[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by PenelopePitStop

He did say he wants to stay with Chevy. Forgive my ignorance, so what team would that be? I don't follow manufacturers.

The four main contenders are RCR, HMR, Ginn Racing and Gibbs.

Personally, I believe the bottom line question to this topic is:
Which is more important to Junior; driving a Chevie, or winning a championship.

The emotional dreamers in the NASCAR fan base want him to win a championship in a black #3 Goodwrench Chevie, owned by Richard Childress.

Reality is that the result will fall short of that goal, but as of now, how far short is up in the air.

[PenelopePitStop]

Originally Posted by jks812

There are what, 22 chevy teams. All with the exception of Hendrick have an open slot ( not up to the limit yet). Ginn said he was gonna try using the under dog approach. And I wish he would go to a team where he can make a difference at.

Well, hopefully he will make a difference no matter where he goes.

Interesting that our local news channels here never cover NASCAR, but all three major stations covered Jr. leaving DEI. Big news!

[PenelopePitStop]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

The four main contenders are RCR, HMR, Ginn Racing and Gibbs.

Personally, I believe the bottom line question to this topic is:
Which is more important to Junior; driving a Chevie, or winning a championship.

The emotional dreamers in the NASCAR fan base want him to win a championship in a black #3 Goodwrench Chevie, owned by Richard Childress.

Reality is that the result will fall short of that goal, but as of now, how far short is up in the air.

I've never even heard of Ginn. I guess I'll have to do my research.

I'm sure Jr. wants a championship no matter what he drives. I REALLY have mixed emotions about Jr. in the 3. But if he can't be in the 8 for another team, then I guess it would be ok ... I'm not sure.

This reminds me of the commerical where Jr. fans have the 8 everywhere, then he announces he's changing his number. Cute commercial. Ironic.

[Mike24]

Alot of the experts inside NASCAR have been saying Jr will go to Hendrick. The fan polls say differently, but the people inside NASCAR know more than us. I watched an interview, and one of the insiders said there is something haunting the Jr and RCR deal. I tend to agree, I think there is something haunting in the backround that we don't know. I've heard Kyle Busch may be taken out of the 5, and Jr will be put in that ride. If there is indeed something haunting this RCR/Jr deal, with Gibbs basically out of the question, Ginn and Hendrick are the 2 main contenders. Gonna be interesting.

[tbalt]

Originally Posted by Mike24

Alot of the experts inside NASCAR have been saying Jr will go to Hendrick. The fan polls say differently, but the people inside NASCAR know more than us. I watched an interview, and one of the insiders said there is something haunting the Jr and RCR deal. I tend to agree, I think there is something haunting in the backround that we don't know. I've heard Kyle Busch may be taken out of the 5, and Jr will be put in that ride. If there is indeed something haunting this RCR/Jr deal, with Gibbs basically out of the question, Ginn and Hendrick are the 2 main contenders. Gonna be interesting.

Who is saying Gibbs is out of the question? I think that team has just as good of a chance at making him a champion as Hendricks or RCR.

[Mike24]

Originally Posted by tbalt

Who is saying Gibbs is out of the question? I think that team has just as good of a chance at making him a champion as Hendricks or RCR.

Gibbs doesn't want Jr because of the Budweiser deal. And Budweiser is most likely staying with Jr. Not saying they are out of the question, but I don't think Gibbs will want Jr if Budweiser stays with him, which it looks like they will.

[jks812]

Originally Posted by PenelopePitStop

I've never even heard of Ginn. I guess I'll have to do my research.

He owns the cars of Mark Martin, Sterling Marlin and Joe Nemechek

[oncea3fan]

the only logical choice would be HMS, they are at the top and would be the best place for him to win championships.
the only question I see is who's car /team will he get.
the mear to ginn makes the most sense, if ginn evan wants him.

speaking of ginn, is that really an extension of HMS , with HMS really have a 7 car team ???

[Mike24]

Originally Posted by oncea3fan

the only logical choice would be HMS, they are at the top and would be the best place for him to win championships.
the only question I see is who's car /team will he get.
the mear to ginn makes the most sense, if ginn evan wants him.

speaking of ginn, is that really an extension of HMS , with HMS really have a 7 car team ???

Ginn builds their own Chassis, but HMS supplies them with engines, and other resources. They are basically an extension team to them, along with Haas. They are a huge organization that's for sure!

[PenelopePitStop]

Originally Posted by jks812

He owns the cars of Mark Martin, Sterling Marlin and Joe Nemechek

Got it. Thanks!

