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Reflections on where Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will go after leaving team DEI

Basically, these are the options, as I see it, for the guy. He wants to drive for Chevy, so that rules out some teams. Plus, we know he's not going to drive for a field filler or for a team like Haas that is just barely finishing top-20 every week. So, that leaves the following, in order of their best fit for Junior.

Joe Gibbs Racing
I think that JGR is actually the best fit for him, because of his friendship with Hamlin and Stewart. However, since the Coach said he's not taking Budweiser in as a sponsor and Junior certainly doesn't want to part with them, I don't think it is exactly the dream scenario.

If he did go, however, he could easily take over the 18 car, and Yeley could move to JGR's satellite team, Hall of Fame racing, driving their second car. As I said, pretty good fit.

Fit: 80%
Chance: 20%

JR Motorsports
Junior wants to be his own man, and there's no way better to do that than with his own team. The problems, however, are numerous. His Busch program is not a consistent winner or even consistent top-5 car, and that leads me to think that his Cup effort, despite the money from Budweiser, might be more along the lines of a Michael Waltrip effort than an Alan Kulwicki team.

On top of that, while owner/drivers are still around, they are not weekly contenders. If Junior pulls his own team into the Cup series, it will be because he's too stubborn to make something work somewhere else, and it will also be the biggest mistake in his career.

Fit: 80%
Chance: 40%

Ginn Racing
Ginn's upstart little team (formerly known as MB2 Motorsports) has certainly flexed its muscle this year, with a runner up finish in the Daytona 500 and a number of good runs with Mark Martin behind the wheel of the 01. What Ginn does not have right now is a superstar, and Junior could fit that bill easily. He would handily be the number one driver over there, with the aging Sterling Marlin about to retire and Front-Row Joe Nemecheck sitting midpack every week.

The biggest problem with this move is that Junior has said he wants to be a contender, and Ginn, in my opinion, has not proven that they will continue to be good. Ten races into the season is not enough to decide if the organization is completely sound.

Still, I think it is a good fit and a higher chance than JGR. Junior would be the center of attention, would have the best equipment, would have his precious sponsor and would still be driving a Chevy. I guess it's just up to whether or not he considers Ginn a 'contender.'

Fit: 65%
Chance: 35%

Richard


Below are the top articles rated and ranked by Helium members on:

Reflections on where Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will go after leaving team DEI

  • by Jim Becker

    Now that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has announced that he will leave DEI at the end of the 2007 season, there is great speculation

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  • 2 of 3

    by Ian Essling

    Basically, these are the options, as I see it, for the guy. He wants to drive for Chevy, so that rules out some teams. Plus,

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  • 3 of 3

    by Sean Powell

    dei: a different take

    this time i am not linking to some story. and i know that i don't talk about nascar that much. i wanted

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