Aric Almirola has filed a lawsuit in North Carolina Superior Court alleging that Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and Dale Earnhardt Inc. have breached their contract with him.
Almirola, who drove in seven Sprint Cup races this year for the team before his car was parked because of a lack of sponsorship, filed the complaint last Thursday. DEI had announced last year that Almirola would run a full season in 2009, but the organization later merged its Cup operation with Chip Ganassi Racing to form Earnhardt Ganassi Racing.
The complaint does not detail the circumstances surrounding the breach-of-contract claim and asks the court to refer the matter to arbitration.
Almirola had filed two notices of a claim last month, and he had until Thursday to file the actual complaint. He is dismissing his claim against Chip Ganassi Racing and EGR co-owner Teresa Earnhardt but proceeding in the one against EGR and DEI.
Almirola has 26 career Sprint Cup starts, with a career-best finish of eighth at Bristol in March 2008. He drove in 17 races in 2007 and 2008 as he shared the ride with Mark Martin in the No. 8 car at DEI.
He has driven in 14 Camping World Truck Series races this year for Billy Ballew Motorsports with six top-five finishes.
The team had no comment.
Aric Almirola files claim against Earnhardt Ganassi Racing - Sprint Cup Series | NASCAR Racing News - SceneDaily.com
Almirola, who drove in seven Sprint Cup races this year for the team before his car was parked because of a lack of sponsorship, filed the complaint last Thursday. DEI had announced last year that Almirola would run a full season in 2009, but the organization later merged its Cup operation with Chip Ganassi Racing to form Earnhardt Ganassi Racing.
The complaint does not detail the circumstances surrounding the breach-of-contract claim and asks the court to refer the matter to arbitration.
Almirola had filed two notices of a claim last month, and he had until Thursday to file the actual complaint. He is dismissing his claim against Chip Ganassi Racing and EGR co-owner Teresa Earnhardt but proceeding in the one against EGR and DEI.
Almirola has 26 career Sprint Cup starts, with a career-best finish of eighth at Bristol in March 2008. He drove in 17 races in 2007 and 2008 as he shared the ride with Mark Martin in the No. 8 car at DEI.
He has driven in 14 Camping World Truck Series races this year for Billy Ballew Motorsports with six top-five finishes.
The team had no comment.
Aric Almirola files claim against Earnhardt Ganassi Racing - Sprint Cup Series | NASCAR Racing News - SceneDaily.com