Can DEI honestly afford to let Jr go?
Quote selected text Published January 7th, 2007 in NASCAR News
If Teresa Earnhardt is half the marketing guru people proclaim her to be then she’ll have WWJD bracelets in a NASCAR trailer near you soon.
No, not “What Would Jesus Do?”
“What Will Junior Do?”
Make them Budweiser red.
Sell them for a buck.
If NASCAR has 75 million fans as it claims and Dale Earnhardt Jr. has a third of them, which is more than reasonable since he’s been the sport’s most popular driver the past four years, then Teresa will have more than enough money to re-sign her stepson.
Not that anybody seriously should believe Earnhardt will leave the company his father built when his contract expires after this season. Dale Earnhardt Inc. can’t afford to let Junior go any more than Disney can afford to part with Mickey Mouse.
DEI has 23 wins since it was formed in 1996. Junior has 17, with Michael Waltrip collecting four of the other six at the superspeedways of Daytona and Talladega where DEI cars are dominant.
Junior has eight wins over the past three seasons. The other six drivers who have competed in at least one race for DEI have none.
He also has the contract with Budweiser, which surely would follow if he went elsewhere since that deal also expires following this season.
Without Earnhardt the organization wouldn’t be much better than those at the far end of the garage struggling to be competitive.
But until Earnhardt re-signs, with a tentative deadline of midsummer, Earnhardt’s future with DEI will get more attention than a Britney Spears night on the town.
Like Spears, it’ll be more hype than reality.
More at ESPN.com
- Evernham close to selling portion of operation to Canadiens owner
- Target to return as sponsor to Ganassi
- Webber to Re-Sign with Williams for Smaller Salary?
- F1’s GPDA back away from Monza boycott
- de la Rosa Expects Ferrari to Dominate at Monza
We’ve received a ton of emails asking about Jr’s future with DEI and if he’ll leave the team. The fact is that Jr is stalling now to get a huge contract. If DEI doesn’t pony up BIG cash, Dale leaves. It’s Jr’s camp’s goal to make him the richest sports figure ever, and they have a chance to make it happen.
Folks, Dale Jr holds ALL the cards here, whether Teresa Earnhardt wants to believe it or not. He can go anywhere he wants after 2007, Bud will go with him, and Jr’s braintrust actually has to TURN AWAY sponsor offers!
Again, he is going to play hardball, get a huge salary and a bigger piece of ownership of DEI or he is gone…pure and simple.
AutoRacingSport.com’s prediction: Jr leaves because there are several teams prepared to pay him a salary that’ll make your jaw drop and we don’t think DEI will match it.
We’ll see….
Dale Jr isnt goin no where he will race for DEI for many years to come.
I agree. Junior DOES hold all the cards. Let’s face it, Richard Childress is whispering in Junior’s ear to come over to his team, and I’m thinking Dale’s listening. Statistically speaking, RCR has had a better season than DEI by far and Teresa would be foolish to think she could keep Dale Jr. with Childress willing to offer Junior grade-A equipment, equipment capable of leading an entire race and sealing the deal. Nobody knows for sure if Junior will leave, but I’m willing to put a hefty bet down to say that he will. There’s just enough room at RCR for him, and I think Childress is going to hold that fourth car for Junior. If Teresa knows what’s good for the company, she’ll have to offer up a lot of money to re-sign Dale Jr., otherwise, Richard Childress will.
Teresa is a gold digger and she’ll hang on to that cash as long as she can . When she finally realizes that Junior IS her cash flow , she’ll be begging him to stay but if the whole thing has gone to her head , who knows what will happen . I’m a Smoke fan so it doesnt bother me one way or the other but DEI just wouldnt be right without Junior . Just my opinion .
Dale Jr is staying put. He will be with DEI forever.
I think Jr will stay with DEI until he bring them a championship home. But I think he should go to RCR and bring tohe 3 car back because it would be a great tribute to his father The Great Dale Earnhardt, and he would bring a championship home to RCR. I don’t Teresa is dumb enough to let him go. Because he is her money.
Some forgot about STEVE PARK had 2 wins for DEI as for Jr well DUH the man is DEI and everone knows it . Iam a Harvick fan and as much as would like to see a Dale in a black goodwrench car thats not going to happen so lets move one to some thing that could a bud #18 at Gibbs just kidding .
