DEI Update

SPEED's Tom Jensen has written a nice roundup of all the problems and news surrounding DEI.

There a few situations brewing right now. The first is one that has been widely publicized, that is Mark Martin's contract being up at the end of this year. Right now, Martin is driving most races in the number eight car for them, and has done a very good job. However, he might want to look for a new team to help a young driver along, or might even want a full time gig. The five car, controlled by Hendrick's, comes to mind.

Retaining him is their goal. However, if they don't agree with what he wants to do, he won't come back for one more season. It's that simple. I imagine he'll have at least a few offers from teams looking to have veteran leadership after the season is over, so he'll have some options and flexibility. Right now, it doesn't look like he plans to come back. Aric Almirola is expected to take over for him, as he is running the races that Martin isn't in, although DEI doesn't appear to think he's fully ready.

The second issue is the eight car's sponsor. The US Army has been on the car for the last two seasons, but gets to decide if they want to move elsewhere in the offseason. If Martin is gone, the car may not be noticed enough.

Jensen claims that some sources say the Army could move to Bill Davis Racing and Dave Blaney's car, as they're looking for a new sponsor. However, nothing is completely known.

So like Martin, the Army seems to be gone from DEI.

The third and final issue is the zero-one car that Regan Smith drives. Even though Smith is a top contender for rookie of the year, the car isn't sponsored. Officials are currently looking for one, but a company is yet to step forward. If they are unsuccessful in finding one, the team will be forced to put just three cars out there in 2009. This is obviously something that they don't want to do.

So, it looks like a busy offseason for the people at DEI. Ever since Dale Earnhardt Jr. left, this team has really been falling apart. Assuming Martin leaves, the team will only have Martin Truex Jr. to really count on. Unfortunately, he could leave after the 2009 season. I don't know, it might be time to sell the company to the Earnhardt children, including Junior. It really seems like the best for the company, as it's tanking right now.