NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Key questions surrounding the newly merged Earnhardt Ganassi Racing operation still remain unanswered although driver Aric Almirola insists the team will run four cars at the Daytona 500.

Almirola's No. 8 Chevrolet has no sponsor, team executives have yet to name a driver for its No. 41 car and the driver of the No. 42, Juan Montoya, still needs sponsorship for at least half the season.

Announced in mid-November, Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Chip Ganassi Racing agreed to merge creating a Chevrolet-powered, four-car stable with Almirola in the No. 8 car, Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 1 car, and Montoya in the No. 42 car.

The fourth driver in the No. 41 car could be Bobby Labonte with Target's support but then again team leaders told Almirola he may slide into the car as well.

"It is something they have kicked around and talked about," Almirola said. "But really and truly we want to run four cars. That is the goal because everybody knows to be competitive you have to have a multi-car team. They have said if we have to run three cars it may be a possibility but it is not our goal."

Meanwhile, crews and the new teams are acclimating under their new roof together in Concord, N.C. at the original Chip Ganassi Racing shop. It was there last season Ganassi was forced to shut down his No. 40 team piloted by Dario Franchitti due to lack of funding and sponsorship.

It's a concern for Almirola who is eager to run a full season. Last year he split time in the No. 8 with Mark Martin.

"The moral of the story is you don't have any money, it's very disheartening," Almirola said. "It's a shame because we have a really good race team. It is disappointing going into the Daytona 500 uncertain about 2009. But we are not alone."

Several NASCAR teams have been forced to shut their doors and those who remain in business have cut major portions of their workforce.

In Nashville this weekend to celebrate Sprint Sound and Speed, Almirola tried to keep the mood light and jokingly hit the NASCAR press core up for some sponsor dollars.

"Do you have any money? We don't," he said. "We are trying to find money. It's tough. A lot of teams are going after the same sponsors right now; they are low-balling each other and taking a lot less. It's a brutal market, we have nothing set in stone for a full-time sponsor and it's a shame because our race car finished 14th in owner points last year. Makes you wonder what the heck is going on."

What is going on is a recession, said Ray Evernham who weathered a merger last season to better his financial future. Still, sponsorship continues to be an issue. Now, Evernham is a minority owner and retired from day-to-day operations of Gillett Evernham Motorsports who last week finalized a merger with Petty Enterprises.

Nevertheless, Evernham is confident things will level out but his biggest fear is how it will affect the sport's competition level.

"It will separate the competition further from the have's and have not's," Evernham said. "I still think you're going to have full fields. Some teams will go away, but some new teams will sprout up. But the level of competition, you know, might end up being just between three or four owners. It wasn't that long ago we 18 or 19 different winners in a season. I'm just afraid that that is not going to continue to happen."

With respect to sponsorship, Evernham said he is more concerned about 2010 than 2009.

"The sponsors really aren't sure of what their advertising budgets are going to be. And I don't think that NASCAR's really going to find out how hard it's been hit until 2010 because it seems like we're a year behind what really happens in the economy.

If the economy is good, we're a year behind when sponsorships go up. When it is bad, we're a year behind."

By that logic, a fulltime sponsor may not come for Almirola in 2009 but he is still pushing hard to sell himself to interested companies.

"I talk with owners Teresa [Earnhardt] and Chip [Ganassi] both and we are committed to run the full season," Almirola said. "So they say, come hell or high water, we are going to race."