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140-447: In June 2021, Ganassi accepted an unsolicited offer from former CGR Xfinity Series driver Justin Marks to sell the entire NASCAR operation to Marks' Trackhouse Racing team, with the deal finalized after that season. On November 12, 2008, Chip Ganassi and Dale Earnhardt, Inc. owner Teresa Earnhardt , widow of seven-time Cup Series champion and DEI namesake Dale Earnhardt , announced that

280-501: A 33rd-place finish in the points. Before the 2007 season started, Lone Star left the No. 40 team as primary sponsor, leaving only Coors Light. After the beginning of the season, Tums also came on as a sponsor of the No. 40 team. Stremme had a much better start to the season, earning his first Top 10 in the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway , posting his best career finish, 8th, two weeks later in

420-614: A 75-race winless streak by winning at Dover after qualifying second, immediately advancing to the Round of 8. On April 13, 2020, NASCAR and iRacing indefinitely suspended Larson after he used a racial slur during an iRacing event. In a statement posted to Twitter, Chip Ganassi Racing had announced that they had suspended Larson without pay. As a result of his actions, McDonald's, Credit One Bank, Advent Health and Fiserv terminated their sponsorship of Larson. In addition, Chevrolet suspended its relationship with Larson indefinitely. CGR fired Larson

560-524: A 7th-place finish at Watkins Glen on August 14 and a 9th-place finish on August 25 at the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire . Montoya's struggles continued through 2012, as the Ganassi program as a whole was looking for answers. In 2013, after Ganassi switched to Hendrick Motorsports engines, Montoya nearly won at Dover, but was passed in the final laps by Tony Stewart , and finished second. Montoya would also have

700-566: A Cup Series team that debuted in 2021. The team operates on a cause marketing strategy that includes a STEM education program for minority populations in the United States. On June 30, 2021, Trackhouse announced their purchase of the NASCAR operations of Chip Ganassi Racing , with its two charters for the No. 1 and the No. 42 teams, therefore announcing the team will be two cars in 2022. A driver, sponsors, and number would be announced later. It

840-515: A Cup championship as an owner. After the season concluded when Trackhouse bought the assets to the team, the second team used the number 1, however that team is the old 42 team including driver, crew chief, crew members, and sponsors. The No. 40 car debuted in 1993 as the second car in the SABCO stable. It had sponsorship from Dirt Devil and was piloted by rookie driver Kenny Wallace . After Wallace finished 3rd behind Bobby Labonte and Jeff Gordon in

980-496: A company which Dale Earnhardt partially owned. On July 25, 2007, DEI merged with Ginn Racing , formerly known as MB2 Motorsports. The No. 01 team joined the No. 1, No. 8 and No. 15 teams. The merger did not affect the DEI team name. The acquisition had the following effects: On November 12, 2008, DEI and Felix Sabates' Chip Ganassi Racing (the latter at the time a Dodge team) merged their NASCAR operations into one organization. The team

1120-498: A dismal 27th-place points finish. The struggles continued in 2012, with only three top tens and a 21st-place points finish. For 2013, CGR would switch to Hendrick engines looking to improve performance. McDonald's would become the main sponsor as Bass Pro Shops scaled down to two races. The team also gained a 10 race sponsorship from the Textron Company, with brands Cessna , Bell Helicopter , Bad Boy Buggies, and E-Z-Go adorning

1260-493: A heated battle at the end of the race. Busch, on worn tires, would go to victory lane while Spencer scored a season-best second-place finish. In 34 races, Spencer scored two Top 5's and six Top 10 finishes en route to a 27th-place points finish, and was released to make way for Ganassi's Busch driver, Casey Mears. Busch Series driver Casey Mears was hired to drive the car, joining fellow rookie teammate Jamie McMurray . Mears struggled in his rookie season but steadily improved over

1400-408: A leasing service; sales of vehicles and component parts; and consultation and support. Club E is the official fan club for Dale Earnhardt . It is a membership based fan club with three different levels based on contribution level (ranging from no fee to $ 49.99). Members of Club E have access to Dale Earnhardt footage, personal items, discounts at the DEI retail store, Carowinds , Kings Dominion ,

1540-768: A minority owner in the Golden State Warriors . He also served as an executive at Crocs and the interim CEO of Tesla Motors . Marks and Michael McDowell operate a karting facility called the Trackhouse Motorplex, located 30 miles north of Charlotte, North Carolina . The facility opened in October 2012, and was inspired by another karting track located in Parma , Italy . In 2015, HScott Motorsports owner Harry Scott Jr. took control of TSM's K&N Pro Series East team, and partnered with Marks to field four cars under

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1680-629: A number of teams. He won the pole position for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway as well as the ARCA RE/MAX Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway . Marks returned to the Camping World Truck Series for 2011, driving for Turn One Racing in the No. 66 Chevrolet. In 2013, Marks made his Sprint Cup Series debut at Sonoma Raceway in the 2013 Toyota/Save Mart 350 , driving

1820-488: A part-time status with Pete Rondeau as the crew chief. They occasionally fielded cars for John Andretti , a two-time winner. Ron Fellows returned to the No. 1 for the 2004 Watkins Glen race bringing sponsorship of Nilla Wafers and Nutter Butter with him. During the race, Ron qualified 43rd after qualifying was cancelled due to rain. Despite this, Ron put up an amazing drive through the field in which he charged from 43rd place to finish second behind winner Tony Stewart . In

1960-458: A partnership with JR Motorsports , Richard Childress Racing , and Wrangler Jeans where, for one race, as a tribute to his father, Dale Earnhardt Jr. would drive the No. 3 Chevrolet Impala . The blue and gold paint scheme paid homage to the car Dale Earnhardt drove in the 1980s. The car was raced in the Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway on July 2, 2010. It was

2100-460: A race in 2004, but had a very good season, with 23 Top-10s. He finished 11th in series points, the best of the non-Chasers. In 2005, McMurray missed the Chase after he was passed by Ryan Newman just before the Chase started, and McMurray finished 12th in points. McMurray left after the 2005 season to replace Kurt Busch at Roush Racing . Casey Mears moved over from the No. 41 to take his place during

2240-412: A race in his only season driving for Ganassi, and left the team after the season for Michael Waltrip Racing . Truex was replaced by Jamie McMurray , who had previously driven for the Ganassi organization from 2002 until 2005, winning his first Cup race with the team as a substitute driver. Bass Pro Shops was joined by McDonald's as a primary sponsor. McMurray started the year off with a bang, winning

2380-601: A race plagued by rain to claim his first NASCAR victory; he dedicated the win to former Ganassi driver Bryan Clauson , who had died earlier in the week in an accident. In 2017, Marks returned to the Xfinity Series driving the No. 42 for Chip Ganassi Racing at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course finishing 9th and at Road America finishing 4th. On October 15, Marks joined Tommy Baldwin Racing 's No. 7 for his return to

2520-555: A rotational basis, with The Hartford , Kennametal , Dodge Journey , Target, Dodge Avenger , and Wii Fit appearing on the car. Franchitti suffered ankle injuries in a Nationwide Series race at Talladega, causing him to miss several races. Marlin, Stremme, Ken Schrader , and Jeremy Mayfield filled in during his absence. Ganassi shut the team down in July due to its lack of funding mid-season, with around 70 employees laid off. Franchitti, meanwhile, moved to CGR's IndyCar operation. The team

