Rumors of Petty and Gillett Merging - Can It Be?

The Associated Press is reporting that Petty Enterprises (PE) is in the chat mode with Gillett Evernham Motorsports (GEM) to merge. Of course, sources are saying don't tell them I said it, since they're still formulating the business plan.

And the plan is to move the No 43 car into this merged entity, giving the new team a 4-car effort for 2009.

Right now, this makes a bit of sense in the logic department if you recall that Sports Illustrated was saying the Petty Enterprises isn't returning to the field in 2009, but how accurate are these speculations across the board?

Additionally, I have to wonder just what benefit this merge brings to GEM? GEM is fine without PE, unless PE is dumping cash into the bank account of GEM to help them stagger through 2009.

And if this happens, when the storied history of Petty Enterprises, already diluted by their previous sell-out to Boston Ventures, what does happen to Petty Enterprises? Was the first sell out to Boston Ventures the first death knell in the wind? Is this it? Gone. After all this time? It can't hurt in present day, with the lack of performance that PE has been delivering, even if there looked to be a bit of hope here and there for PE from the No 43 camp.

Ideas for names, anyone: Gilletty Entersports? Pettette MotorPrises?

Or will this new, rumored team name just get ridiculously longer: Gillette Evernham Petty Motorssports. GEPM?

Of course is it possible that Gillette will remove Evernham's name from the team, since they bought him out in November? Evernham is not looking to own another team (source), but he did buy a dirt track (source), so hence starts his new racing endeavor. I guess we'll have to watch ray in the broadcast booth, but I can hope he sticks around NASCAR with a bit more intervention than that.

Then again, do you think his unspoken, surmised engagement to Erin Crocker might have some bit of fuel under his decision making?


Source

Petty Enterprises is NOT Merging with Anyone!!

Petty Enterprises is not merging with Gillett Evernham Motorsports.

But the Petty family and the Gillett family are exploring the possibility of a partnership, not a merge.

... there's still lots of questions that need to be answered - among them, who would "lose" a team - before a deal could be reached.

Petty said Friday that his family's company needs a partner to remain competitive and he is further along in talks with George Gillett than any other potential partner in the past.

Check out the details at scenedaily

DEI Merger & Dale Earnhardt Jr

For those of us wondering, Earlier merger wouldn't have changed anything, Junior says.

Even if the merger had occurred two months ago, Junior insisted he might not have stayed.

“I didn’t leave because I didn’t have the seven post (shaker machine), and it didn’t have anything to do with whether it was a two-car, three-car or four-car team,” Earnhardt Jr. said.

“The things that are happening now, I believe, are good things for the company, but I don’t think any of that would have changed my decision.”

http://www.thatsracin.com/242/story/5660.html

Does DEI now become a Museum?

by Bruce Simmons

I jokingly stipulated in a previous post that with Dale Earnhardt Jr. gone, DEI would become a museum.

It was a sound bite that Jeff Gordon had tossed out in an interview and I conjectured on it a bit. Now, with DEI and Ginn Racing merging, and DEI looking to move their operation into Ginn's existing, (and apparently superior?) shop, (As I heard on Sirius Radio this morning) what becomes of the original DEI shop that Dale Earnhardt Sr. worked so hard to build?

Snippets and quotes:
"There are three huge benefits to us - the real estate, Mark Martin and an ability to work with Bobby Ginn on strategic development projects that Teresa has been planning for years," Max Siegel said.

DEI's teams will continue to operate in the DEI shop as well as the nearly 180,000-square-foot facility that houses Ginn's teams. The buildings are less than five miles apart in Mooresville, N.C.

As David Poole of Thatsracin.com observes, "If the “new” Dale Earnhardt Inc. moves most of its Cup operations to the former Ginn Racing shop, could what’s now the DEI headquarters become a sort of interactive Dale Earnhardt museum/attraction? If so, I’ve got the absolutely perfect name – “3 Flags Over Mooresville.” "

http://www.thatsracin.com/247/story/5626.html

What do I always say? Time will be the telling ingredient here.

DEI / Ginn Merge

DEI officials on Wednesday said that it has merged with Ginn Racing and will immediately become a four-car team for Sunday's race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Now it's been reported.

http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/news/story?seriesId=2&id=2948742

DEI and Ginn

According to Lee Spencer on Fox Sports.com, the merger between Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Ginn Racing has been completed.

Here's how it's going to pan out: 4 cars will run as DEI entries, the No 1, No 8, No 15 & No 01.
Bobby Ginn will be listed as the owner of the Nos. 01 and 15 cars.

With Ginn as the 15 car's owner, the 15 car acquired the points of the 13 car, making the 15 car in the top 25 in owners points.

Also, DEI acquires the Ginn Racing properties in Mooresville, N.C., that include a state-of-the-art shop and 7-post machine. All four teams will work out of the facilities formerly known as Ginn Racing.

Gee, wouldn't that have been nice when Jr was there?

http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/7056284

DEI & Ginn Merger

Dale Earnhardt, Inc. and Ginn Racing are working on a merger agreement that, if finalized, would meld the two NASCAR organizations into a single company, multiple sources close to negotiations told ESPN.com on Monday.

The deal is not done, but a decision will be made soon. Both organizations hope, sources said, to firm up outstanding details and announce a partnership immediately.

See the rest of the story at espn