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Ganassi in no hurry to fill Truex void

Chip Ganassi is in no rush to find a replacement for Martin Truex Jr after Michael Waltrip Racing announced it has signed him on a multi-year contract from 2010

Truex joined the merger of Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Chip Ganassi Racing over the winter after being a DEI driver since 2003. However, this season has been a struggle for the 29-year-old, who has been outperformed by his team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya.

Ganassi says he understands Truex's "business" decision and wished him well on his move to MWR in 2010, while expecting him to continue to deliver for the reminder of the season in the #1 EGR car.

"Martin made a business decision that he felt was in his best interest and we can't fault him for that," Ganassi said. "Martin and the whole No. 1 team are committed to success for the remainder of the 2009 season and we would expect nothing less from them.

"Martin is a good guy and wish him nothing but the best. As for who will be in the car in 2010, there is a lot of time between now and the 2010 Daytona 500 and we are looking at all our options."

EGR started the season with three cars for Montoya, Truex and Aric Almirola, but the latter only ran in seven races before his team had to be shut down due to lack of sponsorship.

Montoya's team has secured funding from the outfit's long-time partner Target and other associate sponsors for the next few years, while Truex's car has sponsorship from Bass Pro Shops, which according to team sources is signed through 2010.

Ganassi says that despite the departure of Truex at the end of the year, the team's future looks bright, as Montoya's results have shown lately. The Colombian is currently 11th in the standings, with a clear shot at making the Chase, which would be the first for a Ganassi driver ever.

"We have a lot of great things going on right now in our organization - most importantly that our cars are running better," Ganassi added. "Montoya and the No. 42 are in the top-12 and we couldn't be more proud of him and the effort the whole organization has put forth in improving our performance on the track.

"I really think the future is bright."

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