2660-554: A second place in the Aaron's 499 in 2008, Texaco/Havoline left the team. With Texaco leaving and the Wrigley Company not able to cover the full season, long-time Ganassi sponsor Target moved over from the No. 41 to the No. 42 for 2009. Upon merging with DEI, the team absorbed the team's Chevrolet equipment after running Dodges since 2001. In 2009, Montoya had a breakout season, with seven top 5s, 18 top 10s, and 2 poles. He qualified for

2800-576: A spot in each race for the remainder of the 2007 season. After the 2008 season, Menard took his talents and sponsorship to Yates Racing driving the No. 98 Ford . The DEI No. 15 team was disbanded. In 2003, DEI debuted the No. 81 car sponsored by Kraft Foods for the Tropicana 400 at Chicagoland Speedway in July, with driver Jason Keller failing to qualify for the event. Pairing crew chief Kevin Manion with longtime Petty Enterprises driver John Andretti ,

2940-469: A strong run at Richmond leading several laps, but would again come up short. Later, on August 13, 2013, it was announced that Montoya's contract with Ganassi would not be renewed for the 2014 season. For 2014, promising development driver Kyle Larson took over the No. 42 after winning the 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year. Montoya, meanwhile departed for Chip Ganassi 's rival, Team Penske , in

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3080-468: A true title contender, scoring a record-breaking fourth consecutive win in the Aaron's 499 at Talladega, after being involved in a 27-car crash on lap 4. He struggled for most of the race, and was at points a half-lap down, only catching back up to the pack through a caution. The win was controversial because on the last lap, it appeared that Earnhardt Jr. went below the yellow line to gain position, but NASCAR ruled that Matt Kenseth had forced Earnhardt below

3220-530: Is a museum in Mooresville, North Carolina . Formerly a race team founded by Dale Earnhardt and his wife, Teresa Earnhardt , it competed in the NASCAR Cup Series , the highest level of competition for professional stock car racing in the United States, from 1998 to 2009. Earnhardt was a seven-time Winston Cup champion who died in a crash on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 . Despite his ownership of

3360-489: The 1999 season had ended, Nemechek won his first Winston Cup race at New Hampshire International Speedway , and won two more poles. The No. 42 was 87 in 1996. In 2000, former Winston Cup Rookie of the Year Kenny Irwin Jr. took over the 42 car. He was just adjusting to his new team, scoring a single top ten in the first 17 races, when in July he was killed in an accident at New Hampshire during Cup Series practice,

3500-547: The 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series , DEI ran a part-time schedule with Martin Truex Jr. making seven starts in the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet . The team returned to full-time status in 2006 , collecting five Top 10's and finishing 19th in points. On June 4, 2007, Truex scored his first career NEXTEL Cup victory in the No. 1 car at the Dover International Speedway in a COT race. Truex also qualified to race in

3640-544: The 2010 Daytona 500 for Ganassi in his first race in the No. 1 car. It was the first win for a Ganassi team car since Juan Pablo Montoya won the 2007 Toyota/Save Mart 350 . McMurray returned to the winner's circle by winning the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis, the first time that he had won multiple races in a season since joining the Cup Series full-time in 2003. Inconsistency throughout the season, however, kept McMurray out of

3780-524: The 2016 Pure Michigan 400 , qualifying him for the Chase for the Sprint Cup. However, both he and teammate McMurray would be eliminated from championship contention after the Citizen Soldier 400. In 2017, Larson captured his second career victory at the 2017 Auto Club 400 after securing pole position for the race. This completed his first "Weekend Sweep", which is when a driver wins every race run during

3920-703: The ARCA Racing Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series . He also served as a road course ringer in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and Cup Series. Marks was born in St. Louis, Missouri . During his youth, he went with his grandfather (who lived in Iowa ), to see local Midwest racers such as Dick Trickle , Ken Schrader , and the Wallace brothers battle on dirt tracks. His family moved to Menlo Park, California , when Marks

4060-434: The Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway , and ended the season with three Top 10s. Stremme was released due to Coors Light's departure to become the "Official Beer of NASCAR". On October 3, 2007, reigning Indianapolis 500 winner and IndyCar Champion Dario Franchitti was announced as the new driver of the No. 40 car for the 2008 season. Due to the lack of sponsorship, the team had to procure one-race partnerships on

4200-556: The Chase for the Nextel Cup that year. He was DEI's only representative in the 2007 Chase for the Cup and his qualification is, to date, the last for a driver in a DEI car. At the end of 2009, Truex left the team for Michael Waltrip Racing to drive the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts -sponsored Toyota Camry . The No. 8 car was DEI's second cup series entry, the team was formed to bring Dale Earnhardt Jr. to

4340-507: The Chase for the Sprint Cup and finished eighth in the overall standings, the best season-ending points position for Ganassi since Sterling Marlin 's third-place finish in the final standings in 2001. Midway through 2010, Montoya had sported great runs but didn't have the finishes to show for it, specifically at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway where Montoya dominated, but his crew chief Brian Pattie called for four tires late in

NASCAR operations of Chip Ganassi Racing - Misplaced Pages Continue

4480-470: The Daytona 500 but was able to get in on a car bought from Phil Barkdoll . After losing his brother John in a crash at Homestead-Miami Speedway (and missing Darlington to attend his funeral, during which he was replaced by Phil Parsons ), Nemechek won two pole positions and finished 28th in points, followed up by a then-career best 26th in 1998 . Weeks after announcing that they would not race together after

4620-516: The IndyCar Series . For 2014, Larson competed with what many deemed to be the strongest rookie class in the series' history, including 2013 Nationwide Series champion Austin Dillon and several of their former Nationwide Series competitors. Larson nearly won at Auto Club Speedway , finishing second to Kyle Busch after a late-race restart. Larson defeated Busch the day before to capture the victory in

4760-463: The NAPA Auto Parts 500 —an injury he did not admit to until mid-September. In the three races following Fontana, he finished no better than 30th. However, Earnhardt Jr. rallied to sweep both Talladega races (leading a dominating 133 of 188 laps in the spring race), a pair of Bud Pole Awards and an 11th-place finish in the standings with 11 Top 5s and 16 Top 10 finishes. In 2003, Earnhardt Jr. became

4900-577: The NASCAR Hall of Fame , Kannapolis Intimidators games, Charlotte Motor Speedway , Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet, and Great Wolf Lodge, Inc. as well as member only events. Club E is currently suspended but does offer a Facebook page for fans to follow to receive news. The Dale Earnhardt Foundation was founded with a mission to continue the legacy of Dale Earnhardt through charitable programs and grants reflecting Earnhardt's commitments to children, education and environment and wildlife preservation. After

5040-460: The NASCAR Rookie of the Year standings, he was released at the end of the season. Bobby Hamilton drove the car the next season with sponsorship from Kendall Motor Oil , during which the No. 40 car was bought by Dick Brooks . Hamilton finished 23rd in points that year. The 1995 season saw multiple drivers such as Rich Bickle , Greg Sacks , and Shane Hall pilot the car. But at the end of

