It's a Mystery

HOMESTEAD, Fla. --

Is this the end of the road for Dale Earnhardt Inc., the company that the late Dale Earnhardt created and expected his family to continue?

Maybe.

But until somebody shows up at Homestead-Miami Speedway to explain the merger between DEI and Chip Ganassi Racing and the formation of the new team -- Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates -- it's hard to tell.

DEI's public-relations operation has been nonexistent this season, and Ganassi's hasn't been much better.

General Motors executives -- Mark Kent is the company's head of racing -- have repeatedly declined to talk about any of the various options, but might have worked behind the scenes to push Teresa Earnhardt to shape up her struggling operation.

Dodge officials, such as NASCAR field director Mike Delahanty, have been the only ones stepping up and talking, but only in generalities.

Teresa Earnhardt has declined to talk with the media for about eight years now. And Ganassi, who has been spending less and less time at races this season, has been less than forthcoming on what his plans might be.

This is the latest on the merger. Word broke Wednesday afternoon that the deal being brokered by Chevy owner Teresa Earnhardt and rival Dodge owner Ganassi the past few weeks to "merge" was finally approved by both sides … under some yet-to-be-decided format, and with the blessing, of sorts, of General Motors and Chrysler's Dodge division.

The new organization is expected to run Chevrolets, with Dodge executives all but conceding that point.

One big question: If Dale Earnhardt's name isn't on the masthead, why should General Motors be interested in spending money to support Teresa's operation?

The only plus for GM would seem to be the addition of Juan Pablo Montoya to its NASCAR roster. But then why would Chrysler-Dodge be willing to give up one of its biggest names? And who is going to pay Montoya's sizable salary?

It appears that Ganassi will run the operation, but it's uncertain where Teresa Earnhardt will fit in.

And who will be building engines? Chevy's Richard Childress last year helped create a new engine department with DEI, headed by Richie Gilmore. But it is not yet clear how interested Childress might be in providing engines to the new Earnhardt-Ganassi operation.

It is also unclear what would happen to all the Dodge equipment that Ganassi has.

As for the drivers, DEI's Martin Truex Jr. will be one, with sponsor Bass Pro Shops. Montoya will be the other full-time driver, with Target expected as his sponsor. Rookie Aric Almirola will be a third driver, part-time, with Wrigley's sponsorship.

And there has been hot speculation for weeks now that Bobby Labonte would become the fourth driver, with uncertain sponsorship, however. Labonte has been driving for Dodge's Petty Enterprises, and he just signed a new contract there, but has no sponsorship in place for the No. 43 team. In fact, the Pettys confirmed a few weeks ago they, too, had talked with Teresa Earnhardt about a possible merger.

But the Earnhardt-Ganassi story, weeks in the works behind the scenes, has been coming out in bits and pieces the past several days. Dodge officials said Wednesday night that they would have a statement, but one was never released. GM executives have continued to beg off any comment, raising questions about how many details have been taken care of.

The principals, Earnhardt and Ganassi, finally made it official Wednesday night, and all parties promised more information eventually. But it seems highly unlikely that Teresa Earnhardt will be at Homestead-Miami Speedway to answer questions about DEI and the future.

It also appears that about 100 crewmen, maybe more, will lose their jobs Monday because of this merger. And there's also the issue of the base for the merged teams operation, and what happens to the other buildings involved.

Without Dale Earnhardt or Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- and now apparently without Dale Earnhardt's name on the building -- DEI is a shell of a company. With good people, yes, a lot of them and good equipment and a great 200,000 square-foot shop.

But there's no top-name driver. DEI's four teams and Ganassi's two were shut out of this season's Chase for the Championship.

Truex is a solid racer but has only one win in four years on the tour, at Dover in the spring of 2007. He is 15th in this season's standings.

Montoya was impressive his first season, 2007, winning at Sonoma, but he's been a no-show since, aside from a strong spring run at Talladega. He is 25th in the standings.

Almirola, a promising newcomer whose career was mishandled at DEI this season, has run only 17 races in his brief time on the tour, and his team -- with points scored by fellow part-timer Mark Martin -- is 16th in the standings.

Martin has left DEI for Rick Hendrick's team.

On the Ganassi side, he was forced to shut down one of his three teams in July and fire 70 people, including driver Dario Franchitti, for lack of sponsorship. Then driver Reed Sorenson announced he was leaving at the end of this season because he thought that his career would be more promising with another team. Ganassi has been unable to find a driver or sponsor for that team, and Sorensen sits 32nd in the standings.

Ganassi's lone Cup win since 2002 was Montoya's 2007 win at Sonoma.

On Teresa Earnhardt's side: 17 of DEI's 24 wins over the years were with Dale Earnhardt Jr. at the wheel. Over the past four years, however, DEI has logged just three wins (two by Earnhardt Jr. before he left for Hendrick Motorsports).

It's not a pretty picture to take to a potential sponsor.

Dodge, on the other hand, is not dealing from strength, given the turmoil and uncertainty in Detroit. Dodge might well be willing to shed the Ganassi operation and pare its NASCAR roster, which would now be anchored by Roger Penske. Gillett's overtures to dump Dodge and jump to Toyota probably didn't go over well with Dodge.

■ Mike Mulhern can be reached at mmulhern@wsjournal.com.