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On Tuesday an announcement was made that caught no one by surprise, Paul Menard and his sponsorship would leave Dale Earnhardt Inc. for Doug Yates racing. This move further signals the perilous position that DEI is in. Four cars, three drivers, and only one sponsor. This is certainly not the company of one year ago.
Whether or not the lack of sponsorship is simply because of the poor economy or the fact that a big name such as Dale Earnhardt Jr. is absent from the company doesn't really matter. The fact of the matter is, Dale Earnhardt Inc. is in real trouble much like many other teams, but it just seems wrong that DEI is not the top tier organization they once were.
With the departure of Menard, his primary, and associate sponsors it leaves DEI with only one high profile sponsorship. Bass Pro Shop is signed with DEI possibly through 2010, but Martin Truex is only signed through 2009. Aric Almirola and Regan Smith both are signed on full time for 2009, but neither team has sponsorship in place. Army is rumored to be on the move after this season and they have not come forward to dispel that rumor.
Good people work at DEI, people who work hard to continue Dale Earnhardt's legacy as a racer. But those at the top seem to have lost sight of the simple fact that Dale Earnhardt was a race car driver not a movie star, music legend, or reality television celebrity. For all the merchandise sold in Dale's likeness, his true legacy in NASCAR was the accomplishments on the track. One has to wonder if bringing outside folks with little to no actual race experience was the right move. In the time that Max Siegel has come on board at DEI, the company has lost Dale Jr. as a driver, the Budweiser sponsorship, Paul Menard and his family sponsorship. The company could not even keep Mark Martin in a part time role or the sponsorship associated with him.
So many key people have left the organization over the past few years. It wasn't just a matter of crew members switching teams, but individuals hand picked by Dale himself. People who had been there from the beginning. People who know racing and what it takes to make a race team competitive. All are gone. Whether or not they left on their own accord or were forced out, the lack of racers leading the company is reflective on track.
No one wants to see this organization fail and fall to the wayside, but it is obvious that those in charge have lost the race. Losing drivers, losing sponsors, and losing sight that DEI is really a race team and not just a merchandise gravy train seem to not have changed the course of the sinking ship and that is unfortunate. It is hard to fathom what could possibly make the powers that be take a different course. Losing the namesake was not enough, losing multiple sponsors, and drivers has not changed the course. It almost seems as if the Titanic is destined for the iceberg after all.
Sharon@insidethepitbox.com
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