Dale Earnhardt Incorporated and Chip Ganassi Felix Sabates Racing announced they are combining teams in 2009.

Obviously, it is almost a necessity for two teams both struggling to keep logos on the doors and cars on the track. You still hoped that DEI had learned their lesson: combining spare parts does not ensure a complete package.

In August of 2007 DEI essentially absorbed the fledgling Ginn Racing when cash got tight. The result was a team that grew from 2 solid teams (#1 Martin Truex Jr, #8 Dale Earnhardt Jr) and one struggling team (#15) to four full-time teams with solid sponsorship.

Of course, one of the 4 cars was the #8 Budweiser car driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Both sponsor and driver left after the season and DEI failed to adequately replace either.

Mark Martin and US Army plus owners points for Paul Menard and a new shop were nice acquisitions from Ginn, but now just over a year later, the only things left are basically Aric Almirola and a bigger shop.

Martin, Menard, and both sponsors are leaving at the end of 2008. Not only that, but the on-track performance has dropped significantly. Barring a surprise this weekend, DEI will not win a Cup race for the first time since 1999. Plus, no driver made the Chase.

Enter another struggling multi-car team with impressive resources like an engine department, a solid driver development program, solid sponsorship and a big shop, but a hollow on-track record.

In 2005 Ganassi had enough sponsors committed to his team that he was toying with the idea of expanding from a 3 car outfit to 4. Things didn’t quite work out, but with three fully sponsored cars, and young drivers like Casey Mears, Reed Sorenson and David Stremme things looked promising. That is until everyone realized that Ganassi’s cars didn’t really do very much on the track.

The teams won one race from 2003-2008, and that one race was a road course win for Juan Pablo Montoya.

Since 2005, the company has become a revolving door for drivers. Jamie McMurray and Sterling Marlin left after 2005 (actually to say Marlin left is a euphemism for being shoved out the door), Mears exited in 2006, Stremme in 2007, Dario Franchitti didn’t make it a full season in 2008 and Reed Sorenson will say goodbye to Ganassi after Homestead.

With sponsorship drying up for both DEI and Ganassi, they have decided to combine forces. The net result:

• Two legitimate Cup drivers
• One legitimate prospect
• Two-and-a-half sponsors
• Two big shops

Keep in mind that the two legitimate Cup drivers, Truex Jr and Montoya, could both leave after 2009. Both certainly deserve better than struggling with B-grade equipment.

Not only do the two team’s inventories and successes match each other, but their methods are often puzzling. Ganassi unceremoniously shoved Marlin into semi-retirement in 2005 and also tried to shuttle Mears into an unsecured ride where he’d have to make races on speed in favor of unproven rookie Reed Sorenson.

And everyone remembers Teresa Earnhardt’s famous quotes about her step son prior to last season.

All in all, the merger is a perfect match. Sadly that means instead of two floundering teams, we will now see one mega-floundering organization.”