The doors are still open at PPI Motorsports, but the downsizing continues as owner Cal Wells (pictured right with driver Ricky Craven) laid off six employees on Wednesday and now has a staff of nine at his Hickory, N.C. shop.

The total will remain there for the time being but will be reduced to four by January unless a sponsor comes through to keep the No. 32 Nextel Cup team on the track in 2007.

Wells signed a contract with a company based in California’s Silicon Valley back in June but said the company, which he wouldn’t name, has changed its business philosophy and isn’t ready to invest in motorsports at this time. Wells found that was tough to take after spending more than two years working with the company.

NASCAR worked with Wells to attract the sponsor, and Wells is grateful for that help, saying NASCAR can’t be blamed for the company’s decision.

“We all checked them out - we did, NASCAR did - and we felt very good about it,” Wells said Thursday. “We actually felt the type and style of sponsorship it was was going to be huge for NASCAR, huge for the tracks. We’ve taken them to [International Speedway Corp.] and [Speedway Motorsports Inc.] to negotiate track deals and put an immense amount of time in it.

“But at the end of the day, they just haven’t done what they said they were going to do. When that happens [it's tough]. I just don’t have the depth to keep spending the money [without sponsorship]. So I had to stop.”

Scene Daily