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Nascar and Racing

Postponing the Inevitable? Truex at DEI for '09

Leading up to the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, word was that Martin Truex Jr. was going to re-sign with Dale Earnhardt Inc. for 2009, and potentially longer. Truex, though, wasn't happy about the report done by ESPN.com's David Newton:
"It's (expletive). I don't know what the hell (the reporter) is talking about. He doesn't know what he's talking about," Truex said.
It turns out, though, that Newton was ultimately right. Whether or not he was right at the time, though, is still up in the air.

Regardless, Martin Truex Jr. is expected to announce later Friday that he will be staying at DEI in the No. 1 car for at least one more year. In contract terms, Truex actually just accepted the DEI's proposal to pick up the one-year option for '09 that was already in his previous deal.

Truex's move takes away at least a fraction of the rumor game being currently played throughout the Sprint Cup garage area, as he has been rumored for any number of open seats in 2009 including Stewart-Haas Racing, Penske Racing, and Richard Childress Racing.

I figured that Penske or Childress would be a great fit for Truex Jr. mainly because DEI just hasn't elevated its game on-track to compete for championships like it should, and because Truex does have the talent to win races and championships.

Put together Mark Martin leaving the team after 2008, rumors about team president Max Siegel looking at new opportunities outside of NASCAR, and an array of young, under performing drivers in the stable, the DEI outlook isn't exactly a rosy picture.

Perhaps, though, that's exactly why Truex didn't sign a long-term deal with DEI. This move might come with an unwritten clause of "Get better or I'm gone" from Truex.

And Truex deserves that.

He deserves to be in equipment that can consistently challenge for wins and be a near shoe-in each season to make the Chase. If that doesn't happen quickly in 2009, expect a "one and done" effort for the New Jersey driver as he moves on to greener pastures in 2010.

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