[vincesanity82]

Bobby Ginn will keep the No. 13 idle. Ginn, a Florida real estate mogul, bought the team about a year ago, infused the cash-strapped organization and helped it expand quickly. Now he needs help. Ginn confirmed on Sirius Radio that team officials are entertaining offers for a possible merger. Dale Earnhardt Inc., which tried to buy the team last year before Ginn did, reportedly is a suitor. ''Right now we're talking to anyone who will talk to us,'' Ginn said. -- Miami Herald

NASCAR news aplenty, even if there is no race - 07/20/2007 - MiamiHerald.com

[jayho1015]

Ginn needs a punch in the face. If he hadn't kicked Joe out of the 01 car so he could hire Martin to race, in a partial schedule, mind you, he wouldn't be struggling for sponsors. And what did hiring Martin get him so far? Sure, he alsmot won a race, then he led the points for a while, then he sat out two weeks and gave it up. Here he is, never having won a championship, has possibly his best and last chance, and says, "No thanks, I'd rather sit on my butt at home." Nevermind all the crew who worked hard to put him in a championship caliber car every week. Didn't he owe them at least something more than that?

[tkj24]

Originally Posted by jayho1015

Ginn needs a punch in the face. If he hadn't kicked Joe out of the 01 car so he could hire Martin to race, in a partial schedule, mind you, he wouldn't be struggling for sponsors. And what did hiring Martin get him so far? Sure, he alsmot won a race, then he led the points for a while, then he sat out two weeks and gave it up. Here he is, never having won a championship, has possibly his best and last chance, and says, "No thanks, I'd rather sit on my butt at home." Nevermind all the crew who worked hard to put him in a championship caliber car every week. Didn't he owe them at least something more than that?

Them Martin fans are going to be on your butt.....

[jayho1015]

Like I care.

[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by jayho1015

Like I care.

Well first off Ginn knew from the beginning that Martin would be driving a limited schedule so any thoughts anyone has that Mark just decided to stay home is a little off base. The crew also knew what the situation was going to be also. PLUS ... when Mark isn't driving the crew is still working since Regan Smith drives the car.

The other reality is that Mark Martin is more than likely a much larger sponsor draw than Joe Nemechek was. Of course that is just my opinion.

[BringBackWilkesboro]

Originally Posted by jayho1015

Ginn needs a punch in the face. If he hadn't kicked Joe out of the 01 car so he could hire Martin to race, in a partial schedule, mind you, he wouldn't be struggling for sponsors. And what did hiring Martin get him so far? Sure, he alsmot won a race, then he led the points for a while, then he sat out two weeks and gave it up. Here he is, never having won a championship, has possibly his best and last chance, and says, "No thanks, I'd rather sit on my butt at home." Nevermind all the crew who worked hard to put him in a championship caliber car every week. Didn't he owe them at least something more than that?

Quite the contrary, my friend. Ginn moved Nemechek from the 01 to the 13 to keep the Army on that car. There was a good chance him and Sterling were going to fall off the map, and they did. When that happens, those teams all of a sudden don't seem to have much of a future and sponsors pull out, and that happened (which by the way is the reason Ginn wanted Almirola in the car now). Army being the biggest of Ginn's sponsors provided more financial support so he wanted to have someone they'd be attracted to, that way they'd stay on, That's where Mark comes in.

I do agree that Ginn needs someone to help him re-evaluate his operation. He said that once he cleared up space on the 13 and 14 to show he needed help that potential investers became more active, yet he chose not to close a deal with any of them and pull two of his drivers out while still under contract. It's tough for Joe and Sterling I know, but they are just victims of NA$CAR's new business philosophy.

[jayho1015]

Basically, what happened here is Ginn invested tons of money, hoping for a better return than he got. Mark became an option, so Joe lost out on his 01 ride so Mark could drive for Army and have provisionals to start the year. Ginn from the start promised, publicly, that when Sterling decided this year or next to retire, he'd do so on his own terms. He even went as far as to call him family. Ginn screwed Sterling and Joe in favor of younger guys. Like you said, that's today's Nascar. Some of the reason I've lost a ton of interest in the sport.

As far Martin's schedule, sure, him and the team knew the deal. He was only planning on a partial schedule. But I'm sure they didn't count on him running as well as he did either, especially with MB2's past track record. Plans can be changed, especially if it's for something you've strived to gain your entire life.

[LSC9901]

I believe Mark came into this year with the thought of racing for fun without any pressures. When he went into the points lead he stuck to his guns and kept his promise to race to have fun. Yeah maybe he could have/should have changed his mind but that would have affected the contract with himself and Smith.

He's doing only what we want everyone to do ... keep their word. Congratulations to him.

[jayho1015]

Not really. He did add a few more races to his schedule, and in doing so rooted Smith out of the seat for those races, costing him experience. Just for his own fun. Way to go Mark. Fun is fun, but some people are trying hard to make a living there. If he wants to run part time that's fine, but he shouldn't do it in the premier car for the team. Well, it probably doesn't matter anyway. I doubt he would have won it anyway. He hasn't won one before in better teams. And I guess it's not like Regan will probably do much, since this team is more about who draws sponsors.

[jks812]

Well maybe now since Joe and Sterling are gone,Smith can get more seat time too. I hate to see Sterling go. But I do think he and Joe had done about all they were going to do. Mark is still competitve, even on a part time basis, they weren't. When you are losing money and sponsors, the first to go are the ones at the bottom. It happens, all the time.
As far as Mark, he's the one that has brought all the attention to Ginn. I think it's great that he set out to run a limited schedule this year, and as he put it- have a home life- and even when leading the points, he stuck by it. Just because he hasn't won a championship don't mean he's not a great driver, because he's one of the best.

