DEI-Ginn Racing merger

Dale Earnhardt Inc. gained a star. Ginn Racing gained the support to challenge for wins in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. With the announcement that Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Ginn Racing would merge, it appears both teams will benefit immensely.
DEI was looking for a driver to replace Dale Earnhardt Jr., the most popular driver in the Nextel Cup Series, and who is leaving the team his late father founded for Hendrick Motorsports in 2008.
The team found a star in Mark Martin, the part-time driver for Ginn Racing and one of the most recognizable drivers in the Cup Series. He is still committed to a part-time racing schedule in the Cup Series and will be sharing driving duties in the No. 01 Chevrolet with Aric Almirola.
The new four-car team with consist of the No. 01, No. 1, No. 15 and No. 8 Chevrolets. Martin Truex Jr. will drive the No. 1 entry, Paul Menard is in the No. 15 and Earnhardt Jr. will be in the No. 8 car until the end of the season.
The No. 13 Chevrolet for Ginn Racing is being eliminated from competition. NASCAR will only allow Cup teams to have four cars.
“This merger is great for both companies,” said Max Siegel, president of global operations for DEI. “Our stated goals included an expansion to four cars as quickly as possible and, in order to do that, we had to acquire more shop space. This relationship with Bobby Ginn and his company allows us to accomplish both which makes this a perfect transaction.”
Bobby Ginn is the owner of Ginn Racing. He started the season with three cars, the No. 01, No. 13 and No. 14. Martin and Regan Smith shared driving duties in the No. 01 Chevrolet in the Cup Series before the merger. Smith will continue to drive for the team, but it looks like his Cup races will be limited. His next race will be the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at O'Reilly Raceway Park.
"NASCAR's cap of four teams per company meant we had to give something up," Ginn said. "We felt so strongly about this merger that we surrendered the intangible value of the 13 car. We all were completely comfortable that the benefits of working together far outweighed the value of points."
Siegel said there were key benefits -- having Martin as a driver among them -- to agreeing to the merger with Ginn Racing that will give Teresa Earnhardt, the owner of DEI, the ability to work with Ginn on strategic development projects that she has been planning for years.
“The value of additional square footage is easy to see, but the value that Mark will bring to our company is harder to measure and may be even more impactful," Siegel said. "Mark has pledged his complete support to our young drivers and our entire company in an effort to make us all better. Given his stature in the sport, this type of benefit cannot be quantified.
“Teresa and Bobby have discussed some very high level strategies concerning her development objectives and who would be better to partner with than Bobby? This is a win-win relationship in its truest form."