It is estimated that about 750 employees will be laid off in the three NASCAR national series and some well informed people believes that estimate to be well below reality.Dale Eanrhardt Inc. had to let go more than 70 employees because of the merger with Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. Max Siegel was attending his last race as president of global operations for Dale Earnhardt Inc last Sunday. "I've been hearing that the lay-offs could be anywhere from 700 to 1, 200," Siegel said. Siegel told NASCAR.com that DEI had no choice but to merge with another race organization to survive. But he also said he knows that DEI is not alone.Another team who is also feeling the crunch is Hall of Fame Racing who will also cut its staff. Same thing at Petty Enterprises, The Wood Brothers, Bill Davis Racing, who employed Jacques Villeneuve earlier this season, and Ernie Elliott's engine shop all reduced their staffs.Petty and the Wood Brothers are believed to have let go more than 20 employees each while BDR, which has no sponsorship lined up for its Sprint Cup program, has cut its staff to all but a handful of employees. Elliott, who built engines for Chip Ganassi Racing, did the same since it's unlikely Ganassi will use his motors once he completes a merger with Dale Earnhardt Inc. photo: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR
NASCAR: Many people will be out of work