Sterling Marlin, Joe Nemechek and two crew chiefs have filed breach of contract suits against Ginn Racing and Dale Earnhardt Inc. All four lost their jobs when the two teams merged in late July, and in separate lawsuits filed last week in Cabarrus County they claim they are owed their salaries. The suits don’t specify what the parties are seeking, but say “demand for payment has been made … but [Ginn and DEI] have failed and/or refused to pay all or any part.” Land developer Bobby Ginn bought the race team last summer, but merged it with DEI in late July. A week before the merger, he released Marlin, a two-time Daytona 500 winner, and Nemechek. Crew chiefs Richard Labbe and Peter Sospenzo lost their jobs after the merger.
A spokesman for Ginn did not immediately return a call for comment, but DEI general manager John Story said his organization is not responsible for the old contracts. According to the suit, both drivers were due to make $1.2 million this season, and were promised 45 percent of their race winnings and 33 percent of souvenir sales. Nemechek earned more than $4 million in race winnings last season, while Marlin made $3.2 million. Labbe, the crew chief for Marlin, and Sospenzo, crew chief for Nemechek, were earning $450,000 annual salaries.
Bill Elliott and Wood Brothers/JTG Racing will be the benefactors of the Dale Earnhardt Inc. merger with Ginn Racing. When the two teams merged on Wednesday, the organization opted to eliminate the No. 13 entry, which was 34th in the owner standings and, therefore, had a guaranteed starting position in the race. When that team fails to attempt to qualify this weekend, the No. 21 will make the field for the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Dale Earnhardt Incorporated is absorbing Ginn Racing, making it a four-car team in time for this weekend’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The deal, set to be announced Wednesday morning, was confirmed to The Associated Press Tuesday night by a person familiar with the deal who requested anonymity because an official announcement had yet to be made. DEI will immediately add the No. 01 Chevrolet, which is co-driven by Mark Martin and rookie Aric Almirola, and take the season points from Ginn’s No. 14 team and apply it to DEI ’s No. 15 entry of Paul Menard. Ginn will be listed as the owner of both the No. 01 and the No. 15, the source said. DEI will continue to run Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 8 and Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 1, both owned by Teresa Earnhardt.
Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Ginn Racing are working on a merger agreement that, if finalized, would meld the two NASCAR 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 would be to eliminate Ginn’s Nos. 13 and 14 teams.
Ginn Racing CEO Jay Frye said Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway that he expects to have the company shored up by the next Nextel Cup race, set for July 29 in Indianapolis. There is no question, Frye said, that Ginn is avidly searching for the best possible way to make the team competitive for 2008, including more Nextel Cup seat time for Regan Smith in either the No. 13 or No. 14 Chevrolet.
Regan Smith will replace Sterling Marlin in the No. 14 Chevrolet at Ginn Racing, starting with the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis on July 29, sources confirmed Tuesday. And Joe Nemechek could be out of a ride in the No. 13 Chevy for Bobby Ginn’s team due to a lack of sponsorship. The team doesn’t plan to run the car at Indianapolis unless a sponsor is found. Because the Allstate 400 is one of the biggest Nextel Cup events of the season, it’s possible to get a one-off sponsor deal just for that race. If that happens, Ginn officials would race Nemechek in the No. 13 Monte Carlo. Marlin and Nemechek still are under contract at Ginn, but both drivers have been told they are free to look for opportunities elsewhere.
Aric Almirola is set to join Ginn Racing next season to split the 2008 season in the organization’s No. 01 Chevrolet team with veteran Mark Martin, the Observer has learned. Almirola, a 23-year-old Tampa native, is currently a development driver for Joe Gibbs Racing. It remains unclear how that status will be resolved. Almirola will split the No. 01 as well as run several Busch and perhaps Automobile Racing Club of America races as well in preparation to a fulltime move to Cup in 2009, multiple sources said.
Dale Earnhardt Inc. is looking to expand its Nextel Cup operation and has inquired about acquiring an existing team. 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 No. 15 team driven by Paul Menard. Menard is 39th in owner points and has failed to qualify for six races. The top 35 teams are guaranteed spots in a 43-car Cup field. Story declined to name teams with which DEI has talked, but multiple sources confirmed Ginn Racing’s team driven by Joe Nemechek is the prime target. The No. 13 Chevrolet, which is not fully sponsored, is 33rd in owner points and Ginn has had some financial difficulties this season.
Aric Almirola, who was credited with the Milwaukee Busch Series race win Saturday night, is rumored to be joining Ginn Racing in 2008 as a protege to Mark Martin. Supposedly the plan is for Almirola to run part-time Cup, Busch and Trucks in 2008 and take over the No. 01 Chevy full-time in 2009.
We reported yesterday that Mark Martin was considering returning to the Nextel Cup full time for Ginn Racing next season. Friday at Dover International Speedway Mark Martin said that he has no intention of increasing his schedule with Ginn Racing next year. If anything, Martin will run fewer races next year, he said.
Many drivers seem convinced that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will accept an offer to drive for Bobby Ginn, even though Ginn is new to the sport, with less than a year on the circuit. Ginn has been investing heavily to turn the Chevrolet team into a top-tier operation. Driver Mark Martin led the Nextel Cup standings early this season and even after missing three of the year’s 12 races he’s still 15th in the points. Martin may return to the Nextel Cup tour full-time in 2008, according to sources.