Germain Racing on 2021 Status: ‘At This Time, Anything is on the Table’

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Ty Dillon, driver of the #13 GEICO Camaro ZL1 1LE, races to an 18th place finish with his brother, Austin Dillon, driver of the #3 DOW/Behr Ultra Scuff Defense Camaro ZL1 1LE who finished in 15th place Sunday, August 22, 2020 during the 1st double header NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway in Dover Delaware. Drivers raced to a limited number of spectators due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Andrew Coppley/HHP for Chevy Racing)

A Twitter firestorm was set off on Monday evening when a rumor began to spread on Twitter about the future of Germain Racing. It all started when a website (AutoRacing1.com) first published an unconfirmed rumor that the No. 13 team would be selling their team and shutting down at the end of 2020.

While the rumor seemed a bit off base, as the website incorrectly spelled Germain as Germaine, turns out there may have been some truth to what the rumor site has been hearing.

On Tuesday, FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass released a statement on Twitter from Germain Racing on their 2021 plans, and it read as follows:

“At this time, anything is on the table. Germain Racing does not have a signed sponsorship contract for 2021 and Bob Germain is exploring conversations for a potential sale.”

Germain Racing statement on 2021 status: “At this time, anything is on the table. Germain Racing does not have a signed sponsorship contract for 2021 and Bob Germain is exploring conversations for a potential sale.” #nascar

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) September 1, 2020

This essentially means that GEICO, the team’s primary sponsor since it’s NASCAR Cup Series debut in 2009, has yet to extend their deal. Without a primary sponsorship in place, the team more than likely would not be able to continue on. While it’s not likely the team could continue without sponsorship, it is possible, as Furniture Row Racing ran for several years out of team owner Barney Visser’s pocket, but it’s not a very sustainable plan for the long term.

Through 415 starts in 12 years as a NCS team, Germain Racing has recorded two top-five finishes and 11 top-10s. Ty Dillon has been the team’s full-time driver since 2017. This season, Dillon’s best finish was a 10th-place effort in Las Vegas back in February and he sits 27th in the NCS championship standings after 26 races.

With Justin Marks — and reportedly others — looking feverishly for a Team Charter, this will be something to monitor as the season comes to a conclusion.

Toby Christie

Toby is the Founder of TobyChristie.com, and Editor-in-Chief of Racing America. Toby is also the co-host of The Final Lap Weekly Podcast. Additionally, he is an award-winning writer, and has followed the sport as a fan since 1993.