5180-887: The SCCA Regional Racing Series , and later the Speed World Challenge Series. With success in the SCCA, Marks moved to the Rolex Sports Car Series GT Class in 2004 where he met good friend Joey Hand . Switching between the GT class and the World Challenge, Marks racked up four wins, eight podiums, and thirteen top tens between the two series. In 2005 Marks again raced in the Rolex Sports Car Series where he won 3 races with teammate Joey Hand. At

5320-634: The Trackhouse Racing . After a short decision, the team decided to bring the whole 42 team over including Ross, crew chief Phil Surgen, the crew and sponsors including AdventHealth but the 42 number did not come over as that team now runs as the 1 car. The 42 number however was not out of use long as the Petty GMS Racing team picked up its second car as the 42. The No. 46 car began as the No. 87 NEMCO Motorsports car owned and driven by Joe Nemechek . After he signed with SABCO in 1996, Sabates became

5460-481: The Winston Cup Series for the first of two appearances at Pocono Raceway with the No. 14 Racing for Kids Chevrolet driven by Jeff Green . Robby Gordon also drove the car in an appearance for DEI at Charlotte Motor Speedway later in the season. In 1997, sponsored by Burger King , Busch Series standout Steve Park drove the car in four races, with the team failing to qualify in another four. In 1998 ,

5600-592: The fall Kansas race , Larson was eliminated in the Round of 12 of the Playoffs. He finished the season ninth in points. During the 2019 season, Larson made history by becoming only the third driver to win the Monster Energy Open and the Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race . Larson once again made the Playoffs, his 4th straight appearance. Right after advancing past the Round of 16, Larson broke

5740-467: The 01 car ran under the DEI banner, the team ran as MB2 Motorsports , with their cars driven by drivers such as Ernie Irvan , Ken Schrader , and Joe Nemechek . Veteran Mark Martin , coming off his final year with Roush Racing , was signed to drive MB2's No. 01 car for 20 races (18 points races plus the Budweiser Shootout and Nextel All-Star Challenge) in 2007, with Joe Nemechek moving over from

NASCAR operations of Chip Ganassi Racing - Misplaced Pages Continue

5880-532: The 01 team to the team's new 13 team. Regan Smith was pinned to fill the remaining 18 races of the season, while driving in the Busch Series for the team as well. MB2 Motorsports also changed its name to Ginn Racing to reflect Bobby Ginn 's new majority interest in the team. Martin was leading in the final turn of the season-opening Daytona 500 , after lining up on the final restart with former Roush teammates Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth behind him. Coming down

6020-609: The 2003 Daytona 500. RAD ended after Petree pulled out of the series in 2003 to focus on his Busch series program. Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines (ECR) was formed in May 2007 with cooperation between DEI and Richard Childress Racing , developing and building engines common to the Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series teams. In mid-2008, a stand-alone facility north of Salisbury in Welcome, North Carolina

6160-468: The 2006 season. He finished runner-up at the Daytona 500, but failed to win a race during the season and finished 14th in points. Mears decided to leave Ganassi, moving to Hendrick Motorsports for 2007. In July 2006, it was announced that former Indianapolis 500 winner, CART Champion, and at-that-time Formula One driver Juan Pablo Montoya would replace Mears in the No. 42 for 2007. Texaco returned to sponsor

6300-569: The 2008 season to replace Casey Mears in the No. 5 Kellogg's / Carquest Chevrolet and join Dale Jr. at Hendrick Motorsports. In 2009, the Army withdrew their support in favor of Ryan Newman 's No. 39 car at Stewart-Haas Racing . Almirola was engaged to drive the No. 8 Guitar Hero World Tour Chevrolet for the full 2009 season but the sponsorship lasted only four races. Following the 2009 Samsung 500 at Texas , Earnhardt Ganassi Racing announced that

6440-409: The 2008 season; on June 13, 2007, officially announced his move to Hendrick Motorsports (HMS); and on August 16, 2007, that he would not retain the No. 8 car number. On September 12, DEI announced Mark Martin and Aric Almirola as co-drivers of the No. 8 U.S. Army Chevrolet with crew chief Tony Gibson for the 2008 season, both finishing 28th and 42nd in points respectively. Martin left DEI after

6580-427: The 2017 Comcast Community Champion Award in recognition of their charitable work. In 1999, the team fielded No. 01 and served as the team's research and development car. Jeff Green , Steve Grissom , and Ron Hornaday Jr. drove the car on a limited schedule. In 2000, The No. 01 replaced the No. 42 after New Hampshire and was driven by Ted Musgrave . For 2001 , Chip Ganassi purchased a majority stake in SABCO, and

6720-558: The 2018 Playoffs with a string of disappointing finishes, with one top-five and six top-10s during the regular season. A second-place finish at the 2018 Bank of America Roval 400 was the high point of his season. McMurray finished the 2018 season 20th in points. On September 10, 2018, it was announced that McMurray will not return to Chip Ganassi Racing in 2019. On December 4, 2018, it was announced that former Stewart-Haas Racing driver and 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Champion Kurt Busch , along with sponsor Monster Energy , would move to

6860-524: The BellSouth brand Cingular Wireless became the sponsor. Busch Series driver and former USAC standout Jason Leffler was hired to drive the car, which was now a Dodge . Leffler's rookie season was a struggle, despite winning a pole at the inaugural race at Kansas Speedway . Leffler failed to qualify for four races, and was replaced with Trans-Am Series driver Dorsey Schroeder at Sonoma and Scott Pruett at Watkins Glen. Leffler would fail to qualify for

7000-493: The Chase for the Cup. He added a third win at the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte during the Chase, the same race he won for the 40 team in 2002. McMurray earned four poles, nine top fives and twelve top tens to finish 14th in the final standings, his best points finish since his earlier tenure with Ganassi. McMurray and the Ganassi team struggled in 2011, earning two top fives and four top tens while failing to finish five races, with

7140-405: The Chase in 2016, following an engine failure at Dover, he finished 13th in points for the 2nd year in a row. In 2017, McMurray scored 17 top 10s, his best number since 2004, advancing to the Chase once again. This time, he was able to make past the first round but was eliminated in the Round of 12 after crashing at Talladega and Kansas. He finished the season 12th in points. McMurray failed to make

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7280-505: The Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway . It was his first non road course start in the Monster Energy series. However he finished last after getting into an incident. In 2018, Marks ran the season opening Daytona 500 in the No. 51 for Rick Ware Racing with support from Premium Motorsports . He brought the car home 12th, which was by far his best oval track finish in the Cup series. He later partnered with Premium Motorsports to drive

7420-520: The Cup Series in 2015, driving the No. 29 for RAB Racing in the Daytona 500 , while also running the No. 29 in the Xfinity Series and the No. 35 with Win-Tron Racing in the other Daytona races. However, Marks failed to qualify for the 500, and crashed out of both the Xfinity and Truck races, finishing last in the latter. In June, he joined Front Row Motorsports for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 . In

7560-469: The DEI No. 11 in 2007 at Daytona and Talladega, finishing 6th and 41st respectively. Also in 2007, Menard returned to the series in the No. 15 for eleven races, collecting five Top 10s and a best finish of 4th at Watkins Glen . The No. 31 car ran as a second entry alongside the No. 3 for several races in the 1990s. Ron Hornaday Jr. attempted one race at Rockingham in 1995 in the No. 16 but failed to qualify for

