(Update at the bottom of this post.)

Assuming the talk is true, which since this is NASCAR can be hazardous as chatter in the sport is so cheap the legendary former Iraqi Information Minister Muhammed Saeed al-Sahaf would be embarrassed by most of the stuff being shoveled, DEI and Ginn are in hot and heavy negotiations to join forces.  Which if true means that darn Teresa Earnhardt has once more forgotten to read the memo about how without Dale Jr. DEI is a car wash.  Some people and their refusal to follow the script... really now!

Anyway, a union of DEI and Ginn would create some interesting scenarios.  DEI is currently running three teams, as is Ginn although talk (there's that word again) is that Ginn will be shutting down the #13 and #14 teams in the extremely near future.  Should DEI and Ginn sign papers together and team up right away, and NASCAR insist on an immediate reduction to four teams, something would have to give which would most likely mean Sterling Marlin and Joe Nemechek would start their off-season much earlier than originally planned even if Ginn doesn't pull the plug regardless.  The logical course of action would be allowing all parties involved to finish the season as is with any reduction taking place after Homestead, but since logic and NASCAR usually run together with the frequency of purely factual talk and NASCAR whether this would take place is highly debatable.

Another factor going into this consists of the reasons behind the merger.  Bobby Ginn, the resorts magnate who bought what was MB2 last year, did not become wealthy by allowing his businesses to hemorrhage red ink.  He has also made it clear he has no interest in gaining air time during races only when one of his cars is being lapped or hauled away by Mater after a wreck.  His hiring of Mark Martin to drive the #01 Army car at times of his choosing while mentoring Regan Smith demonstrates a thorough understanding of how to make the older driver/younger driver dynamic work at peak efficiency.  Add to this the discussion floating around concerning how Aric Almirola has decided he really isn't all that keen on remaining with the team (Gibbs) that earlier this year yanked him out of a car in the middle of a race he was leading, and is going to take over for Smith in the share a ride with Martin department while Smith moves into a full-time Cup seat.  Ginn is in to win.

Right now, winning isn't happening.  The major sponsorship deals for Marlin and Nemechek's cars both fell apart before the season began, and neither has shown any great indication of being something other than an afterthought from Daytona on.  It makes sense from both a quality of racing and financial standpoint for Ginn to merge with DEI, as much to the surprise of many it has significantly picked up its game to where this past weekend's mechanical failures are an aberration rather than standard practice.  Both Ginn and Earnhardt are savvy businesspeople, and while there is a danger in such scenarios of excessive head-butting should both insist on everything being done their way when differences arise the potential benefit of marshaled forces creating synergy easily outweighs the risk.

The possible driver lineup is intriguing, to say the least.  Given that Martin Truex Jr. and Paul Menard are both locked in for next year, as is Martin and apprentice in the Army car, there would be only one seat open in a DEI/Ginn merger before hitting the team size rev chip.  Max Siegel at DEI has gone on record about there being interest in bringing Kyle Busch on board to fill the driver's position for the car soon to be formerly known as the #8 Budweiser ride.  Whether Anheuser-Busch has any interest in sponsoring Kyle Busch is unknown -- the hunch is probably not, however bear in mind they're not exactly loaded with options at the moment -- but unless there are zero sponsors it's doubtful the team would be mothballed.  Also bear in mind how Martin as a teammate would go a long way toward keeping NASCAR's most talented twerp in check, something for which he ever so obviously has a dire need.  And should Busch sign elsewhere, the seat would be open for Smith.

The potential merger's wisdom is also borne out by a glance around the NASCAR landscape.  The days of working on your hot rod in the back yard and hauling it on the weekend to wherever the big boys were playing with genuine hopes of competing are long, long gone.  You have to be one of the, if not the, biggest boys on the block in order to survive.  Mid-level teams such as DEI and Ginn are fighting a rear guard action as much as trying to win races and compete for a championship.  They don't have the resources of a Hendrick or Roush.  Forming unions to themselves join the high roller parade is the only realistic method by which they can remain on the same field.

Yes, it sucks for drivers such as Marlin and Nemecek to be shown the door.  However, that's business.  And NASCAR is a business.  Period.

UPDATE: It pays to read team news releases: Say bye-bye to Nemechek and the #13.  Smith is now in the #14 full-time replacing Marlin.  And Almirola is on board, taking over for Smith as apprentice under Martin in the Army car.