The car will be a JRM Chevy, meaning the chassis and engine will come from Hendrick Motorsports, which provides chassis and engines for JRM, but it will be listed as an RCR entry.

Dale Jr said:

This was an idea that came up as a way to pay tribute to my dad, and it’s pretty cool that it’s a collaborative effort between JR Motorsports, RCR and DEI. The Wrangler car is definitely in the top-10 of coolest cars that have ever been on the race track. A lot of people identify with it, and I can’t think of a better way to honor my dad and celebrate his induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame than to bring the Wrangler colors back with the No. 3 on the side, similar to the ‘Wrangler Jean Machine’ scheme of the 80s. I think it will be worth seeing, and I’m looking forward to driving it at Daytona.

Childress added:

Bringing this group of people and these organizations together is the best way I can think of to honor Dale Earnhardt’s induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Dale means so much to all of us, as well as his fans across the country and throughout the world. We created a special piece of history together in 2002 and, with Wrangler back on board the No. 3 Chevrolet at Daytona; we look to make some more history in July. I know the fans will love it and much as we all will.

Once the car hits the track in July, it’s sure to stir up some emotions. Before this year, no car adorning the No. 3 had been fielded in NASCAR’s top three series since 2002, when Dale Earnhardt Jr drove the No. 3 to victory at Daytona in July.

In 2009, Austin Dillon, Richard Childress’s grandson, debuted in the No. 3 Bad Boy Mowers/ RCR 40^th Anniversary truck in the Camping World Truck Series. In 2010, he started driving the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevy in the truck series.

Up to this point, however, no driver has fielded a car with both the No. 3 and a sponsor that appeared on one of Dale Sr’s Chevys. In July, Dale Jr will drive the No. 3 with the Wrangler Jean Machine scheme Dale Sr made popular during the 80s. For some, seeing that car circle the track at Daytona is sure to bring up memories of the Intimidator. It should be an emotional day.

The team was penalized for violating Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-I (any determination by NASCAR officials that the race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20-12.8.1B (front of the car did not meet the required height specification; too low in post-race inspection).

Crew chief Kevin Manion was fined $50,000 and placed on probation until the end of the calendar year. Owner Teresa Earnhardt was penalized 50 owners’ points, while Martin Truex Jr was penalized 50 drivers’ points.

The penalty dropped Truex from 24th to 26th in the driver standings.

And while I don’t know the reasons for some of the business decisions being made by Teresa Earnhardt, I suspect that pride and stubborness are leading to the mismanagement of the company that Dale Earnhardt Sr built.

Since Sr’s death, Teresa hasn’t had much interest in the sport, often skipping appearances at the track. She’s been called an absentee owner on several occasions.

She let pride get in the way when Dale Earnhardt Jr made his highly publicized bid for ownership in the company. Jr frequently complained that DEI was doing nothing to keep up with the competition. He contended that the team was not purchasing new technology that would help performance, and that the team was not expanding, despite being too big for its shop in N.C.

Teresa was so stubborn and arrogant that she let NASCAR’s most popular driver walk away, and expected the team to survive.

She wouldn’t even let Jr take with him the number he put back on the map. I can understand that the No. 8 has sentimental value to DEI, but it’s not like Jr and Rick Hendrick made an unreasonable offer. I think they also would have agreed to return the number, when Jr was finished with it. But, Teresa went out of her way to ensure that they would not get the number by seeking a percentage of licensing revenue.

Since Jr jumped ship, DEI has been a sinking ship. The team merged with Bobby Ginn Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing. It lost three sponsors in Budweiser, US Army, and Menards. It lost drivers Mark Martin and Paul Menard. And is rumored to be in danger of losing Martin Truex Jr and Bass Pro Shops.

Sadly, things will not improve until Teresa gives up control of the company, or she stops letting foolish pride and personal reason influence business decisions.

Even before Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s highly publicized departure from DEI before last season, the team was struggling to remain competitive. While Martin Truex Jr. made the Chase in 2007, Jr. lost six engines and crashed out of races twice.

As if losing Jr. wasn’t enough, the team had a mediocre, at best, 2008 season with Truex Jr. receiving a 150-point penalty and conflicting reports as to whether Truex had re-signed with the team.

At the end of the season, Mark Martin left the team for Hendrick Motorsports, like Jr. Paul Menard left, taking his sponsor with him to Yates Racing. The US Army left the team for Stewart Haas Racing. Everyone was abandoning ship.

At Chip Ganassi Racing, things weren’t much better. The team shut the doors to its No. 40 team and driver Dario Franchitti due to a lack of sponsorship money.

The team also fired Jimmy Elledge, which seemed to upset Juan Pablo Montoya. And, Montoya, at one point, was rumored to be leaving the team, while Reed Sorenson left the team for Gillett Evernham Motorsports.

When DEI and CGR merged to form EGR, they had Montoya, Truex Jr. and Aric Almirola under contract. They were missing a driver with a lot of NASCAR experience. They were missing a multiple race-winner. They were missing a veteran leader. In Labonte, they may have found all of that.

Labonte needs good equipment to be competitive, and EGR should be able to provide that. I know that the team has struggled, but some of that you have to put on its absentee owner, Teresa, who some say is not committed to winning.

Ganassi will be a presence at the track, and is committed to winning. He should be able to help keep the focus on on-track performance.

That, combined with Labonte’s leadership, should make any partnership a perfect match.

Rumor has it that now Labonte is being considered for the No. 8, where he will be reunited with his former Petty Enterprises crew cheif Doug Randolph.

Other EGR rumors include that Target may move its sponsorship over to the No. 42 and Juan Pablo Montoya, instead of the No. 41 car, which currently does not have a driver named.