[Mike24]

I didn't want to create another thread, so I will post this in here.

Hendrick Motorsports, Earnhardt Jr. mull marriage

It could be a dream lineup of drivers at Hendrick Motorsports when the green flag drops for the Daytona 500 next February: Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and ... Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Yes, in spite of various reports over the weekend that claimed that Little E -- the most coveted free agent in NASCAR history -- was close to reaching an agreement with Joe Gibbs Racing on a long-term contract, don't buy it. From what I'm hearing, the leader in the Earnhardt sweepstakes at this point is Hendrick Motorsports, the most dominant team in NASCAR over the last few years.
If this is going to happen, though, a few dominoes still need to fall. NASCAR limits the size of each race organization to four teams, and Hendrick currently has four drivers under contract through the 2008 season: Gordon, Johnson, Kyle Busch and Casey Mears. But Hendrick could farm out of one his drivers to a place like Ginn Racing, which already leases its motors from Hendrick.
Last Friday afternoon at Dover, Earnhardt strolled into the infield media center and held court for about 15 minutes. "I don't particularly want to be in this situation," he said. "But I'm trying to make it as positive a learning experience as I can. We're trying not to comment too much on how things are going or what's going on until we can really have something to say, but I can tell you that things are positive. I've just been overwhelmed with the personalities that I've met, with the owners and the individuals working at each company. There are certainly a lot of great people out there with good morals and good values and with great attitudes about the sport and about what they want to accomplish."
When Earnhardt uttered the words "good morals" I immediately thought of Gibbs, who's a devout Christian. And so when Jeff Hammond of Fox announced during the pre-race telecast on Sunday that according to his sources, Little E was going to sign with Gibbs and that an announcement was imminent, it appeared to make sense. But then on Monday and Tuesday morning I talked to several sources, and according to them, Gibbs isn't even the frontrunner to sign Earnhardt. That distinction, from what I'm told, goes to Hendrick Motorsports.
If Junior does move to Hendrick next year, he would fit in just fine. He's friends with both Gordon and Johnson, and he already has a tight relationship with Hendrick himself. In fact, one of the most important things that Earnhardt is searching for is to have a tight bond with his new owner. His stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt, the owner of DEI, was rarely at the track and wasn't around to congratulate Junior whenever he won or console him when he had a poor finish. Earnhardt simply didn't feel appreciated by his boss. Even if you're the most popular driver in NASCAR history, it's still important to hear from your superior that you're doing a good job.
Earnhardt would get this from Hendrick, who's trackside nearly every weekend and is always in Victory Lane to give his driver's a big bear hug.
It's nowhere near a done deal that Little E will sign with Hendrick, but that's the direction he appears to be moving. Junior will likely make a decision about where he'll be racing next year by the end of the month.
__________________________________________________ __________
I told ya, never count out HMS!

[Jeffrey4318]

Something tells me this writer is just writing stuff off the top of their head. If Junior wants to close to his owner he goes to RCR done deal not Hendrick. Also I don't see Hendrick leasing out a driver to a team like Ginn. What do they tell Ginn? "Hey I know you really wanted Jr but we are going to sign him so you take Mears. Okay?" Um...no not okay. What if teams like Ginn or Haas don't want Mears? Cause I know HMS isn't going to give up Gordon, Johnson, or Busch. Even then you think Mears would just say okay I'll go to a second tier team like Ginn or Haas. BS Mears would right fully decline, because he is contracted to drive the 25 car for HMS. Not Ginn or Haas.

Now true teams don't have to go to just 4 cars until 2010. So basically HMS could sign Jr and then worry about what to do 2 years down the road. Maybe Gordon retires, or Busch and Mears move on. Who knows. One thing I do know right now HMS has the most snags they would have to overcome to sign Jr. I just don't see it happen.

I'd see Ginn before HMS. Just because Ginn is up and coming, they have a top tier ride. What every say that 01 car is among the best right now. Ginn is showing evidence that he is going to do what it take s to be successful in Nascar.

I think JGR and RCR are about equal, and are probably the two front runner. I wouldn't be suprise if a contact with RCR is done, and they are starting all the other rumors just to throw people off. Even though JGR has said they aren't looking to move to 4 cars until '09. How do you pass up an elite driver and sponsor? Jr and Visa....hmmm a driver that will give you an endless amount of $$$ and a Sponsor that can give you an endless amount of $$$. Those two alone would pay all the bills for the whole operation. They would give JGR an endless amount of resources to compete in Nascar. So I'm not buying the '09 thing. If Jr and Visa are truly in their laps they would snatch them up in a heartbeat.

