So there you were, just as I was after the Dale Earnhardt Jr. press conference, trying to put together in your head just what Jr’s next move will be.
Does he go to Hendrick, does he go to Childress, does he go to Gibbs? Well before you buy into your office pool and commit dozens of your own hard-earned Washingtons on a pick, you should know something. This is not as cut and dry as you might think. Mr. Earnhardt must take into consideration a few team issues before his ultimate decision is made. Some of which are as follows:
1. Not that ego really has anything to do with it, but if Jr. takes his talent and Budweiser’s considerable cash with him, will they be less than happy if they are not the central focus of the team he goes to? You need look no further than Hendrick Motorsports to see the crux of this issue. At Hendrick you have a four-time champ in Jeff Gordon, and Nextel Cup’s reigning champ in Jimmie Johnson. The 24/48 camp is the main focus at Hendrick and it is hard to imagine that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will eclipse them in attention.
2. Richard Childress Racing seems to be a more inviting target because their drivers are not as accomplished as far as victories and championships go. Kevin Harvick has been very supportive of Earnhardt during his decision to test the waters of free-agency. Jeff Burton is a very accommodating guy, and Clint Bowyer does not seem to be an ego-maniac, so opened arms would be all over the place at RCR to bring another Dale Earnhardt to the place were the number 3 might be re-activated.
3. Joe Gibbs Racing is interesting. Earnhardt and two-time Cup champ Tony Stewart are good friends. Let’s assume that Tony and Jr. will be talking a lot about Jr. attending team meetings on Tuesdays of next year. “The Coach” loves signing veteran players, this move would be right up his alley.
On second thought, let’s put the brakes on and scratch issues one, two and three.
Why? One of the main sticking points to his possible relationship with Hendrick, Childress, and Gibbs is the fact that Earnhardt has a cottage industry called JR Motorsports. Earnhardt wants the operations of JR Motorsports to run in concert with whichever Cup team he signs with. That makes Hendrick, RCR and Gibbs a difficult fit. All three teams already do big business in Busch, running multiple car efforts there weekly. It would be hard to think that something could be worked out when you factor in what Jr. wishes to do with his Busch operation.
Now where were we? Oh yeah!
4. Ford, Dodge, or Toyota! Well we can pretty much forget that. Dale Jr. has a sizeable personal services contract with GM and Chevy. Chances are he may not make as much money as a salesman with Ford or Dodge. Toyota on the other hand can throw a heck of a lot of cash at him, but the public relations nightmare of an Earnhardt driving for Toyota is something he may not wish to deal with. Chances are the Michael Waltrip saga has already hipped him to that.
So scratch Roush, Penske, Evernham, Yates, and Davis.
5. Teams like Frontrow, Hass, Hall of Fame Racing, etc. are not calling Kelly Earnhardt Elledge right now. These teams, though they show flashes of brilliance from time to time, have no chance because the ability to match the resources of top-tier teams simply don’t exist, and Earnhardt wants to win now. He does not want to go to a team that presents a lateral move or a step back in terms of the quality of machines he will drive.
Well, so far I have dashed whole lot of hopes here. I doubt if I have made many freinds out there, but you still have that office pool to win and I am going to give you the winning pick with one simple statement – “Somewhere, Bobby Ginn Jr. is smiling!”
Ginn Racing is just what Dale Earnhardt Jr. is looking for. They have competitive cars, great personnel, great facilities, a car owner who many think is the next Rick Hendrick, and no big Busch Series operation. Bobby Ginn has impressed me right off the bat with the way he has gone about his racing. Ginn, the South Carolina native with a sizeable empire in the resort industry, is a big thinker, and an even bigger doer. People, the man has a blimp! Hendrick doesn’t even have a blimp! Ginn Racing has the flexability to accommodate Earnhardt at every turn. Part-time drivers, drivers with short term contracts, a part-time legend in Mark Martin, and a talented young gun in Regan Smith. This is a guy who thinks outside the box. Ginn got into the NASCAR game to win. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Bobby Ginn Jr. were made for eachother. Oh, did I mention that Ginn is a Chevy guy?
Junior Johnson cashed in on Darrell Waltrip, Childress on Dale Sr., Hendrick on Gordon, and now the next great partnership could be Jr. and Jr. I smell victory here so there you have it. Keep your mouth shut on this one, and bide your time. When the pool opens, don’t even smile before your name is called to make your pick. To some, you may have taken a longshot but believe me, we both will be laughing all the way to the bank. Come to think of it, so will Jr. and Jr.!