[jayho1015]

They've won as many races this year as he has. No, they haven't been great, or even good half the time. But that doesn't mean they deserve to be spit on and kicked to the curb. This whole notion of running part time is stupid anyway. I hate it that Sterling's considering it. If you want to have fun, go fishing. Go hunting. Sure they might still enjoy racing, but they're taking up seats that could otherwise be used on somebody who's out there to win, and not just to enjoy a Sunday drive. Mark Martin has this awful sense of "I'm just the man, I'm entitled to everything." He's no better a driver than Rusty Wallace, Bill Elliott, or Terry Labonte were. And no, a lack of a championship doesn't mean he's not a great driver. But it is curious that in all the time he drove for Roush it took Kurt Busch to give Roush his first championship.

[jks812]

I didn't say they deserved what happened to them. I don't think any driver deserves to be taken out of a car when they still have a contract. I also don't have a problem with them running part time. If thats what they want to do and the owner and the sponsor say ok, I say go for it. Yes it keeps other guys out of the seat that might be ready for the cup series. But it also keeps guys out of it that aren't quite ready for it yet.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by vincesanity82

Bobby Ginn will keep the No. 13 idle. Ginn, a Florida real estate mogul, bought the team about a year ago, infused the cash-strapped organization and helped it expand quickly. Now he needs help. Ginn confirmed on Sirius Radio that team officials are entertaining offers for a possible merger. Dale Earnhardt Inc., which tried to buy the team last year before Ginn did, reportedly is a suitor. ''Right now we're talking to anyone who will talk to us,'' Ginn said. -- Miami Herald

NASCAR news aplenty, even if there is no race - 07/20/2007 - MiamiHerald.com

Methinks the Miami Herald might do some research before it puts its stories about NASCAR to bed.

How could DEI try and buy a team which did not even exist last year? The #13 team was created as an afterthought for Joe Nemechek after Ginn threw him under the bus in order to put Mark Martin in the #01 ride on a part time basis.

I hate to pick nits but I really expect a major newspaper like the Herald to get its facts straight.

I heard an interview with Jay Frey (former owner of MB2, which Ginn bought) and he states that he's advised Ginn to go S-L-O-W-L-Y in his expansion and spending, which apparently Ginn hasn't done. I read that he just purchased a $8 million shaker set-up. I read that Ginn's real estate holdings aren't doing too well these days (whose are?), and his LPGA golf course is losing money. Any bets on whether he lasts out the 2008 season?

[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by jayho1015

They've won as many races this year as he has. No, they haven't been great, or even good half the time. But that doesn't mean they deserve to be spit on and kicked to the curb. This whole notion of running part time is stupid anyway. I hate it that Sterling's considering it. If you want to have fun, go fishing. Go hunting. Sure they might still enjoy racing, but they're taking up seats that could otherwise be used on somebody who's out there to win, and not just to enjoy a Sunday drive. Mark Martin has this awful sense of "I'm just the man, I'm entitled to everything." He's no better a driver than Rusty Wallace, Bill Elliott, or Terry Labonte were. And no, a lack of a championship doesn't mean he's not a great driver. But it is curious that in all the time he drove for Roush it took Kurt Busch to give Roush his first championship.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm just guessing from your posts that you have no use for Bobby Ginn and how he operates. Nothing wrong with that either, but running part time may be the option that sponsors are looking for. Lets look at it from the statistical side. Martin can probably get more attention that Nemecheck or Sterling together. Very tru that all three of them have the same number of wins but ..... how close to leading the points have Marlin and Nemechek been ? Now personally I like Joe. I like him because he has a great attitude and he is a fair driver who on any given day has a shot at winning. He is no Jeff Gordon and doesn't even pretend to be. Sterling has never been the same since the year he was in contention for the championship.

It also seems that Ginn racing has flat out tried to expand much faster than their abilities could handle. When the sponsors aren't getting what they bargained for they will cut back. When they cut back, the owner has to make cuts. That is all about economics. Plain and simple.

Roush got more opportunities for championships when his numbers expanded. I think somewhere he admitted that they have slipped downhill in the last couple of years and I think it was due to technology advances that they didn't jump on. No team will win forever. Someone is always going to get better while you remain on an even keel.

[Jeffrey4318]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

Methinks the Miami Herald might do some research before it puts its stories about NASCAR to bed.

How could DEI try and buy a team which did not even exist last year? The #13 team was created as an afterthought for Joe Nemechek after Ginn threw him under the bus in order to put Mark Martin in the #01 ride on a part time basis.

I hate to pick nits but I really expect a major newspaper like the Herald to get its facts straight.

I heard an interview with Jay Frey (former owner of MB2, which Ginn bought) and he states that he's advised Ginn to go S-L-O-W-L-Y in his expansion and spending, which apparently Ginn hasn't done. I read that he just purchased a $8 million shaker set-up. I read that Ginn's real estate holdings aren't doing too well these days (whose are?), and his LPGA golf course is losing money. Any bets on whether he lasts out the 2008 season?

I believe they were talking about the old MB2 team not just the 13. Yes the 13 didn't exist but the 01 and 14 surely did. It was rumored that DEI had interest in merging with MB2 because their shops were so close together. MB2 instead sold to Ginn. Oh and it is Jay Frye not Frey. Facts straight please.