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NEW YORK – Dale Earnhardt Inc. will scale back to two full-time teams in the Nextel Cup series next season, the organization announced Wednesday.
DEI's No. 1 Chevrolet – the first Cup team started by the late Dale Earnhardt – will run only a partial schedule in 2004, using driver John Andretti in the season opening Daytona 500. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip will continue in DEI's Nos. 8 and 15 Chevrolets, respectively.
The No. 1 utilized several drivers this season, starting with Steve Park, then Jeff Green and ended the year with Andretti. However, sponsor Pennzoil left at season's end and the team was not able to secure a full-time sponsor for 2004.
In addition to the reduced schedule for the No. 1, Chance 2 Motorsports, co-owned by DEI owner Teresa Earnhardt and Eanrhardt Jr., will run a full NASCAR Busch Series schedule in 2004 with driver Martin Truex Jr.
Earnhardt Jr. will drive a second car for the team in superspeedway races at Daytona and Talladega, Ala., and Truex Jr. will run five to seven Cup races in the No. 1 to prepare for a possible full-time move to the series in 2005.
"This is the approach we decided to take looking toward the 2005 season," said Teresa Earnhardt. "We are going to strengthen our program for the No. 1 car and get that back to the status of Earnhardt standards.
"From a marketing standpoint, this is a great opportunity for a company to get involved with a Nextel Cup team. And, a young driver such as Truex Jr. in our No. 1 car will be the perfect place to utilize that strategy."
DEI won four Cup races – including the Daytona 500 with Waltrip – and three Busch races in the 2003 season. Truex Jr. competed in six Busch races with Chance 2 in 2003, with two top-five and three top-10 finishes.
"I'm really looking forward to running for the Busch championship," said Truex Jr., 23. "After six races with Chance 2 in 2003, I was really pleased with the way things went and how we performed. Some of our finishes didn't reflect what we are truly capable of achieving on the track.
"We'll have 34 races next year to capitalize on what we learned this year together. I have the best equipment, crew chief and team anyone could ask for in the Busch garage. We ended the season on a positive note with two second-place finishes."
"The Chance 2 team and Martin have shown they are capable of competing up to the standards we strive to achieve here at Dale Earnhardt Inc.," Teresa Earnhardt said. "Committing to a full season in the Busch Series will better prepare us to meet the high standards of the No. 1 team in 2005."
DEI's No. 1 Chevrolet – the first Cup team started by the late Dale Earnhardt – will run only a partial schedule in 2004, using driver John Andretti in the season opening Daytona 500. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip will continue in DEI's Nos. 8 and 15 Chevrolets, respectively.
The No. 1 utilized several drivers this season, starting with Steve Park, then Jeff Green and ended the year with Andretti. However, sponsor Pennzoil left at season's end and the team was not able to secure a full-time sponsor for 2004.
In addition to the reduced schedule for the No. 1, Chance 2 Motorsports, co-owned by DEI owner Teresa Earnhardt and Eanrhardt Jr., will run a full NASCAR Busch Series schedule in 2004 with driver Martin Truex Jr.
Earnhardt Jr. will drive a second car for the team in superspeedway races at Daytona and Talladega, Ala., and Truex Jr. will run five to seven Cup races in the No. 1 to prepare for a possible full-time move to the series in 2005.
"This is the approach we decided to take looking toward the 2005 season," said Teresa Earnhardt. "We are going to strengthen our program for the No. 1 car and get that back to the status of Earnhardt standards.
"From a marketing standpoint, this is a great opportunity for a company to get involved with a Nextel Cup team. And, a young driver such as Truex Jr. in our No. 1 car will be the perfect place to utilize that strategy."
DEI won four Cup races – including the Daytona 500 with Waltrip – and three Busch races in the 2003 season. Truex Jr. competed in six Busch races with Chance 2 in 2003, with two top-five and three top-10 finishes.
"I'm really looking forward to running for the Busch championship," said Truex Jr., 23. "After six races with Chance 2 in 2003, I was really pleased with the way things went and how we performed. Some of our finishes didn't reflect what we are truly capable of achieving on the track.
"We'll have 34 races next year to capitalize on what we learned this year together. I have the best equipment, crew chief and team anyone could ask for in the Busch garage. We ended the season on a positive note with two second-place finishes."
"The Chance 2 team and Martin have shown they are capable of competing up to the standards we strive to achieve here at Dale Earnhardt Inc.," Teresa Earnhardt said. "Committing to a full season in the Busch Series will better prepare us to meet the high standards of the No. 1 team in 2005."
