DEI’s Fall From Grace

Earnhardt Ganassi Racing’s decision to park its famed No. 8 Chevy is a sign of the economic times we’re in. But, it is also a sign of just how far the team has fallen.

And while I don’t know the reasons for some of the business decisions being made by Teresa Earnhardt, I suspect that pride and stubborness are leading to the mismanagement of the company that Dale Earnhardt Sr built.

Since Sr’s death, Teresa hasn’t had much interest in the sport, often skipping appearances at the track. She’s been called an absentee owner on several occasions.

She let pride get in the way when Dale Earnhardt Jr made his highly publicized bid for ownership in the company. Jr frequently complained that DEI was doing nothing to keep up with the competition. He contended that the team was not purchasing new technology that would help performance, and that the team was not expanding, despite being too big for its shop in N.C.

Teresa was so stubborn and arrogant that she let NASCAR’s most popular driver walk away, and expected the team to survive.

She wouldn’t even let Jr take with him the number he put back on the map. I can understand that the No. 8 has sentimental value to DEI, but it’s not like Jr and Rick Hendrick made an unreasonable offer. I think they also would have agreed to return the number, when Jr was finished with it. But, Teresa went out of her way to ensure that they would not get the number by seeking a percentage of licensing revenue.

Since Jr jumped ship, DEI has been a sinking ship. The team merged with Bobby Ginn Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing. It lost three sponsors in Budweiser, US Army, and Menards. It lost drivers Mark Martin and Paul Menard. And is rumored to be in danger of losing Martin Truex Jr and Bass Pro Shops.

Sadly, things will not improve until Teresa gives up control of the company, or she stops letting foolish pride and personal reason influence business decisions.

Earnhardts To Drive For RWR

Rick Ware Racing has announced that Kerry and Jeffrey Earnhardt will drive its Chevys for several races this Nationwide season.

Kerry is the son of the seven-time Sprint Cup champion, and half-brother of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jeffrey is the grandson of Dale Sr.

RWR fields that No. 31 and No. 41 Chevys in the series. The No. 31 will be the focus of the team, with the No. 41 running on a part time basis.

Jeffrey was, and still is, a developmental driver for Dale Earnhardt Inc. DEI and RWR formed an alliance, and DEI will provide some Chevys to RWR.

Jeffrey is slated to drive  at Dover International Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Watkins Glen International, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Michigan International Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway and Lowe’s Motor Speedway.  Jeffrey may also race at Iowa Speedway and Auto Club Speedway, but those would have to be switched for other races to keep Jeffrey eligible for Rookie of the Year in 2010.

Kerry Earnhardt will run “several” races for the team, making his debut with the team at Texas Motor Speedway. He is also expected to run at Talladega Superspeedway and Atlanta.

In addition to the Earnhardts, Stanton Barrett, Derrike Cope, Travis Kittleson, Tim Brown and Tim Andrews drive for RWR.

Columnist Seeks To Squash Debate Whether Driver = Athlete

ESPN features a column written by Ed Hinton that seeks to squash the debate, once and for all, as to whether drivers are athletes.

Hinton asserts that drivers are not athletes, but in the end says it does not matter.

Instead, Hinton takes issue with the people who would argue that auto racing is not a sport.

He writes:

I’ve often wondered just when and how the American public’s definition of ‘sport’ narrowed so radically to ‘athletics.’ If anybody bothered to pay attention to Webster anymore, they’d find under ‘sport,’ 1. A source of diversion: PASTIME.

He also points to an Ernest Hemingway quote: There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing and mountaineering, all the others being games.

Hinton concludes:

Having had to cover the deaths of [Nigel] Mansell’s archrival in [Formula 1], Ayrton Senna, and his best friend in NASCAR, Dale Earnhardt, I am certain of this: Motor racing is no game.

This column is definitely worth the read, but I somehow doubt it will end the debate.

Busch = Legend? Ridiculous!

Why is everyone in the media so quick to compare Kyle Busch to the likes of Richard Petty, Jeff Gordon, David Pearson, Bill Elliott, Dale Earnhardt, Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough, etc.?

Sure Busch is on one heck of a tear this season, visiting Victory Lane seven times in the Sprint Cup. He’s got 14 wins in all three major series and is on pace to win around 12 races in the Sprint Cup series alone, this season.

But, come on. To put his name in with the likes of past champions and legends is ridiculous. I’ll say it again, it’s ridiculous!

Don’t get me wrong, Busch has phenominal talent. He’s capable of winning a championship this season, and in some ways, it’s his championship to lose at this point. But, that doesn’t make the kid a legend.

How can you compare a guy in his third year to a seven-time champion? You can’t. Well, you can, but it would be absolutely ridiculous.

You know what makes legends? Being a consistent top performer, not one hot season. Now, no one knows what next season will bring, but let’s give Busch time to prove he’s a legend before we start calling him one.