Dale Jr. has a new teammate… for a minute

In a not-so-surprising move, Ginn Racing has agreed to drop 2 of its drivers and move further into its merger with Dale Earnhardt Inc.  In a quite surprising move, it has decided to do so immediately.

What does this mean for the parties involved?  First of all, it means that Sterling Marlin (#13) and Joe Nemechek (#14) are basically fired.  Both with several Cup wins, both with close calls at Cup championships, both without a job as of Sunday.

As a part of the fast-tracked merger, Mark Martin, driver of the 01 Army car, will now run that same car at Indy Motor Speedway at the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, but under new management.  The 01 car will now be a DEI car.

More “where’s my jerb” after the jump.

Its not very often, in any professional competitive endeavor that a deal like this can be made so quickly.  Moreover, a deal made this quickly also affects the standings.  Now that the 01 is a DEI car, that means that DEI takes over the owner points.  Instead of the 3rd best DEI car being a 40-whatever-eth place Paul Menard, now its a top 20 Mark Martin driven 01.

Why does this matter?  Well it does because for the first five races of next season, including the Daytona 500, the top 35 finishing cars in owner points are guaranteed a spot in the starting grid. 

Its a good move for Ginn financially and competitively, and its a good move for Teresa Earnhardt because she is guaranteed the sponsor money that goes along with the 01 being included in the race.

Is it good for the circuit?  Tough to say.  But the facts remain.  Sterling Marlin and Joe Nemechek, wily veterans in their own right, are left fending for themselves for the next 6 months.

Personally, I hope Sterling finds a way to run the UT car again, even if he is a tool.