Dale Earnhardt Inc., Ginn Racing complete merger (cont'd)

"When I purchased Ginn Racing last year, it was done with a goal of fielding a multi-car effort capable of winning races and championships," Ginn said. "We came very close to winning the season's biggest race earlier this year with Mark, and today we feel as if we have done one better by partnering with a company with the legacy of Dale Earnhardt Inc. Our performance has been strong, as evidenced by our top-10 position in owner's points with the 01 car, but we know that having the opportunity to be part of a four-car effort provides significant benefits."

Sponsorship is what ultimately doomed Ginn's Nextel Cup aspirations. The Florida developer entered the sport late last year with big plans, hiring 75 new people and investing millions in new equipment as he tried to build his team into a contender. He even made a run at Earnhardt Jr., who is leaving DEI after this season, and eventually agreed to a five-year deal with juggernaut Hendrick Motorsports beginning in 2008.

Everything seemed golden on the first weekend of the season, when Martin's car nearly won the Daytona 500. But the vehicles of Nemechek and Marlin failed to find full-season sponsorship, resulting in layoffs, the elimination of the Busch team, and ultimately Wednesday's merger.

"It's another indication of how expensive the sport is. This guy came on with a lot of bravado when he jumped in, and was trying to say I'm just as good for Dale Jr. as Hendrick or Roush or Childress, and all of the sudden he's jumping out, basically," said Max Muhleman, a pioneering motorsports consultant based in Charlotte, N.C. "There's no doubt you'd like to be in it, but it's extremely expensive, and he probably made a very good business decision. He'll probably be able to keep a hand in it if he wants to, a lot like Felix Sabates does."

Sabates, who once owned his own race team, is now minority owner of Chip Ganassi's NASCAR organization. Although management at DEI will oversee day-to-day activities of the expanded team, the complete ownership hierarchy -- general manager Jay Frye owned a stake in the Ginn team along with Bobby Ginn -- was not explained in Wednesday's release. Executives at Ginn and DEI did not immediately return interview requests. The principals are scheduled to meet with the media Thursday at Indianapolis, site of Sunday's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.

"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," Siegel said.

The merger also makes teammates out of Earnhardt Jr. and Martin, two of the sport's most popular drivers, at least for the remainder of this year.

"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."