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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
SPENCER: No More No. 8
It’s hard to believe that the most popular number in NASCAR has been parked...
Jimmy Spencer  |  Posted April 17, 2009   Charlotte, NC
Jimmy Spencer calls it like he sees it on SPEED. (Photo: SPEED)

It’s hard to believe that the most popular number in NASCAR has been parked. The No. 8, the number Dale Earnhardt Jr. made famous and his father raced in his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, will be on the sidelines this weekend at Phoenix.

Earnhardt Ganassi Racing has officially shut down Aric Almirola’s No. 8 Chevrolet until they can find sponsorship for the team but none of us should be surprised. DEI and Chip Ganassi Racing were both organizations in crisis when they merged late last year and to think two drowning victims can rescue each other is absurd.

This one has been coming for a long time and its roots trace back to before Dale Earnhardt Jr left. DEI has become a shadow of its former self since its major sponsors began leaving in mass numbers and it officially bought the farm when Dale Earnhardt Jr. left for Hendrick Motorsports.

Ganassi has taken a nose dive since his three wins in 2002, earning only one victory in the past seven years - when Juan Pablo Montoya took the checkered flag at Sonoma in 2007. The new, combined team has dwindled from seven cars to only two in a handful of months and at this rate, the entire organization could cease to exist in the next year or two, a tragedy for the sport.

Public blame often automatically lands right at the feet of Teresa Earnhardt, co-owner of EGR and owner of the former DEI. I won’t point the finger at anyone in particular but I will state that mistakes were made within the company. Many people criticize Teresa for not giving Jr. a share of his father’s company as he requested, but Jr. couldn’t have saved DEI. It was already struggling on the track and too far gone. Over the past few years, DEI lost Budweiser, NAPA, Pennzoil and the U.S. Army as major sponsors. While Jr.’s continued presence in the No. 8 wouldn’t necessarily have translated into consistency or championships for DEI, he most certainly would have kept some sponsors in the fold and helped the team stand on its feet a little better.

My emotions tend to get the best of me when speaking of the former DEI because I was good friends with Dale Earnhardt Sr., but I now have no respect for those running EGR who allowed his company to crumble to virtually nothing. Earnhardt was a legend and to think his team is all but defunct is heartbreaking. It’s someone’s fault and he or she knows who they are.


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