[Mike24]

Originally Posted by Jeffrey4318

Something tells me this writer is just writing stuff off the top of their head. If Junior wants to close to his owner he goes to RCR done deal not Hendrick. Also I don't see Hendrick leasing out a driver to a team like Ginn. What do they tell Ginn? "Hey I know you really wanted Jr but we are going to sign him so you take Mears. Okay?" Um...no not okay. What if teams like Ginn or Haas don't want Mears? Cause I know HMS isn't going to give up Gordon, Johnson, or Busch. Even then you think Mears would just say okay I'll go to a second tier team like Ginn or Haas. BS Mears would right fully decline, because he is contracted to drive the 25 car for HMS. Not Ginn or Haas.

Now true teams don't have to go to just 4 cars until 2010. So basically HMS could sign Jr and then worry about what to do 2 years down the road. Maybe Gordon retires, or Busch and Mears move on. Who knows. One thing I do know right now HMS has the most snags they would have to overcome to sign Jr. I just don't see it happen.

I'd see Ginn before HMS. Just because Ginn is up and coming, they have a top tier ride. What every say that 01 car is among the best right now. Ginn is showing evidence that he is going to do what it take s to be successful in Nascar.

I think JGR and RCR are about equal, and are probably the two front runner. I wouldn't be suprise if a contact with RCR is done, and they are starting all the other rumors just to throw people off. Even though JGR has said they aren't looking to move to 4 cars until '09. How do you pass up an elite driver and sponsor? Jr and Visa....hmmm a driver that will give you an endless amount of $$$ and a Sponsor that can give you an endless amount of $$$. Those two alone would pay all the bills for the whole operation. They would give JGR an endless amount of resources to compete in Nascar. So I'm not buying the '09 thing. If Jr and Visa are truly in their laps they would snatch them up in a heartbeat.

Visa said they aren't even speaking with Jr, and they don't plan on becoming a primary sponsor in NASCAR or for Dale Jr. With Gibbs not wanting Budweiser, that knocks them out of contention. From what I've heard, Jr and Childress have talked, but they haven't got into serious discussions. Hendrick is smart enough to realize what he is going after.

[Jeffrey4318]

Originally Posted by Mike24

Visa said they aren't even speaking with Jr, and they don't plan on becoming a primary sponsor in NASCAR or for Dale Jr. With Gibbs not wanting Budweiser, that knocks them out of contention. From what I've heard, Jr and Childress have talked, but they haven't got into serious discussions. Hendrick is smart enough to realize what he is going after.

Yeah and everyone else rumored to sign Jr and a sponsor (Bud or Visa) have all denied reports. Eventually someone will step up and we will know the truth. Wether or not JGR and Visa are telling the truth all I am saying is if the possibility is there JGR wouldn't pass over it. Just because Hendrick is smart enough to realize what he is going after doesn't mean all the other teams are not.

Plus just because a team like JGR wont except a beer sponsor doesn't mean the can't sign Jr. Jr and Bud are not attatch at the hip. Any sponsor could jump in and sign a deal with Jr. Heck we don't even know if a sponsor will be announced when Jr annouces what team he will choose. We still don't even know if it is set in stone that Bud can terminate their contract with DEI. Everyone just assumes they can. DEI is being too quiet at the moment. For all we know they will sign their replacement driver before Jr decides his new team.

[jks812]

Originally Posted by Jeffrey4318

. We still don't even know if it is set in stone that Bud can terminate their contract with DEI. Everyone just assumes they can. DEI is being too quiet at the moment. For all we know they will sign their replacement driver before Jr decides his new team.

Budweiser, which has sponsored the No. 8 Chevrolet since Earnhardt Jr.'s 2000 rookie season, has an option to leave DEI after this season.
"Budweiser, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Dale Earnhardt Inc. have enjoyed a great relationship since 1999," said Tony Ponturo, vice president of global media and sports marketing for Anheuser-Busch, Inc. "Dale Jr., and his father before him, have been excellent and loyal ambassadors for our company and the sport of NASCAR. Budweiser and JR Motorsports have an agreement in place to ensure Dale Jr. will continue to personally represent Budweiser through 2008, and we look forward to discussing our future with Dale Jr. and DEI in the weeks ahead."

I guess if Jr leaves they can too.