7700-534: The DEI racing team, Earnhardt never drove for his team in the Winston Cup; instead, he raced for his long-time mentor and backer Richard Childress at RCR . In the late-2000s, DEI suffered critical financial difficulties after drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip , and sponsors Anheuser-Busch , National Automotive Parts Association and United States Army left the team; DEI consequently merged with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2009, moving their equipment into

7840-412: The Daytona 500. On the last lap of the 500 , Marlin was involved in the crash that killed Dale Earnhardt . Many fans sent misguided hate mail and death threats to Marlin and his wife, blaming him for Earnhardt's death. Earnhardt's drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip came to Marlin's defense, and Marlin was cleared of any responsibility by NASCAR's investigation into the crash. Marlin

7980-539: The Fords were dominating the restrictor plate tracks in the late 1990s, DEI, Richard Childress Racing , and Andy Petree Racing partnered up with each other and formed the RAD Engine Program . Their first win was at the 2000 Winston 500 with Dale Earnhardt (which ended up being his 76th and final win). DEI won the 2001 Daytona 500, 2001 Pepsi 400, 2001 EA Sports 500, 2002 Aaron's 499, 2002 Pepsi 400, 2002 EA Sports 500, and

8120-606: The Nationwide Series race. He had a steady amount of top 10 finishes in the first half of 2014 and finished fourth at his second road course race at Watkins Glen. Larson had numerous crashes and tire failures but won a competitive Rookie of the Year title. He would struggle in 2015, including having to miss the 2015 STP 500 due to dehydration. Larson's best finish that year would be third at the spring Dover race, but he would finish 19th in points. In 2016, Larson would rebound from his sophomore year, taking his first career victory at

8260-440: The No. 1 Bass Pro Shops car driven by Martin Truex Jr. and the No. 8 car of Aric Almirola from the former DEI stable, and the No. 42 car of Juan Pablo Montoya from Ganassi's stable. The other two DEI cars – the No. 01 and the No. 15 – were disbanded. The No. 41 Ganassi team was planned to continue, but was ultimately shut down when driver Reed Sorenson left for Gillett Evernham Motorsports and when sponsor Target

8400-400: The No. 1 team in the 2019 season . Busch scored his first win with CGR at Kentucky . On November 2, CGR officially announced that Busch had signed on with the No. 1 team for at least two more years. Busch managed to make the 2020 playoffs without winning a race by staying consistent with four top-fives and 14 top-10 finishes. He scored his 32nd career win and his first of 2020 at Las Vegas ;

8540-599: The No. 15 at Sonoma and the Charlotte Roval. In 2022, he returned to NASCAR, competing in the No. 41 Chevrolet for Niece Motorsports at Mid Ohio. On June 20, 2023, Kaulig Racing announced that Marks would drive the No. 10 Chevrolet in the inaugural Xfinity Series race on the Chicago Street Course . Marks returned to the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series for the 2009 season driving

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8680-436: The No. 15 team moved to a part-time status, entering ten races but only qualifying for seven. Paul Menard , DEI's Busch Series driver, drove and sponsorship was provided by Menards and PPG Paints . Menard finished 7th at Atlanta and moved to full-time in 2007. After the merger of Ginn Racing and DEI, the No. 15 team absorbed the owner points of the No. 14 car (formerly driven by Sterling Marlin ), so they would be guaranteed

8820-484: The No. 7 of Tommy Baldwin Racing , substituting for Dave Blaney . Marks had little experience in the Generation 6 cars , having run the cars only once in a road course test at Virginia International Raceway . The following year, Marks was signed by Turner Scott Motorsports to run the No. 31 in the Nationwide Series at Road America and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course . On February 10, Marks announced he would return to

8960-481: The No. 76, only made four total starts. Dennis Dyer and David Green each ran one race in 1995 at Sonoma and Phoenix , and Steve Park made a single start in both 1996 and 1997 at Las Vegas and Phoenix. Dyer was sponsored by Papa John's Pizza , while David Green received sponsorship from Smith & Wesson . Both of Steve Park's starts were in the Action Racing Collectables (now Lionel Racing) colors,

9100-546: The No. 8 in the final two series races for the organization in 2008, with Truex finishing 11th at Daytona in February after leading 20 laps. At the July Daytona race, Kerry's car featured sponsorships from Freightliner and Bass Pro Shops, with him finishing 17th. From 2006 to 2008, the car was driven by Earnhardt Jr., Truex, Tony Stewart , and Kerry Earnhardt in 16 races, with Earnhardt winning twice and Truex once. The No. 11 car

9240-461: The No. 81 made its first and only Winston Cup start three weeks later in the Brickyard 400 . Andretti crashed after 46 laps and finished 43rd. The No. 2 was driven in one race, the AC Delco 200 at Rockingham . David Bonnett piloted the car as a teammate to Dale Earnhardt , who was in the usual No. 3. Bonnett was involved in a large crash on lap 94 and failed to finish, placing 35th. The No. 8 car

9380-488: The Playoffs by staying consistent in the regular season with four second-place finishes, eight top-fives, and 14 top-10s. Larson had a dominant car at the Inaugural Charlotte Roval race but was caught in a multi-car pileup in a late restart that also involved Playoff contenders Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch. His heavily damaged No. 42 car took advantage of Jeffrey Earnhardt being spun out by Daniel Hemric on

9520-551: The TRG No. 67 No Fear/Construct Corps Porsche with teammate Andy Lally . The team began the season with an impressive victory in the GT class at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona . On December 17, 2009, Lakeville, Minnesota 's Win-Tron Racing announced that Marks would drive their No. 32 Toyota in the 2010 ARCA Racing Series season. Marks' father, Michael, is a partner in the private equity firm Riverwood Capital, board member of GoPro and

9660-588: The Target sponsorship to the No. 42 car to replace Texaco/Havoline for 2009, leaving the No. 41 without a driver or a sponsor. As a result, Ganassi merged his team with the struggling Dale Earnhardt, Inc. , and the DEI No. 1 car. DEI's driver ( Martin Truex Jr. ) and sponsor ( Bass Pro Shops ) also came over to join Ganassi. Bass Pro Shops, however, reduced its schedule to 20 races. The team also carried its Earnhardt-Childress Engine program over to Ganassi, and switched manufacturers from Dodge to Chevrolet . Truex failed to win

9800-641: The Winston Cup Series and opted to use the No. 8 which was formerly used by Stavola Brothers Racing , who ceased operations in 1998. Earnhardt Jr. drove the Budweiser No. 8 in five Cup races in 1999, making his debut at Charlotte in the 1999 Coca-Cola 600 . He finished in the Top 10 once and led one lap. In 2000, Earnhardt Jr. moved to the Cup Series on a full-time basis. That year, Earnhardt Jr. won two poles and three races (including The Winston , where he became

