Martin Truex Jr. will return to the No. 1 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet next year, Sporting News has learned.

The specifics of Truex's contract, which was signed Wednesday are not known, but he will retain the sponsorship from Bass Pro Shops, which is committed to DEI through the 2010 season..

Truex, 28, made his Cup Series debut with DEI on Oct. 31, 2004, at Atlanta. He won the Busch Series championship in 2004 and 2005 before making the jump to the Cup Series in '06.

He made the Chase in 2007, and also won his first Cup Series race on June 4 at Dover. He finished 11th in points.

Truex, however, has had a trying season. Much was expected after he made the Chase last season, but he is 17th in the point standings with two top-five finishes and six top 10s through 21 races.

Truex also has suffered a 150-point penalty and the loss of his crew chief, Kevin Manion, for six weeks because of penalties NASCAR imposed for violations discovered July 3 during initial prequalifying inspection at Daytona. Specifically, Truex's Chevrolet failed to meet the templates used to measure the roof of the car.

Truex is 248 points behind 12th-place Clint Bowyer in the battle for a Chase berth with five races remaining before the 10-race playoffs begin Sept. 14 at New Hampshire.