Jr isn’t going anywhere. That would be like he is leaving his dad, and that isn’t going to happen. The money would be tempting but his dad means more to him than any amount of money.
people should look at bobby h. passing and things should look small, live life for today and dont sweat the small stuff. no matter what jr will race for along time and be at the top so let the cards fall were they may and say a prayer for bobby and his famly.
dale jr will probly leave if Teresa keeps talking like she is
bring on the black #3 budweiser
I think Jr. should DO what Jr. wants to do and everyone should STOP bagging on Teresa. No one knows her position in any of this. Her comments may not have held the best tactfullness back in December but SHE is the one who calls the shots. Point blank everyone that has or is trash talking Teresa needs to stop take a breath and look at ALL angles of the picture. Obviously DALE Sr. felt she could do the job put before her or do you TRULY believe in any right mind he would’ve left it the way he did? Think about it people. Now I know she’s hired new faces and names and what not, and THEY may in lieu of what you may be thinking assuredly seem to be causing problems themselves. Dale Jr. is his OWN man…constantly comparing him to someone else is wrong and maybe one of these days people will realize that though he may BE the Intimidator’s son, he is NOT and will never be Dale Sr. Live and let die, they do they’re best. I don’t see anyone else stepping up to offer a hand, but they’ll for sure be the FIRST one’s to cast stones.
This family deserves respect, they’ve earned it. Let’s all take a minute and remember that Dale didn’t even drive for his own company, why would it be SUCH a shock for Jr. not to drive for his father’s company? He doesn’t drive for his own company either…mixing business and pleasure, NEVER a good thing.
junior isn’t going any where. he will stay with dei
Richard Childress could be the key to Jr winning a championship.. Jr in the red #3 Bud car.
All the other owners are at the track but where is Theresa at? Not at the track where she should be.
Teresa should turn DEI over to Jr. and be done with it. Let’s face it,
Nascar racing is a business and the one thing that keeps the lights on
in the shop and fuel in the tank is the almighty dollar. Nobody generates
more fan based revenue than Dale Jr. and anybody would be lucky to have him
on their team. Especially since he has most of DEI’s wins since ‘96 and
the fact that he did finish fifth in points this year out of 40+ drivers.
Clearly there is a personal issue between them, because the business side
of this decision is very easy–show Dale Jr. the $$$$$$!
Jr. said in an interview sometime last season that he would not be “adverse” to driving the #3 Goodwrench.
He should be the only person to ever sit in that seat; there was talk of Childress retiring the number.
Call Teresa’s bluff. Maybe that will pull the stick out of her butt and knock her down a few pegs. The very
fact that this is a newsmaker is a disgrace to Dale Sr. I hope he haunts her!! He would never accept her
treating his son like this.
Jr needs to make the decision to do what makes him the best he can be. Rather he stays with DEI or he moves on,
it would be one of the worst business decision Budweiser would ever make if they did not choose to follow JR.
I think that in the long run JR and his siblings will own DEI anyway. He is young and he has majority of the
nascar fans, not just because of his dad but because of the driver he has grown to be. DEI will be nothing
without JR and if Teresa doesn’t see that then she must be a few cards shy of a full deck. She should be
ashamed of herself anyway, EVERYONE knows that company was built for the KIDS. If she truely wasn’t there
for just the MONEY and she wanted to follow thru with what was in DALE SR’s mind when he built DEI, SHE would
simply do what was right and take a step back and still help with the managment but let the kids of the LEGEND
take control and run the business to promote they careers, They are the legacy that will carry on, NOT HER.
Like I said before , Teresa is about as important to nascar as Paris Hilton is to the hotel industry. Dale Jr. IS the reason DEI has big sponsors and sells alot of merchandise and even the reason that Truex and Menard are there. Teresa doesnt go to the races , but doesnt mind critisizing Jr.s amount of effort in his race team. this tells me she only see’s dollar signs and will never be a “real” owner like Roush , Hendrick or Childress. They live the sport , she just cashes the checks the sport provodes her. Without Jr. driving for DEI , it would be no better than the Wood Brothers or BAM racing. Seriously. If Jr. leaves for RCR , watch the rest of the DEI quality emploees flee from teresa like mice when the light comes on. Wise up Teresa…dont let your pride make you lose the best money maker you’ll ever have. Someone else would sure like to have him if you dont want him.