9940-412: The banner HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks for Scott Heckert , William Byron , J. J. Haley , Dalton Sargeant , and Rico Abreu . Marks also owned a World of Outlaws team, Larson Marks Racing , with Kyle Larson before relinquishing his stake to Larson in 2018 to focus on sports car racing. In August 2020, Marks partnered with former NASCAR executive Ty Norris to create Trackhouse Racing ,

10080-489: The beginning of the struggles for the team. Jamie McMurray , who was scheduled to drive the No. 42 car the following season, filled in for Marlin in six races, with Mike Bliss running the car at Martinsville . At Charlotte , McMurray beat out Bobby Labonte to win his 1st race in just his 2nd Winston Cup start. This emotional victory was capped off with a phone call from Marlin through the television network congratulating McMurray on his victory. Marlin would go winless over

10220-421: The car after the 2000 season (Richmond 2002 and Daytona 2004). Following Daytona in 2004, the No. 8 switched to Chance 2 Motorsports and ran full-time with Martin Truex Jr. Truex won the 2004 and 2005 Busch Series championships, along with twelve races. The car returned to DEI part-time in 2006 after Chance 2 folded, with Earnhardt Jr. and Truex combining for three victories. Truex and Kerry Earnhardt drove

10360-407: The car from 1984 to 2000 included Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jody Ridley , Kenny Wallace , Michael Waltrip , Neil Bonnett , David Bonnett , Andy Petree , Jeff Green, Steve Park , and Ron Hornaday Jr. During all six full time seasons (1995–2000), the team finished in the Top 5 in points, occurring with four different drivers. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won two races in the only two starts for

10500-569: The car in the following weekend at Darlington before the team brought in 3-time champion Darrell Waltrip . He drove the car for 13 races while Park recovered from his injuries and finished in the Top 10 twice. Park returned at the Brickyard 400 and following a crash, he finished 35th. In 1998, Park posted two 11th-place finishes and finished 42nd in points. In 1999, Park finished in the Top 10 five times and 14th in points. In 2000 , he won his first two Bud Pole awards and won his first race at Watkins Glen International , his home track. He finished

10640-415: The car while Scott Pruett drove Spencer's normal car, the No. 41. The car was scheduled to run seven more races with Jamie McMurray driving, but when McMurray filled in for Sterling Marlin, the team did not run until 2003 . The No. 42 team ran full-time in 2003, with McMurray as the driver and Texaco/Havoline as the sponsor. McMurray won Rookie of the Year honors in the Winston Cup Series. He failed to win

10780-547: The car, with additional funding from Wrigley gum brands Big Red and Juicy Fruit . Montoya won his first career Nextel Cup race during his rookie season at Sonoma in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 , ending a nearly five-year victory drought the Chip Ganassi Racing organization had since the 2002 UAW-GM Quality 500 . He ended the year 20th in points and won Rookie of the Year. After he failed to return to victory lane and dropped to 25th in points despite some good results and

10920-464: The car. After more struggles in the first half of 2013, McMurray finally broke back into victory lane at the fall Talladega race, his first victory in three seasons. After an improved 15th-place points finish, McMurray would sign a contract extension to return in 2014. McMurray won the Sprint All-Star Race in 2014, taking two tires under the final caution and passing leader Carl Edwards within

11060-506: The chance to capture his first championship, Martin did step out of the car as scheduled, breaking a streak of 621 consecutive starts. In 24 starts for the team, Martin scored 11 top 10s, and finished 27th in points despite missing 12 races. Rookie Regan Smith meanwhile made his debut at Bristol Motor Speedway in March, finishing 25th. Smith would run 6 more races in the car, with a best finish of 24th at Talladega Superspeedway . On July 17, it

11200-478: The dramatic impact and aftermath. In mid 2003 , Park was relieved of his driving duties and was replaced by Jeff Green. (Park took over Green's No. 30 AOL Chevy at Richard Childress Racing , previously Earnhardt's car owner) In a last-second decision in June 2003, Ty Norris suggested a former student of Earnhardt's, Ron Fellows , to drive the No. 1 for the road course events as a road course ringer . In 2001 Fellows

11340-579: The end of the season, the team was scheduled to close down, but instead it changed its number to No. 01 and served as the team's research and development car. Justin Marks Justin Marks (born March 25, 1981) is an American racing driver, entrepreneur, and owner of Trackhouse Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series . He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series , driving the No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro for Kaulig Racing . Marks has competed in sports car and stock car racing , competing in

11480-415: The event. In 1996, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Steve Park both participated in one race, in what was the first series start for Earnhardt and the third for Park. After Park moved to the No. 3 in 1997, Earnhardt drove six races in the No. 31, finishing a season-best seventh at Michigan. He failed to qualify for two more races that season. The car returned in 1999 for Hornaday, failing to finish at Daytona but leading

11620-572: The final lap and crossing the finish line in first. Smith, however, was found to be passing below the yellow line upon video review, and per NASCAR had his position revoked, leading to an 18th-place finish. Though he finished 34th in points with no top 10 finishes, Smith became the first rookie to finish every race he entered during the 2008 season and was named Rookie of the Year at the season's end. The 01 team disbanded after DEI merged with Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates , and Smith moved on to Furniture Row Racing . In 1996 , DEI debuted in

11760-445: The final lap and limped across the finish line in 25th place, securing him in the top 12. Larson experienced further bad luck at the fall Talladega race when he blew a right-front tire and spun out. He finished 11th in the race but was docked 10 driver and 10 owner points after the team violated the damaged vehicle policy by using metal tabs instead of fasteners and/or tape to repair the torn right front fender. Despite finishing third at

11900-414: The final standings in 2008. In an effort to keep the car higher in points, Scott Pruett took over at Sonoma , finishing 38th after a late-race wreck. Sorenson left the team to drive for Richard Petty Motorsports . The No. 42 car debuted in 1989 at Atlanta Motor Speedway , as PEAK -sponsored Pontiac for SABCO Racing, Felix Sabates' race team. The car was driven by Kyle Petty , who finished fourth in

12040-471: The final ten laps to score the victory and the $ 1 million bonus. However, the team did not win a points race during the season and missed the Chase for the Sprint Cup . Both McMurray and teammate Kyle Larson would rebound after missing the playoff, with the 1 car scoring a pole and four top-fives in the final ten races of the year. Overall, McMurray had seven top fives and 13 top tens to finish 18th in points. For 2015, former Yates Racing driver Matt McCall

12180-551: The first Nationwide Series race to use the Car of Tomorrow . Earnhardt Jr. started third, led for thirty-three laps and won the race. This was his first competitive NASCAR win since 2008, and was also the first and latest time DEI was involved in the NASCAR garage following their exit from NASCAR as a racing team. In 2007, DEI made a driver development contract with Morgan-Dollar Motorsports to provide trucks for developing drivers in 2007. This

12320-431: The first race since the team won there the previous year. The team took one week off and returned as the No. 01 driven by Ted Musgrave . Originally the 42 was planned to run the Daytona 500 with Swedish CART driver Kenny Bräck in the car and even completed testing at Daytona, the team never attempted the Daytona 500. The car came back as No. 42 in 2002 at Watkins Glen when Jimmy Spencer attempted but failed to qualify

