The departure of Paul Menard and his father's sponsorship money has now left Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI) with three cars and now only one full-time sponsor for the 2009 season. With two drivers that have yet to compete in a full season (Aric Almirola and Regan Smith) and another that reluctantly signed on for another year (Martin Truex Jr.), this team is starting to look about as secure of an investment as playing the stock market.

With the economy going through some of the toughest times since the Great Depression, trying to attract sponsorship deals that run well into the tens of millions of dollars is never an easy task. The Yates Racing team has struggled to do just that this year, but with the addition of Menard they at least know that deal is secure. While Menard is not a top-level driver in the Cup Series, he did bring that security in terms of financial stability. Yates Racing now has that, and for DEI though, the journey is an uphill battle.

Bass Pro Shops has agreed to return to the team next season to be the primary sponsor for the team's lead driver, Martin Truex Jr. Many expect the team's other major sponsor, the U.S. Army, to leave the once successful company for perhaps the newly formed Stewart-Haas Racing. With Menard's father's company's departure, DEI is losing much more than just a driver, they're losing that ever valuable sponsorship dollar.

Currently winless in 2008, DEI's best finish of the year came when Truex Jr. finished 4th in New Hampshire in June. Truex is also the team's highest driver in the series standings, but fell to sixteenth after a 43rd-place finish last week at Kansas. Menard is 28th in the standings, while Regan Smith, driver of the No. 01 Chevrolet, is 33rd.

Through it's acquisition of Ginn Racing last season, DEI was fortunate enough to bring aboard veteran Mark Martin, who this year climbed behind in the seat vacated by Dale Earnhardt Jr. at the end of the 2007 season. However, just as happened last year with Junior, DEI will lose Martin to Hendrick Motorsports at the end of this season.

Over the last two seasons, this once top-notch team has lost three drivers - not to mention the heir to the family business - and three top-level sponsors. Often overlooked in the grand scheme of things, losing Dale Earnhardt Jr. was not the only thing that hurt this team at the end of last year. Junior's long-time sponsor, Budweiser - one of the most successful brands in the world - left the team to join Gillett Evernham Motorsports and driver Kasey Kahne.

There are some things DEI can look forward to though. Almirola is one heck of a driver and, given the chance to compete in a full season, may turn some heads in the next few years. Truex Jr. is a Chase-worthy driver and the No. 1 team, led by crew chief Kevin "Bono" Manion, is a championship-caliber team - that is when luck is on their side and they don't shoot themselves in the foot. And don't forget about the other Earnhardt.

Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s grandson, Jeffrey Earnhardt, seems to be next in line to take up the family business. The son of Kerry Earnhardt, Jeffrey has competed over the last two years in the NASCAR Camping World East Series and appears to be preparing for a career in NASCAR's top divisions.

This team definitely has some rough times ahead in the immediate future. Without big name sponsors, the money needed to remain competitive starts to disappear. With Truex Jr. only inked with the team for another year, it appears DEI might find itself in this situation again for a third year in a row at the end of next season if things don't start to improve. When money starts to dry up and the focus shifts from winning races to paying the bills, the performance on the track suffers - and when that happens, drivers and sponsors start to leave.