by Larry McReynolds

Updated: July 26, 2007, 4:17 PM EST 35 comments

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DEI president of global operations Max Siegel will be on SPEED's Trackside (Friday at 6 p.m. ET), and we will try to get a better understanding of the deal from him. When Siegel came on board, he said that whether Dale Earnhardt Jr. stayed or left, DEI's goal was to become a powerhouse operation. To accomplish that goal, they felt they needed to go to four teams.

With this merger, not only do they have four teams right away, but they've made a solid business deal to guarantee a starting position for their third team with Paul Menard. Even though Menard will still be driving the No. 15 car, DEI has acquired the No. 13 points, which locked that car into the top 35 in the owner standings.

When Michael Waltrip bought Doug Bawel's No. 77 team and went to Bill Davis Racing two years ago, and when Waltrip acquired the No. 32 points from Cal Wells, Bawel and Wells had to be part of the operation. It may be in name only, but Bobby Ginn will still have to be involved with the No. 15 to keep the points. It sounds like Ginn is trying to work out a deal with Furniture Row for the No. 14 team's points to lock Kenny Wallace and the No. 78 car into the top 35 in points and a guaranteed starting position.

I have mixed feelings about selling car numbers. It's good that someone who has invested in the sport and performed well enough to stay in the top 35 has some value for what they've accomplished. But it's also a sign that this top 35 deal needs to go away. When NASCAR introduced the rule, it made a lot of sense because only 35 to 37 teams had top sponsors. Today, that number is much greater. If DEI and Furniture Row can simply buy teams to acquire points, it makes life harder on Bill Elliott and Wood Brothers Racing, sitting 36th in points.

At the end of the year, the rule needs to go away, and the Sprint Cup Series in 2008 needs to go back to six or seven provisionals to take care of top teams that have misfortunes in qualifying. Nobody is doing anything wrong. Everybody is making smart business moves. Ginn recovered some of his investment. DEI guaranteed their third team a spot in the race and acquired a top-notch sponsor with the U.S. Army and a top-notch driver with Mark Martin. The veteran will make a difference on the racetrack and off with DEI's development drivers.

No. 8 not for Smith?

Nathan from Cincinnati, Ohio: Is it possible that Regan Smith could be Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s replacement in the No. 8 for next season? Also, what happens to Aric Almirola, who just signed with Ginn?

Larry McReynolds: The deal with Almirola and Mark Martin sharing the No. 01 ride hasn't been affected. That's still going to be in place. Regan Smith is a very talented race car driver, but I think Dale Earnhardt Inc. — especially if Budweiser stays on board — is looking for someone with more experience for that No. 8 car. I could be totally wrong, but my gut feeling is they're going to be looking for more experience there.

Of all of the people involved with Ginn Racing, I probably feel the worst for Regan Smith because it just doesn't sound like it's working out for him. Just a few weeks ago, he was sharing a top-notch Cup ride with Mark Martin. Then, he was going to move to the No. 14 car full-time. Now, we're hearing rumblings about a full-time Craftsman Truck ride. He's the one that I probably feel the worst for to the best of his benefit.

Kyle to Gibbs?

Todd from Houston, Texas: With the Ginn/DEI merger, where do you think Kyle Busch will end up?

Larry McReynolds: Contrary to what keeps zigging and zagging around, I am hearing that the Kyle Busch deal at Joe Gibbs Racing is very close. Now, we don't have an answer on whether they're looking to put him in the No. 18 car, replacing J.J. Yeley, or if they are looking at Busch for a fourth team. We do know that Joe Gibbs Racing — a lot like DEI — has been contemplating a fourth team for a while. Like Richard Childress, Joe Gibbs would be a great owner for Kyle because Richard and Joe keep a close watch on their drivers. Gibbs made a phenomenal statement by flying to Chicagoland Speedway for one reason and one reason only, making sure he sorted out the issue between Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin.

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In the booth and off the box

Mike from Whitehouse Station, N.J.: OK, Larry, will we be reading about you in the rumors column? Just wondering if you think you could wrap your arms around Kyle Busch and fix things with him, would you be interested in returning as the crew chief for Kyle in an RCR car?

Larry McReynolds: I'm focused on two areas right now — television and my son's career — and I'm very happy and content with both. First, I'm making sure that I keep my eye on the ball with FOX, SPEED and now my commmitment to Turner for six races. And I'm very excited about working on DirecTV's HotPass. We're working very diligently on trying to secure a sponsor for my son in the Busch East Series next year. I'm really excited about finishing his Allison Legacy season in good form, possibly winning more races and finishing in the top two or three in points. I want to watch his career continue to grow and keep my arms around him while making sure he makes the right decisions and moves.

Speaking of television, Jeff Hammond, Steve Byrnes and I will be a little bit lost this week because we won't be doing any on-track shows. The next time we will do on-track stuff will be at Michigan, and we have a full plate there. But SPEED is working hard to keep a very big presence at the tracks with Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck programming. We're going to be doing a lot of stuff from the stage and digging into some stories that are hard to address during on-track shows.

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FOX race analyst Larry McReynolds has more than 25 years of NASCAR experience as a mechanic, crew chief and broadcaster. He and his fellow Crew Chief Club members take you behind the wall at www.crewchiefclub.com.

"How to Become a Winning Crew Chief" is on bookstore shelves, or you may order your own autographed copy from www.DWStore.com.