Dale Earnhardt Inc. was working on a deal Thursday to put Mark Martin and Aric Almirola in its flagship No. 8 next season in a split schedule.
DEI has been looking for a driver since Dale Earnhardt Jr. said in May he would leave his late father’s team at the end of the season. DEI later acquired the contracts for Martin and Almirola when it merged with Ginn Racing, and the company wants the two of them to split the ride in 2008.
“If there’s anyone who can represent Dale Earnhardt Inc. in the No. 8, it’s Mark Martin,” said Max Siegel, president of DEI’s global operations. “But no official decision has been made yet as to what we are going to do.”
The No. 8 is closely tied to Earnhardt, who had hoped to take it with him to Hendrick Motorsports next season. But negotiations for the rights to the number broke down between the driver and Teresa Earnhardt, his father’s widow.
Earnhardt said his stepmother made ridiculous demands and he was forced to forfeit the fight for the number. Facing public backlash for holding onto the number, DEI now needs to fill the seat with a respected driver.
Martin would certainly fit the bill.
The longtime veteran is one of NASCAR’s most popular drivers and is well-respected in the industry. He’s running a partial schedule this season, and has indicated he’d like to do about 26 races next year – including the two all-star events.
Although he started the year splitting the No. 01 for Ginn with Regan Smith, his co-driver was switched to Almirola right before the DEI merger. Siegel said if the deal can be finalized, Almirola would drive the car in the races Martin sits out next season.
Jacques Villeneuve will try to become the latest Formula One driver to move into NASCAR, hoping to parlay a test session into a new career.
Villeneuve, a former F1 world champion, will test a truck for Bill Davis Racing on Monday at Chicagoland Speedway, the team said.
Villeneuve has not raced on ovals since 1995, when he won the Indianapolis 500 and the CART title.
The Canadian used those accomplishments to land an F1 ride, and became world champion in 1997.
