Breaking down the winners and losers of a Petty-Gillett merger

The pending addition of another car at GEM could give A.J. Allmendinger a chance to get into the lineup. Getty Images Tom Bowles's Mailbag Submit a comment or question for Tom. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND

With Bobby Labonte and Petty Enterprises officially parting ways as of Thursday morning, the move should prove a precursor to SI.com's report last week of a pending merger/absorption of Petty Enterprises into Gillett Evernham Motorsports.

"We can confirm Gillett Evernham Motorsports is in exclusive negotiations with Petty Holdings," Tom Reddin, CEO of GEM, said after a week of repeated denials by his organization. "GEM has a very solid foundation, and this is an exciting opportunity to build on that foundation with one of the greatest names in the history of motorsports. We will work diligently over the next several weeks, and make further comment at the appropriate time."

Of course, such a move has a profound effect on the sport in more ways than one. But with the dominoes starting to fall, it's easy to just focus attention on simply the Pettys, their investment group Boston Ventures, or new potential owner George Gillett.

However, Labonte's departure into the world of free agency -- just six months removed from a contract extension through 2012 -- reminds us there are plenty of others affected by this far-reaching merger. Here's a quick scorecard of additional winners and losers from this whole process:

WINNERS

A.J. Allmendinger. The highest-profile free agent remaining before Labonte's release, Allmendinger closed the season strong in the No. 10 car for Gillett Evernham Motorsports. With three Top 15 runs in a five-race stint, the open-wheel superstar turned stock car student had a higher average finish in the second half of the Chase than teammates Kasey Kahne and Elliott Sadler.

That left GEM with a problem on their hands, as they had already committed to former Ganassi driver Reed Sorenson for next season. But the pending addition of a fourth car -- without the obligation to put Labonte in it -- likely gives this team the freedom to add Allmendinger to the lineup, giving one of NASCAR's Most Improved Drivers a full-time opportunity after an unceremonious release from Team Red Bull. It's even possible the 'Dinger might even stay with crew chief Mike Shiplett at the No. 10 while the team relegates Sorenson to the No. 43.

Dodge. You might think Dodge losing its most legendary organization -- one that carried Dodge and Chrysler to the pinnacle of Cup racing in the 1960s and 1970s -- would be a devastating blow. But in another sense, a consolidation of the manufacturer's teams to just two high-profile organizations -- Gillett and Penske -- should allow it to focus resources without having to spread the wealth in helping keep struggling Petty or Robby Gordon Motorsports afloat (RGM is rumored to be switching to Toyota). If Penske's willing to share its development notes on the new R6 engine, the whole fleet may experience an uptick in 2009.

Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. Of course, there's been no official announcement as to where Labonte will land; but where there's smoke, there's fire. And let's be honest -- what other team besides EGR has an opening at this point? Should Labonte land in the EGR camp, the new four-car team has the stabilizing presence of a veteran it lost when Mark Martin left for Hendrick Motorsports at the end of 2008. The 2000 Cup Series champion still has plenty left in the tank, and Labonte's greatest successes came in a GM product while driving Pontiacs and Chevrolets for Joe Gibbs from 1995 to 2005.

But there's another reason EGR execs are smiling. Putting someone like Labonte behind the wheel calms the fears of sponsor Bass Pro Shops. The backer of primary driver Martin Truex, Jr.'s Chevrolet, Bass Pro Shops reportedly has an out clause it was looking to exercise, but this quality addition should allow the team to get the sponsorship needed for its other cars to prevent that from happening.

Here's the sole caveat for EGR, though; Labonte's presence isn't enough to take the pressure off the normally laid-back Truex. And he's not exactly the poster child to turn around an underperforming team, either. Even after going through nearly half-a-dozen crew chiefs in three years behind the wheel at Petty, he had just three top-five finishes, and is winless since taking the checkered flag at Homestead in November 2003.

LOSERS

Regan Smith. Already having little chance of remaining with the new Earnhardt Ganassi team, the 2008 Rookie of the Year saw his shot reduced to zero with Labonte's free agency. There had been minimal communication between Smith and the team since the end of the season, and Labonte's availability puts Smith behind too many other free agents in contention for the team's fourth car.

The rookie does remain optimistic he'll land something, though; when I talked to him last week, he said he'd even take a ride in a lesser series if the opportunity looked good.

"I think the main thing you want to look at is where I want to be in my career five years from now," he said of his decision process. "It's not necessarily going to be a bad thing if you were going to take a full-time Nationwide or Truck ride in a real good piece of equipment and go out and contend for a championship -- that's not a bad thing. I've got age on my side to a certain extent; I'm 25, although I feel old compared to some of the guys that are out there now. But I've still got that in my pocket, and ultimately it's going to be all about doing what's best to make sure I can get to that top level."

Robbie Loomis. With so much focus on the Pettys, it's easy to forget the uncertain future of their most loyal employee. Loomis began his career with the famed No. 43 team in the 1990s, working with Bobby Hamilton, John Andretti, and even "King Richard" himself before moving on to Hendrick Motorsports as crew chief for Jeff Gordon's No. 24 Chevrolet. Winning the title with Gordon in 2001, Loomis would enjoy 23 wins with Gordon before choosing to return to the Pettys four years later following a desire to get off the road.

Since then, he's served as Vice President and one of the point men in trying to get the struggling franchise turned around. He presided over the arrival of Bobby Labonte, other top-level personnel like Todd Parrott, Paul Andrews, and former Hendrick car chief Jeff Meendering.

But the chemistry never clicked with many of those hires, and Loomis has instead been forced to play defense over the past 12 months with loss of sponsorship for both of the team's two cars. Now, where he lands as the result of any merger or takeover is unclear. He'd be a great addition to the GEM camp, but you wonder if their organizational structure leaves room for someone with different philosophies on how to get things done. And no matter where Loomis lands, it's unlikely this talented mechanic will ever enjoy the same amount of power and personnel decision-making he had at PE.

Chad McCumbee. Once in contention for a full-time ride in 2009, Petty's developmental driver now appears to be the odd man out in the upcoming reorganization. In eight career Cup starts, McCumbee had a best finish of just 17th to go along with five more of 35th or worse. But the 23-year-old Truck Series veteran who finished a career-best 11th in the points in that series this year is still considered a driver with tremendous upside.

The kid known for his portrayal of Dale Earnhardt in the movie 3 may need to consider going back to acting now. The future of his Truck team remains unclear, and with many rides already decided for 2009, he may still be in a state of flux come Daytona.

Scott Riggs. Like Smith, Riggs had his hopes on snagging one of the few remaining Cup seats available at EGR. Now the veteran just two years removed from a career-best season at Gillett Evernham is likely out in the cold completely for 2009, despite an admirable effort the last few months as a "lame duck" for Tony Stewart's new team.