Should Chip-n-Dale (EGR) Only Run Three Full-Time Cars in Sprint Cup This Year?

With the drama surrounding the Gillett-Petty merger seemingly dying down (aside from the sponsors for Reed Sorenson, who told SPEED this weekend that the car was 100 percent funded), as well as the drama from the Elliott Sadler is fired from the team/no he's still our man rumors, everyone's attention is turning back to the Earnhardt-Ganassi camp.

The plan all along has been to run four full-time cars: Martin Truex Jr., Juan Pablo Montoya, Aric Almirola, and a driver to be named. All signs seem to point that driver to be named being Bobby Labonte, although nothing is official yet.

Problem being, the team is still where they were two months ago: with two fully sponsored cars, one half-sponsored, and one with nothing officially signed.

Aric Almirola did an interview with NASCAR.com's resident fluff writer, Raygan Swan. The young Tampa, Fla., driver said the team is still committed to the four full-time entries in 2009.

But he also dropped the hint that "they (EGR ownership) have said if we have to run three cars it may be a possibility but it is not our goal."

Almirola seemed confident that he would have a full-time ride heading into Speedweeks, but there does appear to be some doubt (let's face it, if the team does cut back to three teams and Labonte comes in, guess who is going part-time?).

I guess as fans, we just have to adjust to the high level of uncertainty facing our favorite teams and drivers entering the new year, much as the people inside the sport have been doing. It's tough, but that's the nature of the game today.

Another story, posted by David Newton on ESPN.com today, claimed that DEI was seriously throwing around the idea of only running three cars, with Truex staying in the 1, Montoya moving to the 41 Target-backed machine, and Labonte in the 8.

Almirola would seemingly run another part-time season in the 42 car. Of course, this is all hearsay at this point, but I believe this would be the best direction for the newly merged team.

The DEI-Ganassi merger brought together six race teams, three of which were what I would call competitive in 2008. I don't know if it was the equipment, driver, or team personnel, but the other three struggled to perform up to task last season.

Maybe it would be best if they focused on running well with Labonte, Truex, and Montoya in 2009, thereby concentrating their best people across a smaller number of teams.

That's a heck of a trio, and given their past achievements and future potential, could all contend for Chase berths, or at least finish in the top 20.

By sending three cars out there every Sunday when you have sponsorship for two and a half, it would greatly reduce the red ink at the end of the day.

And considering the fact that these teams were forced into the merger predicament (after running unsponsored machines for much of last season), that might just be the best way to survive in the sport long-term.

Look, I want to see Aric Almirola get his chance at a full-time Cup ride just as much as many other fans do, given his promise shown in limited starts a year ago.

But given the current financial situation, teams need to be prepared to do whatever it takes to stay afloat.

And when a pair of teams have fought off extinction through a merger, I don't think it is necessarily very smart to be spending $20+ million on an unsponsored car with essentially a rookie who may tear up a bunch of equipment.

We are all having to swallow the tough medicine that larger is not always better during the current recession, and NASCAR teams, for the most part, realize that.

I know EGR wants to run a fourth car because that is what all the "superteams" are doing, as it maximizes the gathering of information, but I truly feel they would be better off (at least for the time being) allowing three proven drivers run for a championship, and giving Almirola another year to mature.

If sponsorship materializes in the next few weeks, go ahead and let him run full-time. But if not, hopefully, the sponsorship market won't be so frozen a year from now.

Links:

http://www.nascar.com/2009/news/headlines/cup/01/10/aalmirola.earnhardt.ganassi.commited.four.cars/index.html
http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/news/story?id=3825734