Martin Truex Jr. will be back in the No. 1 with Bass Pro Shops. Aric Almirola, at this point, is expected to drive the No. 8 car, which is currently looking for sponsorship following the departure of the U.S. Army. He may be moved to the No. 41 car, though. Montoya will be sponsored by Wrigley’s Big Red and Juicy Fruit brands, but that sponsorship only covers half of the season.

Almirola said in a NASCAR.com article:

It is something they have kicked around and talked about. 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.

Also, Max Siegel, president of global operations for Dale Earnhardt Inc., which is now EGR, is said to be close to leaving the team. Siegel has been working with DEI owner Teresa Earnhardt about his future plans with the team.

Martin Truex Jr. seems to be dragging his feet on signing that extention, and is rumored to be considering joining Stewart Haas Racing in a third car. He’s said to be furious with the team’s recent penalty that knocked him out of Chase contention.

Also, the team is considering shutting down the No. 01 of Regan Smith if it cannot lock up sponsorship dollars for the entry.

The U.S. Army, which sponsors the No. 8, is said to be looking at other teams for its sponsorship. That team recently lost Mark Martin, but does have Aric Almirola slated to be full time in the ride next season.

And now, I’ve read that Paul Menard and his father, John Menard, are rumored to be considering moving over to Yates Racing next season, leaving DEI without sponsorship and a driver for the No. 15 car.

With all of these rumors, the only certain thing is that Almirola will be in the No. 8.

If that’s the case, Teresa Earnhardt has to be considering selling DEI, despite comments that the team is not considering a sale.

Recently, Dale Earnhardt Jr. said that he had no interest in buying the team. What? Come on! Jr. is telling us that if DEI was put up for sale, he wouldn’t have any interest in buying it. BS, I say. How could he not? First, it’s his father’s team. Second, it’s a team he helped build through winning races and being NASCAR’s most popular driver. He put DEI on the map.

It’s the family business in a sport where family is central to most everything and he’s going to try to convince us that he hasn’t thought, for one second, about purchasing the team since hearing about it? Come on Jr., be honest. You would definitely consider buying the team because it is your father’s legacy.

But, there’s a reason Jr. said he is not interested in buying the team: he knows that Teresa would make it very difficult for him to purchase. Read his comments:

I didn’t ever feel like [Teresa] would be interested in selling the company. I don’t think that is in [her] character to give that company up. She feels that strong about it. She felt that strong about it a couple of years ago.

I think he knows how difficult she would make it for him to buy the team. I could see her taking a lesser offer from someone rather than letting Jr. buy it. Why? Because of the high profile control battle last season. In some ways, letting Jr. buy the company would be like conceding defeat.

Another reason he said he has no interest is because he’s learned to keep his mouth shut on his thoughts when talking to the media. If he were to express an interest, no matter how minor, he would be fielding questions about it for the remainder of the season.

He is in contention for the championship this year, and needs to focus on that. He’s trying to minimize the distractions, and any possible rumor about interest in buying the team would certainly be a distraction.

NASCAR found that the No 1, driven by Martin Truex Jr., was “in violation of Sections 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-Q (car, car parts, components and/or equipment used do not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20-3.8A (roof of the car does not conform to the specifications) of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rule book.”

Truex has been docked 150 championship driver points, while Teresa Earnhardt has been penalized 150 championship owner points. The penatly dropped Truex from 14th in the standings, 88 points out of 12th, to 18th in the standings, 238 points out of 12th.

Crew chief Kevin Manion and car chief Gary Putnam have both been suspended for six races and will be on probation for the rest of the year. Manion was also fined $100,000.

The No. 1 Chevy was found to be 1/16th of an inch too narrow during inspection. The team was allowed to correct the problem and go through inspection again. But, again, it failed.

The reports are that she’s looking to sell the team first. But, if that doesn’t happen, she would consider taking on an investor.

This seems odd to me. I know a year makes a big difference, especially considering all of things that happened to the economy over the following year. But, still…

If she’s thinking about selling the company, then it was stubbornness that led to her reject Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s ownership offer last season.

Instead of putting her ego aside and keeping the company family owned, she instead is now looking for a buyer, sending the company that Dale Sr. built to someone who is not an Earnhardt.

Mark Beech from Sports Illustrated pointed out that Truex seems to be having the same problems the Jr. had last season. Sure his engines aren’t blowing up every other week, but he is still having similar problems.

Beech wrote:

Truex’s on-track problems seem to be the same ones that Dale Earnhardt Jr. spent so many years complaining about before he left to join Hendrick Motorsports at the end of last season: a lack of resources at the shop and a lack of horsepower in the engines.

He also called the contract situation:

a further distraction that only seems to be exacerbating the problem. How else to explain his ability to overcome DEI’s limitations to qualify for the Chase last year, and his current inability to be competitive?

While I’m not going to pretend that I have any definitive answer, my guess is that everyone else got better. If you’re standing still, but everyone else is moving forward, then you end up behind. And that’s what’s happening at DEI.

Personally, DEI needs an owner who is committed to the success of the program on the track. And, to be succuessful in NASCAR, you need money. Does that mean a seven-post shaker rig? Probably. You need to be testing and have the equipment to get the job done.

Being a good racer and driver is only part of the equation. You need good equipment, team chemistry, and a little bit of luck. Sometimes, luck is hard to come by. But, the other two aspects come from a committed owner. Teresa Earnhardt is not a committed owner. Truex may slowly be learning that.

That may be why Mark Martin wants out. It may be why the U.S. Army was looking around. It could be why sponsors are not lining up to be on the No. 01 Chevy, no offense to Regan Smith.

I wish Teresa would sell the company, or at the very least, change the name. After all, something that is quickly approaching mediocrity should not bear the name Dale Earnhardt.

A Tony Stewart-backed Haas CNC might not be a bad option, considering.