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CUP: DEI Seeks Answers To Questions
Written by: Tom Jensen   
06/22/2008 - 02:53 PM
Sonoma, Calif.
 
DEI officials expressed interest in extending Mark Martin's contract through 2009. (Chris Trotman/Getty Images Photo) ยป More Photos

Dale Earnhardt Inc.’s Vice President of Motorsports Operations John Story said Sunday morning at Infineon Raceway that the team wants to re-sign Mark Martin for 2009, who is rumored to be on his way out, and is still looking for a sponsor for the No. 01 Chevrolet driven by Regan Smith. If no sponsor is found, Story said, the team will cut back to three cars.

Multiple sources on Sunday indicated that Martin will move elsewhere for next year, though with Martin skipping this weekend’s race, that could not be confirmed.

The U.S. Army, who has sponsored Martin’s DEI No. 8 Chevy for the last two season, is shopping other teams now, although Story insisted DEI is still in the running to retain the deal. “We are talking to them on a regular basis,” Story said of the U.S. Army.

Army officials have not yet decided which team they want to go with next year, multiple sources confirmed on Sunday. One published report had them moving to Bill Davis Racing next season, which was roundly denied by several sources close to the situation.

As far as Martin, he, too, remains unsigned. “Mark has expressed to us what we wants to do, what he would like to do, the number of races he would like to run,”
said Story. “And we just have to either work that out, or if it’s not something that would work at DEI, we’d have to sit down and talk about that as well. But we’re not quite there yet.”

One of DEI’s goals, Story said, is to get more seat time for Aric Almirola, who is scheduled to do 12 races in the No. 8 this season, while Martin does 24. “We have a commitment to the future as well,” said Story. “We need to bring Aric along. We have a long-term agreement with him and we’re going to bring Aric along as quickly as we can.”

Tom Jensen is the Senior NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,” and has appeared on numerous television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the President of the National Motorsports Press Association. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to
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