McMurray and EGR celebrate in victory lane (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
When Dale Earnhardt Jr decided that he would leave DEI after the 2007 for Hendrick Motorsports, many skeptics assumed that it was the beginning of the end for DEI.
In many ways, it was. After all, the DEI NASCAR operation had to merge with Chip Ganassi Racing following the 2008 season in order to survive that recession, as both companies lost mega sponsorship dollars.
It is difficult to believe that in 2008, DEI fielded four full-time teams while Chip Ganassi Racing fielded three. Well, Ganassi ceased running the No. 40 full-time in the summer of 2008 due to lack of funding for driver Dario Franchitti. Nevertheless, what were once seven teams two years is now only two.
Budweiser, Coors Light, Chevron Texaco, U.S. Army, Menard’s, are Principal Financial are just some of the companies that departed Ganassi or Earnhardt since 2007. Hundreds of workers faced layoffs.
The pattern seemed to continue in 2009 when EGR shut down the No. 8 team after a fruitless sponsorship quest last April. EGR was suddenly a twosome with only the No. 1 and No. 42 teams active in the stables.
The performances of the two teams were mixed. Montoya and the No. 42 group improved as the season progressed, and by late summer, they were consistently leading laps and contending for wins. Meanwhile, Martin Truex Jr was inconsistent, with only a handful of positive showings throughout the season. With that said, since early last season, it was public knowledge that Truex Jr was not returning to Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing in 2010. Some will argue that Truex Jr was a lame duck driver in 2009, which often hinders a team and driver’s production.
Heading into the 2010 campaign, Montoya is a trendy choice to qualify for the Chase for the Championship for a second consecutive year. The former Indianapolis 500 champion has the skills, and could become a title contender if the equipment is up to par.
Jamie McMurray replaced Truex Jr for the 2010 season, and so far so good. The Daytona 500 triumph was huge for this organization, which many consider as second tier. In fact, the victory may have sealed up additional sponsorship for the team.
“Oh yeah, the Daytona 500 (win) gave us a tremendous boost. You are going to see a major, major, major sponsor on our car in Las Vegas that will remain for the balance of the year. We might have gotten it anyway, but the Daytona 500 solidified it for us,” said minority owner Felix Sabates.
Sabates and Ganassi understand their role in the sport. They accept the fact that they do not boast extensive resources such as Hendrick Motorsports, Roush Fenway Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Richard Childress Racing.
“It’s frustrating to compete with Hendrick, Roush, Gibbs, and Childress. They have marquee drivers and sponsors. We have a marquee driver in Juan Pablo Montoya and one marquee sponsor (Target) that pays the bills,” Sabates went on to say.
“I don’t have a lot. I don’t have the biggest jet over at the airport there and the flashiest trucks,” Ganassi freely admitted. “We’re in the business of racing.”
They are not trying to be something that they are not, which is one of the powerhouses. They are simply doing what they can with what they have, which is one of the many steps in becoming a powerhouse team. They still have a ways to go, but the circumstances appear positive for Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing. Do not expect them to go away any time soon.
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