[cdublxi]

Okay... my first thoughts on this started when I heard Truex is in a contract year. After this year he will need to re-sign with DEI or will sign with another team. I had thought this was a non-issue due to Bass Pro signing on for another 2 or 3 years (I forget the exact contract) to sponsor him.

Second time it came to mind was when I saw him driving the JR Motorsports/Hendrick Motorsports #5 Chevrolet in the Nationwide series race this past weekend.... I casually wrote it off to Truex just getting more seat time before the Cup race (but then again... doesn't he usually pilot the #8 Nationwide car when he does this?) or just doing an old friend that helped him get his big break a favor and driving their second car.

But today.... I hear about a tire test in which the spectators were full of JR Motorsports/Hendrick Motorsports drivers except for one... Truex. Apparently this happened 2 weeks ago but I hadn't heard of it.

Details in this thread:
NASCAR listens after drivers rail about tires

What are Mears's contract terms? Is he going to lose his ride to Truex?

Am I going to lose the last driver in the DEI camp I root for?

I refuse to fly the #88 sticker on my truck because I dislike Hendrick... will I have to finally give in if Truex goes?

[3fanforever]

Just a hunch on my part... Eventually, Truex will leave DEI after his contract is up, DEI will start going broke, and JR Motorsports will buy DEI from Teresa. Junior will own DEI while driving for the Dark Side, just like his dad did when he owned DEI and drove for RCR. Who knows? Anything's possible these days.

[BiscuitMan]

Martin Truex just drover the Nationwide Series No. 5 car this past weekend just as Mark Martin did a few weeks earlier. I don't think that's a sign Truex is leaving DEI.

JR Motorsports fields two Nationwide Series cars: the No. 88 and the No. 5. JR Motorsport and Hendricks have a partnership whereby Hendricks provides chassis and engines to JR Motorsports. The cars are based at the JR Motorsports facility in Mooresville, NC. JR Motorsports enters and races the cars. Dale Jr. is heavily involved in the race operations there. See The Official Site of Dale Jr for details of their operation.

I think you should reconsider and put that No. 88 ticker on your truck. If you do that, I'll keave the No. 8 sticker on my truck.

[cdublxi]

Originally Posted by BiscuitMan

Martin Truex just drover the Nationwide Series No. 5 car this past weekend just as Mark Martin did a few weeks earlier. I don't think that's a sign Truex is leaving DEI.

Except for the fact that Mark was driving the #5 Hendrick car when he ran with Ginn... before the merger. Truex never drove the #5 car before Bristol.

Dark side is Hendrick... RCR is just in the middle.

[jks812]

Originally Posted by cdublxi

What are Mears's contract terms? Is he going to lose his ride to Truex?

If they didn't get rid of Mears to keep Busch, I really don't see them getting rid of him to get Truex.

[Fireball]

Rick Hendricks isn't going to make any changes like that!

[Highflying]

Truex will not leave He is getting the best cars over at DEI and pretty much anything he wants DEI should let Mark go and let Aric and Regen share the 8 car and just focus on 3 cars untill they get everything up to par

[Phils20]

Originally Posted by Highflying

Truex will not leave He is getting the best cars over at DEI and pretty much anything he wants DEI should let Mark go and let Aric and Regen share the 8 car and just focus on 3 cars untill they get everything up to par

I think that is just what they will do when Mark is ready to hang it up. Aric could still use some seasoning. I do have to think that Mark is helping him in that regard. I hope next year Aric gets most of the races in that car, with the next year being all his.

Just my view of it!

[Lefty Noob]

Originally Posted by jks812

If they didn't get rid of Mears to keep Busch, I really don't see them getting rid of him to get Truex.

I agree 100%. Although it would definitely be a good move to bring him on board. He's young and he's got a boatload of talent.

[cdublxi]

Originally Posted by Lefty Noob

I agree 100%. Although it would definitely be a good move to bring him on board. He's young and he's got a boatload of talent.

And the fact that JR obviously saw something in him to bring him on board at Chance2

Casey Mears has only 1 win... and it came from fuel management lucking out for him if I recall

Truex has only 1 win too... but he won in dominating fashion.

Not to mention Truex is a 2 time consecutive Nationwide champion.

5 races into the year so far (I know it's a long way to go)

Casey Mears average finish = 29.8
Casey Mears ranking = 33rd

Martin Truex Jr. average finish = 15.0
Martin Truex Jr. ranking = 12th

I don't see it too far fetched to go with a guy with stats like that.




Mind you I hope he stays at DEI

[bears9]

Originally Posted by 3fanforever

Just a hunch on my part... Eventually, Truex will leave DEI after his contract is up, DEI will start going broke, and JR Motorsports will buy DEI from Teresa. Junior will own DEI while driving for the Dark Side, just like his dad did when he owned DEI and drove for RCR. Who knows? Anything's possible these days.

I could see that because DEI is train wreck these days, one car out of the top 35 another switching drivers so doesn't have to make the chase, and Truex who hasn't been great.

[Phils20]

Originally Posted by cdublxi

And the fact that JR obviously saw something in him to bring him on board at Chance2

Casey Mears has only 1 win... and it came from fuel management lucking out for him if I recall

Truex has only 1 win too... but he won in dominating fashion.

Not to mention Truex is a 2 time consecutive Nationwide champion.

5 races into the year so far (I know it's a long way to go)

Casey Mears average finish = 29.8
Casey Mears ranking = 33rd

Martin Truex Jr. average finish = 15.0
Martin Truex Jr. ranking = 12th

I don't see it too far fetched to go with a guy with stats like that.




Mind you I hope he stays at DEI

I hope he stays too. I still have my doubts long term about Jr at HMS, much less adding another driver. HMS has only shown that they can keep two cars going at a time.

I still hope that DEI can survive, and I think the best way to do that is to keep one car at a top level.

Go Truex!! Hold that place together, and entice another good driver to come there and help ya out!

[wingkey1]

This thread touched thoughts we had as we watched Martin race this past weekend. For that matter, YTD.

We raced, contributed, participated, etc. at Wall Township Speedway in NJ for a number of years. Sad news re: Wall (Area Auto Racing News). This was a frequently visited/raced track for Martin so we got to see his competitive side/persona. We digress. What's new?

As we've watched the 1 this season to date, knowing the ability aboard, often the thoughts were - he ain't gonna put up with this for too long.

Where he'd land if "better" doesn't happen? That's a crap shoot. He is however "close" with Jr.

Hendrick or Jr Motorsports could easily be the Vegas odds, but it would be nice to see this level of talent land with one of the struggling mainstays of the sport.

Not sure if DEI "hurts" or "folds the tent" without him. Martin and Eric ain't exactly slouches in these eyes, but these ain't the only eyes.

[Fireball]

If I were in Martin Truex's shoes I would stay at DEI. With all this talk about moving to HMS or JRM gives him some leverage to negoiate a better deal with DEI. Dale Jr.'s departure started a lot of domino's falling. DEI is still a very formable race team. They use the same engines as the RCR team and still have their chassis people that worked on the Bud car.

[Bob Tanner]

I don't see this happening. Reasons:
* He's in a competitive car with a competitive team. Made the Playoff last year and is in position to repeat this season. I don't see a motive.
* Segal is getting DEI straightened out. I'll even go so far as to say that IF Segal had come to DEI twelve months earlier, Junior would still be in t e #8 Budweiser Chev.
*Psychologically he's DEI's #1 driver. Why go from a team where you're #1, in a competitive car, to an organization where you'll be the #4 team with a team that's an unknown quantity?

But, I could be very, very wrong...