Ganassi, DEI merger?

UPDTE 2 - DEI?: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates is negotiating with several organizations, including Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Petty Enterprises. "We're talking to a lot of different people," Sabates said on Tuesday. "We're keeping our options open. Obviously, the way things are going today with sponsors, unless you have the sponsors you can't run. We only have a sponsor for the 41 car [Target] and the 42 [Wrigley's Big Red/Juicy Fruit] for half a year. We're looking at all possibilities." DEI and Petty Enterprises are in similar situations. DEI has only the #1 car of Martin Truex Jr. fully sponsored for next season, with partial sponsors in line for the #8 and none for its other two cars. Petty Enterprises is looking for sponsors for the #43 and 44 that is expected to replace the #45. So how would a merger with DEI help Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates? "They have a sponsor for one and a half cars and we have a sponsor for one and a half cars, that makes three cars, doesn't it?" Sabates said. "The same thing with Petty. They've got one car. There are other people out there, too." The biggest stumbling block for DEI to merge with Ganassi or Petty may be manufacturer permission. DEI is under contract with General Motors to field Chevrolets and the other two are under contract with Dodge/Chrysler. The proposed merger between GM and Chrysler could help that situation, but there remain other obstacles on both sides. "Everything is up in the air," Sabates said. "We're just talking in theory. We don't know what is going to happen. We don't have anything concrete with anybody. And I'm not saying we will do anything."(ESPN.com)(11-4-2008)
UPDATE 3: An alliance is in the works that would combine the #s 1 and 8 Chevrolets at DEI with the #s 41 and 42 of Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates next season. The newly combined outfit would boast a lineup consisting of Martin Truex Jr., with Bass Pro Shops sponsorship, Juan Pablo Montoya, with Wrigleys sponsoroship, and Aric Almirola. Ganassi still has a deal in place with sponsor Target, but it is unknown right now whether that will be for Almirola or for a yet-to-be-determined fourth driver. Ganassi could offer the presence of an at-track, hands-on owner, an important element that's been missing at DEI since the death of its founder Dale Earnhardt. Ganassi won four titles in Champ Car and two titles as an owner in the IRL IndyCar Series, including this season. Ganassi's current contract with Dodge extends through 2010. Given the economic climate and uncertainty of the Dodge program beyond 2009, the move would align Ganassi with Chevrolet for next year and beyond. Max Siegel, president of global operations declined comment on the report.(FoxSports)(11-5-2008)
 
I dunno. Even if the GM-Chrysler merge occurs can 2 rivals survive under the same roof?
Would GM give up DEI? If so why would DEI switch sides when it appears Chrysler is leaving in a couple of years, or so it appears.
Chrysler still has contracts in place until the end of the 2010 season. Would GM have to buy those contracts out? What does Petty have to offer anyone?
Way to much up in the air.
I can see Na$car imposing a limit on teams a manufacturer has. Otherwise it'll be the Na$car Toyota Series soon.
 
SST55 said:
I can see Na$car imposing a limit on teams a manufacturer has. Otherwise it'll be the Na$car Toyota Series soon.
Click to expand...

You make that sound like a bad thing.
Then again put all your eggs in a Toyota basket, well we could have an omelet before we know it...
 
The possibility of a merger between General Motors and Chrysler appears to be on hold. Chrysler owner Cerberus Capital Management and GM have been in talks about a merger for weeks, according to people familiar with the talks. The effort in recent days, however, seemed to be getting in the way of GM’s efforts to secure financial assistance from the federal government. The UAW opposed the idea of a merger that would result in substantial job losses. Industry analysts have predicted a GM-Chrysler merger would result in 30,000 to 40,000 job losses at Chrysler and additional losses through the economy. While not specifically naming Chrysler, GM said today that “considerations of such a transaction as a near-term priority have been set aside.” Spokespeople from GM and Cerberus have not been commenting on the talks since they were first revealed publicly about a month ago. “GM has recently explored the possibility of a strategic acquisition that it believed would generate significant cost reduction synergies and substantially strengthen GM’s financial position in the medium and long term, while being neutral or modestly positive to cash flow even in the near term,” GM’s statement said. “While the acquisition could potentially have provided significant benefits, the company has concluded that it is more important at the present time to focus on its immediate liquidity challenges and, accordingly, considerations of such a transaction as a near-term priority have been set aside.” In response to GM’s statement, Chrysler issued its own that neither confirmed nor denied that it was part of talks to merger with GM. “As we have previously stated, Chrysler LLC neither confirms nor discloses the nature of its private business meetings, as many times they do not come to fruition,” Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli said in a statement. Returning Chrysler to profitability continues to be the key focus of the management team,” Nardelli added. “We are significantly challenged by today’s economic environment and by the automotive industry's unprecedented downturn. As an independent company, we will continue to explore multiple strategic alliances or partnerships as we investigate growth opportunities around the world that would aid in our return to profitability.”(Detroit Free Press)(11-8-2008)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom