextel Cup Series.(2-10-2006)
UPDATE: Long-time racing supporter and sponsor to some of the most celebrated drivers in motorsports history, Old
World Industries of Northbrook, Illinois, has today announced that its PEAK Antifreeze brand will re-enter Nextel Cup in 2007 by entering into an agreement with Dale Earnhardt Incorporated [DEI] to sponsor top Rookie-of-the-Year candidate Paul Menard and the #15 PEAK/Menards DEI Chevy. Menard, entering his first full season of Nextel Cup action, will have PEAK adorn his #15 Chevy throughout the entire 2007 season. PEAK will serve as Primary sponsor during Speedweeks at Daytona, and in the Fall Bristol Nextel Cup race. Menard will also appear within PEAK advertising, promotions and in-store merchandising programs at Menards stores throughout the United States. For Speedweeks in 2007, it will defintely be "PEAK Week" in Daytona. In addition to seeing the iconic PEAK mountain logo on the hood of the #15 DEI Nextel Cup Chevy, PEAK will also adorn the hood of DEI's #15 PEAK/Menards
Busch Series car (also driven by Menard) for Saturday's race, as well as the hood of Thorsports' #88 PEAK/Menards Chevy (driven by Matt Crafton) for Friday's Craftsman Truck Series race. PEAK Antifreeze can be found at major retailers like Menards, AutoZone,
Advance, CSK, NAPA, O'Reilly, Pep Boys, Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target and Walgreens. In total, Old World products are sold on the shelves of more than 200,000 outlets nationwide, across every retail channel - whether automotive, mass merchandise, home/hardware, food/drug, or convenience. For more information about PEAK see www.peakantifreeze.com.(PR), see an image of the car on my #15 Team Schemes page.(2-10-2007)
- DEI hires two more executives: Teresa Earnhardt, President and CEO of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. has announced the appointment of John Story to the DEI executive team. Story, a sports marketing veteran who has served as CEO and General Manager of Robby Gordon Motorsports since the company's inception in 2003, will manage sales, marketing and communication's activities at Dale Earnhardt, Inc., and will assist and report to recently appointed company president, Max Siegel, in strategic development of the company. In addition to his role with Robby Gordon Motorsports, Story has held marketing and/or communications positions with Greg Norman's Great White Shark Enterprises, International Speedway Corporation, Walt Disney World and the PGA of America. Mrs. Earnhardt also announced the appointment of Andrew Campagnone to Director of Sales. Campagnone has a long and varied sports sales career, and comes to DEI from Ganassi Racing where he served a similar role.(DEI Site)(1-24-2007)
- DEI Using Hoosier at Lakeland: A top DEI official stated Monday afternoon that the company would be using Hoosier tires on at least one car they will test at Lakeland Speedway later this week. One of the burning questions since Goodyear started leasing, instead of selling, tires to race teams was where would the teams to get tires to test with away from the seven official NASCAR test sessions. While it was widely speculated teams would turn to Hoosier for the tires needed to test, most teams had a sufficient stockpile to get them through the 2006 season. A DEI executive confirmed Monday that organization's stockpile was almost gone. In fact, it was low enough that at least one of the their teams testing at Lakeland Speedway later this week would do so on Hoosier tires. "It's working," said the executive of NASCAR's desire to reduce the amount of testing teams could do away from the official tests. "The lack of tires has forced us to rethink how we test and what we test. At Lakeland we won't be able to compare one car against another. We'll look more to establish a baseline and then gauge our improvement based on the incremental speeds after each change. How that will relate to a race set-up we just don't know yet."(Circletrackplus.com)(1-15-2007)
- Kerry Earnhardt to work at DEI, as test driver and more: Kerry Earnhardt will join Dale Earnhardt Inc. as a full-time employee next week, serving as a liaison between the Nextel Cup and Busch programs and driving in a handful of races. "Teresa and Richie have been talking to me about coming there for several years," Kerry said of team owner/stepmother Teresa Earnhardt and director of motorsports Richie Gilmore. "I've been thinking about the company a lot in my head. It's hard to give up driving. Now I've come to a point where I realize that doing the things I'm doing is not doing me any good, just riding around and not having any decent finishes." Kerry, 37, has asked to drive in at least five Busch races and a couple of Cup races for DEI, but said his future with the company doesn't hinge on that. "I always wish I had the opportunity to be in equipment like this," said Kerry, who was 20th-fastest in the morning practice while Earnhardt Jr. honored previous commitments. "Now if I run three to five Busch races and can be successful with that maybe more things can come to me." Kerry hopes to fill part of the role of Tony Eury Sr., who has moved from team liaison to crew chief for DEI's third Cup team with Paul Menard.(ESPN.com)(1-11-2007)
- DEI hires a new president: Dale Earnhardt, Inc., announced the appointment of Max Siegel as President of Global Operations. In what will be an unprecedented move for the motor sports industry, the Zomba Label Group/Sony/BMG executive will oversee marketing, promotion, sales, sponsorship and distribution for all Dale Earnhardt, Inc. properties including the company's top-rated motorsports teams, airlines, licensing and auto dealership, as well as the Dale Earnhardt Foundation. Siegel brings over 15 years of deal brokering and project management experience to the company established by Dale and Teresa Earnhardt in 1980.(DEI PR)(12-14-2006)
- No 4th DEI team in 2007..but: In July, officials from Dale Earnhardt, Inc. said that not only would they had a third Nextel Cup team next year, they were seriously contemplating a fourth Cup team as well. But Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway, DEI Vice President of Motorsports Richie Gilmore said the fourth Cup car won’t happen until 2008. Next year, the team will expand from two cars to three, with #15-Paul Menard joining forces with #8-Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and #1-Martin Truex, Jr. “Right now, we’re focusing on the three (teams) and trying to get the fourth for ’08,” Gilmore said. “We didn’t get the driver and everything put together. We’ve got some sponsor stuff that we’re close on, but right now we want to focus on getting three where they need to be.” Gilmore said a new building for Menard’s team on the DEI campus in Mooresville, NC, will be complete in four weeks.(Speed Channel)(8-27-2006)
- DEI to 4 Cars in 2007? UPDATE: Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Vice President of Competition Richie Gilmore said Friday morning that the team is mulling an expansion to four Nextel Cup cars in 2007, up from two cars now. DEI already has committed to a third Cup car in 2007 for its full-time Busch Series regular driver, Paul Menard [#15 Chevy], but Gilmore said a fourth car is an option, possibly in concert with MB2 Motorsports. “We do want to make some determinations by the end of July about how many teams we will have next year,” Gilmore said. “Right now, we know we’re locked in on three Cup teams … next year. Moving that to four is a possibility for us right now. We hope to have that locked in by the end of July. We’re looking at all our options right now. Space is an issue with us right now, and that’s why we’re looking at MB2. That was one of the biggest reasons we were looking at MB2. We could help with resources and they could help with space.”(Speed Channel)(7-1-2006)
UPDATE: DEI has asked Tony Eury, Sr., to become crew chief of DEI's fourth Cup team next season, if it happens.(Ford Racing)(7-2-2006)
- Menard to move up in 2007: Dale Earnhardt Jr. was addressing fans at a sponsorship gala and revealed a pair of intriguing tidbits to the gallery: Earnhardt said it is his understanding that Paul Menard will run a full Nextel Cup schedule in the #15 Chevrolet in 2007.(NASCAR.com/Marty Smith)(5-16-2006)
