FanHouse BobbyGinn

Now that we've got NASCAR, Sprint, and AT&T to settle their legal differences, it's only appropriate to get another going, right?

A few former employees of Ginn Racing think so. And good for them, too.

Former drivers Joe Nemechek and Sterling Marlin in addition to former Ginn crew chiefs Peter Sospenzo and Richard "Slugger" Labbe have filed suit claiming breach of contract because Ginn apparently hasn't paid what's due to them.

Sterling Marlin and Joe Nemechek have sued Ginn Racing and Dale Earnhardt Inc. for alleged breaches of their contracts, which included a base salary of $1.2 million apiece.

The separate suits, filed Sept. 7 in Cabarrus County, N.C., do not specify how much they have been paid or what they exactly are owed.

Ginn Racing and DEI joined forces prior to the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard in July. Some folks in the garage area estimated anywhere from 70 to over 120 employees at Ginn were terminated in the merger that lacked in the merge department.

It was essentially a DEI takeover of all things Ginn.

Hopefully the rest of the employees who worked the nine to fivers out of the spotlight are taking action against Ginn as well.

They deserve so much better than an outside real estate mogul buying into NASCAR and failing to realize the massive responsibility of the sport.

Ginn Racing's decision to cut veterans Joe Nemechek and Sterling Marlin was "sponsor driven." I suspect that the majority of fans accept that. That doesn't mean we to have to like it. And we don't:

Both Marlin and Nemechek are among the most popular drivers in the Nextel Cup garage. When word of their firings became public yesterday, internet message boards lit up with comments critical of Ginn Racing. Ginn's own Fan Forum was shut down late Tuesday, after fans clogged it with scathing criticism of the team.

Where is the respect for our elders?
It's hard not to be critical of a team firing two veteran drivers maintaining position in the top 35 in owner points in the middle of the season. But the move is far from surprising--with change in ownership usually comes a change in key personnel.

So Ginn Racing didn't close both the #13 and #14 Nextel Cup teams this week, just their Busch team, which amounted to roughly 30 people losing their jobs, save the spotter who was promoted to Cup. But, even though they haven't closed the books, Bobby Ginn seems to have made both team's numbers available on the open owner market, with the likelihood of selling the #13 to the highest bidder.

And what owner might be willing to buy its way into the top 35? Teresa Earnhardt is the leading runner. Paul Menard isn't going to be able to climb his way into the top 35 himself if he can't qualify for a race. DEI's got the cash to compensate. You put it together.

Speaking of DEI's cash ... Budweiser is ready move on next year, but not with Dale Earnhardt Jr. Budweiser is reportedly setting their sites on Kasey Kahne now. Score Ray Evernham!

That leaves Junior wide open to Do the Dew, which I think means he would also give up his personal appearances contract with Bud, which is good considering he'll need time for Sony and Adidas now. Wow. Junior really scored on the upgrade of free goods, huh? Also ... look for Junior to give the #14 team's displaced spotter, his buddy T.J. Majors, a shot on the #? Mountain Dew Chevrolet next season. Reminder: Free the #8!

What that means for Kellogg's I have no idea, but about the Kellogg's driver ...

A source tells me that Kyle Busch has already decided on Richard Childress Racing and is expected to take a lot of his crew with him. By a lot, I take it to mean his crew chief, Alan Gustafson (making room for Tony Eury Jr.), and whoever else wants to come along. Maybe the sponsor will follow, too.