12460-501: The first rookie to win the event), but finished runner-up to Matt Kenseth in the competition for NASCAR Rookie of the Year . On July 7, 2001 , Earnhardt Jr. won the Pepsi 400 at Daytona , the first Cup race at Daytona after Earnhardt, Sr.'s death. Using the No. 8, Earnhardt Jr. set a record by winning four consecutive races at Talladega. In 2002, Earnhardt Jr. had a roller-coaster season. He struggled after enduring an April concussion at

12600-421: The first year the car had Coors Light as a sponsor. In 1996, Petty was temporarily replaced by Jim Sauter to recover from more injuries. In 1997, Kyle Petty and team owner Sabates split and sponsor Coors Light moved to the No. 40 car. The team switched from Pontiac to Chevy . Joe Nemechek and sponsor BellSouth proceeded to come on board. The year got off to a rocky start when Nemechek did not qualify for

12740-442: The five-year tenure of EGR, Teresa Earnhardt had little influence in day-to-day operations of the team, leading Ganassi and Sabates to revert to the team's original name for the 2014 season. In mid-2015, Rob Kauffman , then co-owner of Michael Waltrip Racing , purchased a stake in the team. Initially expected to absorb one of the two MWR entries, CGR later announced it would remain a two-car operation. The pit crew department won

12880-478: The following day. On April 27, 2020, it was announced that Matt Kenseth would fill in for the remainder of the season. In addition, NASCAR granted him a waiver for eligibility in the 2020 playoffs. Other than a second place run in the Brickyard 400 , the season was forgettable for the 42 team as Kenseth finished 28th in the final standings with two Top 10's in his 32 races. After the year, Kenseth formally retired from NASCAR and primary sponsor Credit One Bank left

13020-489: The front stretch, and with the field wrecking behind him, Martin looked to have finally come through at Daytona. But the caution was not called, and Kevin Harvick caught Martin on his outside, beating him to the line by two-hundredths of a second. Martin put together more strong finishes, and after the fourth race at Atlanta was leading the points standings in what was supposed to be his first season of semi-retirement. Resisting

13160-483: The lapped car of Stacy Compton , pole sitter Ricky Craven , was also collected during the incident. Park would finish 39th, 160 laps down. This was eventually seen as a sign that Park was still likely suffering from a concussion sustained during the Darlington crash the previous year and exacerbated by further impacts since. Park struggled to regain his form and was involved in yet another visually stunning accident during

13300-714: The latter's shop, while the former's closed down. Chip Ganassi Racing's NASCAR operations was subsequently purchased by Trackhouse Racing Team in 2021. DEI celebrated the life and legacy of Earnhardt through an annual celebration of his birthday on April 29, also known as Dale Earnhardt Day . DEI maintains a showroom at the former race shop in Mooresville where fans can purchase memorabilia and other goods. The organization also pursues partnerships which bring tribute to Earnhardt's memory. Notable drivers for DEI included Dale Earnhardt Jr. , Michael Waltrip , Steve Park , Martin Truex Jr. , Mark Martin , John Andretti , Kenny Wallace , Darrell Waltrip , and Aric Almirola . Before

13440-565: The line, making it a clean pass. Earnhardt Jr. scored a victory at Phoenix in October, recording a career best 3rd-place effort in the standings, with 13 Top 5s and 21 Top 10 finishes. On February 15, 2004, 6 years to the day after his father's win, Earnhardt Jr. won the 2004 Daytona 500 . He won a further five races that season. Though he failed to qualify for the Chase Cup in 2005 , he did race in 2006 when he finished 5th. On May 10, 2007, Earnhardt Jr. announced that he would not return to DEI for

13580-498: The majority owner of the team, which debuted at the 1997 Daytona 500 as the No. 46 First Union Chevrolet driven by Wally Dallenbach Jr. After skipping several races, the team moved to full-time racing. Dallenbach competed in 22 races and finished 41st in points. He only raced in four races in the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series before he was replaced by a rotation of drivers including Jeff Green , Morgan Shepherd , and Tommy Kendall . After First Union stopped their backing at

13720-491: The most laps and finishing sixth at Phoenix. Hornaday finished the season with a twelfth-place finish at Homestead. Chance 2 Motorsports was a jointly owned subsidiary of DEI and Dale Earnhardt Jr. The organization was operated by Earnhardt Jr. and Teresa Earnhardt and was a separate operation from DEI. The team won two Busch Series championships with Martin Truex Jr. in 2004 and 2005 , in addition to 16 races with Truex Jr. and Earnhardt Jr. After this, Earnhardt Jr. left

13860-542: The new injuries sustained at Darlington. In doing so, Wallace won the pole and finished second in the Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 at the North Carolina speedway. Park gradually recovered from his injuries and returned, ironically, at the 2002 spring Darlington race. Park ran strong in his return, taking the lead at lap 18, and proceeding to lead 19 laps. Park, however, crashed while attempting to pass

14000-510: The next three seasons, with a best finish of 18th in points in 2003 and was released after 2005. Rookie David Stremme replaced Marlin in the 2006 season . This move outraged some fans, since Coors Light and Ganassi both stated that the decision was partly due to Coors Light attempting to target the younger demographic. A new primary sponsor, Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon , joined the team and split time with Coors. Stremme did not finish higher than 11th, with an average finish of 26th, and had

14140-400: The next two seasons. For 2006 another young driver, Reed Sorenson was hired to drive the No. 41 car full-time, and Mears replaced McMurray in the No. 42 car. Sorenson had five Top 10's and ended the 2006 season 24th in the standings. After finishing 22nd in the standings with three Top 5's and six Top 10's in 2007, the No. 41 team only managed one Top 5 and two Top 10's and dropped to 32nd in

14280-433: The opening lap of a race at Pocono . Rusty Wallace collided with Park exiting turn 1. The No. 1 then turned dead left and dragged teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. 's No. 8 car through wet grass towards the short and relatively unreinforced inside guardrail (prior to SAFER Barriers ). Park hit the metal guard rail, and proceeded to flip several times, eventually landing on the driver's side. Park's teammate ran to his aide after

14420-520: The operations of the No. 8 team were being suspended indefinitely due to a lack of sponsorship (which had been operating on a race to race basis). Almirola sued Earnhardt Ganassi Racing but the matter was settled out of court. Crew chief Doug Randolph would depart and join Richard Childress Racing for the remainder of 2009, while Almirola joined Billy Ballew Motorsports for 16 races in the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series . In 2001 ,

14560-508: The organization. On September 21, Chip Ganassi Racing announced that Ross Chastain would replace Kenseth in the No. 42 Chevrolet in 2021 . After a few great runs including a third place finish in the Southern 500 and a second place at the inaugural Ally 400 at Nashville , the team missed the playoffs and finished 20th in points in his first fulltime season as a Cup driver. After the season however, Ganassi sold his assets to Justin Marks and

14700-477: The overall standings for 2010. The 2011 season started fast for the 42 bunch. Montoya posted a 6th in the season opener at Daytona and then finished 3rd at the Las Vegas . At Talladega Montoya was involved in a late crash with the No. 39 car of Ryan Newman . Two weeks later at Richmond , Newman and Montoya were involved in two crashes, relegating them to 20th and 29th-place finishes respectively. At Dover Montoya

