Serious discussions are underway at Dale Earnhardt Inc. to place Mark Martin and Aric Almirola in a split role in an Army-sponsored No. 8 Chevrolet in 2008, sources close to DEI told ESPN.com on Thursday. DEI president Max Siegel said nothing has been finalized. “If there’s anyone that would represent Dale Earnhardt Inc. and what the #8 means to this company it would be Mark Martin,” Siegel said. “But there has been no official decision made on this yet.” Sources explained that Army ran the #01 at Ginn in conjunction with its “An Army of One” marketing initiative, but given that that program has since been abandoned in favor of the new “Army Strong” slogan, the number change doesn’t overtly affect Army’s marketing focus. A Martin/Almirola split schedule in 2008 would leave the door open for another driver, possibly Greg Biffle, to join DEI full-time in 2009. Biffle currently has a contract with Roush Fenway Racing through the end of the 2008 season but has been speculated to be a candidate as Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s permanent replacement in the #8. It is uncertain at this point what this would mean for the #01, though sources say DEI “has several options” for that team.(ESPN.com)(8-23-2007) UPDATE: Dale Earnhardt Inc. Vice President John Story says he’s not going to put a timetable on naming the new drivers for the team. Story said that despite reports to the contrary, he would not confirm that Mark Martin will move over to the #8 and share that Chevy with rookie Aric Almirola next season. In addressing that, Story said that “anything’s possible and nothing’s definite.”(SceneDaily.com)(8-25-2007) UPDATE 2: Mark Martin and Aric Almirola will be introduced as next season’s drivers for the #8 at Dale Earnhardt Inc. in two weeks at Richmond International Speedway barring a last-minute objection from sponsors, a source close to the situation told ESPN.com. Regan Smith is the leading candidate to step into the #01 that he has split with Martin and Almirola this season. Sources said a deal could be reached by Friday. Jeremy Mayfield, who recently announced he would not drive for Bill Davis Racing in ’08, also has been under consideration. Max Siegel, the president of global operations at DEI, acknowledged that Martin is a possibility for the #8. But he would only confirm that DEI should have its five-driver lineup in place by the end of the week and would announce it at Richmond. Without identifying the car, Siegel said Martin will drive in 24 to 26 Nextel Cup races next season and that Almirola will take the remaining events. He added that Almirola would be in a Busch and/or Truck Series event every weekend in ’08. Siegel added that all the sponsors are set for next year and also will be announced at Richmond, but would not elaborate. U.S. Army, which has been the sponsor of the #01, and the entire #01 crew are expected to move to the #8 with Martin and Almirola. Martin has made it clear that he wants to remain with crew chief Ryan Pemberton. Although DEI has a year left on its deal with Budweiser, the beer company will not be on a DEI car in ’08 unless there is a last-minute breakdown in negotiations with other teams. Budweiser has been working on a deal to be on the #9 of Kasey Kahne. Siegel said ’08 will be a transition year for the entire organization, acknowledging the driver lineup could be quite different in ’09. Greg Biffle, who has had talks with DEI about driving the #8, has a year left on his deal with Roush Fenway Racing. Biffle told ESPN.com he will not make a decision on ’09 until probably this time next season, and that it will be based on performance.(ESPN.com)(8-26-2007)