14840-541: The partnership with his stepmother to focus on his own race team, JR Motorsports . Dale Earnhardt, Inc. was a part of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series from 1995 through 1999 . Ron Hornaday Jr. was the full-time driver of the No. 16 Chevrolet C/K , sponsored by Papa John's Pizza in 1995 and NAPA Auto Parts from 1996 to 1999. Hornaday collected 25 wins for DEI and the 1996 and 1998 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championships. A second DEI truck,

14980-455: The points standings. Marlin showed a brief resurgence in the 1999 season when he won the pole at Pocono . The next year, Marlin placed runner-up to Jeff Gordon at Sonoma, which was his best finish of the season. In 2001 , the car got a new silver-red paint scheme, a manufacturer switch to Dodge , a new crew chief in Lee McCall, and a new owner in Ganassi. Marlin won his qualifying race for

15120-438: The race at Watkins Glen in the No. 04 car and he was released at the end of the season. Note: Before merging with Chip Ganassi Racing, Dale Earnhardt Inc. fielded a No. 1 car through 2008, most notably with Steve Park driving. For more information, see Dale Earnhardt, Inc. This section concerns the lineage of Chip Ganassi Racing's entry that later became the No. 1 after the merger with Dale Earnhardt Inc. Ganassi would move

15260-433: The race, causing Montoya to fall to 8th and never recover. A similar situation happened the following week at Pocono when Montoya was running second at a late stage in the race, and Pattie again called for four tires, placing Montoya back in traffic. Montoya and Pattie were heard arguing over the radio. The next weekend, however, Montoya won his second career race, dominating at Watkins Glen . Montoya ended up placing 17th in

15400-654: The race. The car ran on and off for the rest of the year before moving to full-time status in 1990 . Petty scored one victory and finished 11th in points that year. He was running strong in 1991 with a new sponsorship from Mello Yello , before he broke his leg in a crash at Talladega Superspeedway . Over the next 11 races, he was replaced by Bobby Hillin Jr. , Tommy Kendall , and Kenny Wallace while recovering. After returning, he won four races finished fifth in points in both 1992 and 1993 . After that, Petty's career began to run out of steam. He won his final race in 1995 at Dover ,

15540-597: The same time, Marks teamed with Bill Auberlen in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge for Turner Motorsport , finishing 3rd in points with 5 poles and 5 wins in 9 starts. In 2006, Marks left road racing to pursue a career in NASCAR . In 2006, Marks raced for RAB Racing in the ARCA RE/MAX Series , driving their No. 65. Although he did not pick up any wins in his two years there, Marks turned many heads with his driving ability. In 2007 he

15680-470: The season 11th in points. In 2001 , in the first race after Earnhardt's death, he beat Bobby Labonte in a photo finish at North Carolina Speedway . Park's career encountered difficulties at a Busch Series race at Darlington Raceway . During a caution, his steering wheel became disconnected from the column. The car immediately veered to the left and was hit by the quicker-moving vehicle of Larry Foyt. Kenny Wallace filled in for Park while he recuperated from

15820-402: The season, Brooks closed up shop and sold the team back to Sabates. The team came back in the 1996 season with First Union sponsoring the car and Greg Sacks, Jay Sauter, and Robby Gordon in select events The team returned for 1997 full-time with rookie driver Robby Gordon , Coors Light moving over from the No. 42, and the team switching from Pontiac to Chevrolet . Gordon won the pole at

15960-470: The sponsor of the former 01 team, the number was changed to No. 41, and veteran Jimmy Spencer was tabbed to replace Leffler. Spencer did not qualify for the Daytona 500, and was replaced by road course ringer Scott Pruett at Watkins Glen , with Pruett finishing a strong sixth. The high point of the season was at the Food City 500 at Bristol in the spring, when Spencer and fierce rival Kurt Busch engaged in

16100-468: The spring Atlanta race. Unfortunately, open-wheel ace Gordon suffered burns during the Indianapolis 500 . By the time he returned, the damage was done and despite picking up a Top 5 finish at Watkins Glen, Gordon was released. Sabates later said in a 2007 interview that hiring Robby Gordon was "a mistake", while Gordon said that his departure stemmed from Sabates focusing more on making money than improving

16240-418: The summer of 2015, Marks ran the road course races at Road America and Mid-Ohio in the Xfinity Series, driving the No. 42 Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing , owned by Harry Scott, Jr. In 2016, Marks expanded his Chip Ganassi Racing schedule in the Xfinity Series, driving the No. 42 in several races starting at Las Vegas Motor Speedway . At the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course , Marks led a race-high 43 laps in

16380-466: The team raced the NAPA sponsored No. 15 (a possible reference to the No. 15 Ford Thunderbird that Earnhardt drove in 1982 and 1983 for Bud Moore Engineering ). Michael Waltrip was announced as the driver for the 2001 season. In his first start for DEI, Waltrip won his first race in his 16-year career at the 2001 Daytona 500 . An estatic Waltrip's dream come true soon turned into a nightmare, however, as his win

16520-479: The team switched the car number from No. 14 to No. 1 in an agreement with Richard Jackson $ 100,000, another car owner. DEI received sponsorships from Pennzoil and Park and made a bid for NASCAR Rookie of the Year honors. In the third race of the year at Las Vegas Motor Speedway , Park failed to qualify. The following week, Steve suffered a broken femur, collarbone, and shoulder blade in a severe crash during practice at Atlanta . Ron Hornaday Jr. failed to qualify

16660-403: The team. Sacks returned to finish out the year. For the 1998 season , Sabates chose a more experienced driver in 2-time Daytona 500 winner Sterling Marlin . Marlin did not qualify at the spring Atlanta race—one year after the team won the pole position there, marking the first time since 1986 that Marlin missed a race. At the end of the year, Marlin had six top-10 finishes and ended up 13th in

16800-531: The two teams would merge in time for the 2009 season and run under the name of Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (EGR). The Chevrolet equipment of DEI and its engine partnership with Richard Childress Racing (as Earnhardt Childress Racing Technologies ) were moved under the Ganassi umbrella, and the new team operated out of the CGR NASCAR shop. The move contracted the two organizations with six collective entries to three Sprint Cup Series teams –

16940-600: The weekend. Larson would win three more races that year, sweeping both Michigan races and winning the last race before the playoffs at Richmond. Larson looked like a championship contender for most of the year, staying in the top-three in points from races 3 to 31 of the season. However, an engine failure at Kansas resulted in him being eliminated at the Round of 12 of the Playoffs, the first of four straight DNFs for Larson, relegating him to an eighth-place finish in points. In 2018, Larson returned with his Credit One Bank /DC Solar Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 . Despite being winless, he made

17080-471: The win secured him a spot in the Round of 8. He failed to advance to the Championship 4 and finished 10th in the final standings. In 2021, Busch won at Quaker State 400 on July 11, holding off his younger brother Kyle Busch and locking himself into the playoffs. However, Busch was eliminated from the playoffs following the conclusion of the Round of 16 at Bristol , which also ended Ganassi's final chance at

17220-521: Was able to rise above the controversy, and gave Dodge its first win since its return to NASCAR at Michigan , won again at the UAW-GM Quality 500 , and finished 3rd in points, well ahead of the factory-backed Dodges from Evernham Motorsports . Marlin led the points standings for most of the 2002 season and won two races, but he suffered a fractured vertebra in a crash at Kansas Speedway , which ended his season. Some say that Marlin's injury signified

17360-417: Was announced that Smith would move to the 14 car on a full-time basis, replacing veteran Sterling Marlin . Meanwhile, 23-year-old Aric Almirola , who was granted his release from Joe Gibbs Racing after being pulled out of a car he qualified on the pole during a Busch Series race in favor of Denny Hamlin , signed on to be the new co-driver of the 01. With the merger of Ginn and DEI not long afterwards, Smith

17500-427: Was completed. ECR employs 130 technicians. Its engines have won in the 2010 Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 with Jamie McMurray , the 2011 Southern 500 with Regan Smith , Coca-Cola 600 with Kevin Harvick , and Brickyard 400 with Paul Menard . The company is currently operated solely by RCR as ECR Engines. On April 29, 2010, at the time of Earnhardt's induction to the NASCAR Hall of Fame , DEI announced

17640-760: Was created in August 2009 to assist up-and-coming teams. It was founded to contribute resources and opportunities to race in championships. It serves the engineering and parts needs of more than thirty teams in the NASCAR Sprint Cup , the NASCAR Nationwide Series and the Camping World Truck Series . ETG provides a broad range of engineering services to all levels of the racing industry; distribution of Renton springs; machine shop services (now contributing to many varied fields of mechanical engineering);

17780-501: Was eight. Marks attended race school while in high school and in 1998 competed in his first race, in the street stock division at Altamont Raceway Park in Tracy, California. At the same time as his racing career was beginning, he was attending California State University with the intention of obtaining a degree in sports marketing . Marks withdrew from college 14 credits shy of completing his degree to focus on racing. At 18, Marks entered

17920-401: Was finalizing a deal to drive a Dale Earnhardt Inc. car full-time in 2002 but Earnhardt's death left this invalid. Using advantage of this rare opportunity, Fellows almost won the 2003 Dodge Save/Mart 350 in which he controlled the race late in the event and lost when he waited too long for his final pit stop. Both Green and Pennzoil left DEI when the 2003 season finished and the team moved to

18060-399: Was hired as crew chief for McMurray, replacing Keith Rodden. McMurray started 2015 on a high note, climbing to 8th in the standings within the first ten races and making the Chase for the first time in his career, but ended up being eliminated in the first round on a tiebreaker. He finished 13th in points. McMurray would once again be eliminated from championship contention in the first round of

18200-1248: Was later announced that the 1 car would turn to Trackhouse with Ross Chastain driving it. Marks got his first win as a car owner on March 27, 2022, with Chastain, winning at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas . On January 9, 2023, a consortium consisting of Trackhouse, DEJ Management , Jeff Burton Autosports, Inc. , and Kevin Harvick Incorporated purchased the CARS Tour . ( key ) ( Bold  – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics  – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. ) ( key ) ( Bold  – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics  – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. ) ( key ) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) ( key )  * – Most laps led.  – Heat 1 winner.  – Heat 2 winner. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. ( DEI )

18340-438: Was left on the sidelines while Almirola ran 5 races. Aric's results were not much better than Regan's, with a best finish of 26th at Phoenix . Martin and Almirola would move to the 8 car for 2008. In 2008, Smith was named the full-time driver of the 01 car (now fully operated by DEI), with Martin and Almirola as well as sponsor U.S. Army moving to the 8 car to replace the departing Dale Earnhardt Jr. Principal Financial Group

18480-473: Was moved to the No. 42, with the number transferred by NASCAR to Jeremy Mayfield 's short-lived owner-driver team. The No. 8 car was also shut down early in the 2009 season. In 2010 former Ganassi driver Jamie McMurray replaced Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 1 car, making Truex the final driver from the DEI stable to leave. In 2013 Earnhardt Ganassi Racing switched to Hendrick Motorsports engines after four years with Earnhardt-Childress Racing engines . During

18620-568: Was overshadowed by Dale Earnhardt's death. Waltrip soon proved to have prowess at the superspeedways, leading laps at most Talladega and Daytona races. Between 2001 and 2003, Waltrip won four races (three at Daytona and one at Talladega). However, he often struggled to find speed outside of those two tracks. After two disappointing seasons without a win, including a 25th-place points finish in 2005, Waltrip announced he would no longer drive for DEI, taking his NAPA sponsorship to Bill Davis Racing for one year before creating his own race team. For 2006 ,

18760-528: Was picked up by Germain Racing of the Craftsman Truck Series to drive their No. 03 truck. Marks again impressed many with an eighth-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway . This cemented his future as the driver of the No. 9 Crocs / Construct Corps Toyota for 2008, running for Rookie of the Year. In 2008, Marks raced in the Truck Series, the Nationwide Series , and the ARCA RE/MAX Series for

18900-405: Was rechristened Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and moved all team operations to CGR's shop, effectively switching the latter to Chevrolets. The No. 42 team joined the No. 1 and No. 8 for the 2009 Sprint Cup season. In 2014, EGR reverted to the Chip Ganassi Racing name before being sold to Trackhouse Racing Team in 2021. The merger had the following consequences: Earnhardt Technology Group (ETG)

19040-423: Was revived for several fall races with Bryan Clauson driving, but race qualifying was rained out twice and the team did not make the field due to being too low in the owner points. When qualifying was finally staged at Texas, Clauson subsequently failed to qualify, and the team was shut down again. With Cingular moving to Richard Childress Racing to sponsor the No. 31 car, long time Ganassi backer Target became

19180-676: Was run by DEI in the Busch Series. During part of 2004 and through all of the 2005 and 2006 NASCAR seasons, Paul Menard made 83 starts in the car, logging 31 Top 10 finishes and collecting one victory at the Milwaukee Mile in June 2006. In 2007, Menard made the full-time transition to the No. 15 car in the Nextel Cup Series , with a season-best finish of 12th in the Citizens Bank 400 at Michigan . Martin Truex Jr. ran two final races in

19320-485: Was run by DEI starting in 1984, with Dale Earnhardt piloting his self-owned Wrangler Pontiac for the first time in the Mello Yello 300 at Charlotte . The car ran from 1984 to 1988 and then again from 2002 to 2008. Between 1989 and 2000, the No. 8 switched to the No. 3. The car went full time with Jeff Green driving in 1995 and 1996 and later won two championships in 1998 and 1999, with Earnhardt Jr. driving. Drivers of

19460-464: Was running for the lead but after a vibration and a crash involving the No. 27 car of Paul Menard , Montoya finished 32nd. Later at the Toyota/Save Mart 350, Montoya had a great run and looked like he was going to fight Kurt Busch for the lead but crashed in an incident with Brad Keselowski near the end of the race and finished in 22nd. Montoya was inconsistent for the rest of the year except for

19600-442: Was signed as the primary sponsor for the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400. Principal often ran as a secondary sponsor on the sides of the car, with a DEI logo on the hood in lieu of full sponsorship. Steak-umm and Coors Light were also sponsors in one-race deals. Ron Fellows replaced Smith at the two road course races, scoring a 13th-place finish at Watkins Glen . Smith almost won the 2008 AMP Energy 500 , passing Tony Stewart on

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