Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s decision to leave Dale Earnhardt Inc., his late father’s company, has had time to marinate.
He is moving on, and so is Dale Earnhardt Inc.
Earnhardt will finish the season with the team driving the familiar No. 8, and DEI and its 400 or so employees are soldiering on, but they already are working on life without Junior, clearly a huge piece of the puzzle but not one they believe is irreplaceable.
Morale is solid at DEI, the company Dale Earnhardt and his wife, Teresa, formed in February 1980. Some there believe that once the smoke clears, once things get settled, a more powerful company very well could emerge.
After all, this is a company that remained strong after Earnhardt’s death at the 2001 Daytona 500.
“It’s good, it’s good,” said Steve Hmiel, technical director at DEI, when asked about the morale at DEI since Dale Jr. made his announcement. “It’s frustrating because … I have to be careful, because I’m going to say something wrong.
“There’s a company there that has fed people’s families and bought ‘em cars and given a real nice place to work and gave them insurance and what have you for a long time. That thing made it through February of 2001, and it’s going to make it through all the rest of Februaries that Teresa wants it to make it through. And Teresa wants it to go on forever, as Dale Sr. did.
“It’s a shock that Dale Jr. would walk away. That’s his decision. But there’s a company there that lives and breathes and takes care of people and pays people every other Friday, and that has never changed even through our darkest hour.”
“I think that it’s been a big test for the character of the employees at DEI, and I feel everybody has stepped up to the challenge, everybody is ready for the challenge,” Gilmore said. “I can’t be more proud of our employees. They are all behind Dale Earnhardt Inc.
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These articles with rehearsed statements by DEI employees are such a waste of everyone’s time. Steve Hmiel is a DEI puppet. They should save themselves the embarassment of spitting this company propaganda and lets just see where they’re at in 2 years. I doubt its where they’ll want to be considering the company’s track record of the past 5 years.
The idea that Junior is holding DEI back in anyway is proposterous. Lets just say he was holding DEI back… Then with that logic it would mean he is more important than these contradictory statements by DEI are claiming.
Either way, you’d have to be deaf, blind and stupid to think a driver with Junior’s following and marketing power leaving DEI would not hurt the company. They’ll have to find a driver who is the next Dale Senior to save them. That’s a 1 in a trillion chance. I don’t see any of those in Busch, ARCA or sprints. Theresa’s business savy is obviously not going to turn the company around.
Well i guess they do not know a good thing when they see it. Now they have lost it. You can tell by the way things were rehearsed for the press they are all ready having that sinking feeling. We all know what will happen. Teresa will sink DEI. They should call the place Titanic Inc!
First of all, as Axel said, this is rehearsed propaganda. Anyone who has ever been a fan and followed DEI (Jr.) knows that DEI is nolonger a strong company. If Sr. were still with us there would be a championship trophy at DEI. Dale is the one that had the ideas on how to run a RACING company. Teresa had some smarts about some things but it has become painfully obvious that running DEI is not one of them. Dips**t said it was a shock that Jr. would walk away. Why is it a shock? Does Tereesa and her spin doctors actually expect a driver of Jr.’s caliber to keep putting up with below average equipment. It’s obvious that Teresa isn’t going to spend money to improve DEI’s shop. Sure she is merging the engine shop with RCR but if she would put the proper resources into DEI’s r&d programs there would be know need for a merger. I don’t think Sr. had it in his mind to join forces with another team to build his equipment. I hate to see DALE EARNHARDT’S legacy tumble but that is where it’s going, down. Anyone has to give Jr. his due, he tried to save it and the powers that be at DEI spit in his face. So now our proud Earnhardt Nation has to become a proud Jr. Nation. Hey June Bug you have the loyalest following there is and we WILL STICK WITH YOU…
Once again, I agree with you guys. Is Max Siegel passing out the “special” Kool-Aid over there at DEI? Sheesh. What a bunch of crap. Shrewella Theresa is just saving face. Like Axel said, and I stated before, DEI is going to be a memory in 2 years, and it’s going to be all her friggin fault!
Like Hmiel said “It’s frustrating because … I have to be careful, because I’m going to say something wrong.”
Dale JR. will never win a championship. Like Theresa said, all he cares about is his public image and making money. Bring that boy to me and I will straighten him out!
Theresa is mistaken in her assumption of Junior’s priorities. Theresa is the one using the money that could be put into the teams, cars and shops to invest in some kind of media branch of DEI which is another shining example of her and possibly Max’s poor management.
Listen to Junior’s in car radio (and interviews) and then tell us he has anything on his mind besides winning races. He does his job. Theresa is not doing her own.
DEI can only get stronger. Dale Jr. is popular because he is an Earnhardt and has a beer sponsor. His demonstrated talent threshold is low enough that you won’t ever have the opportunity to call him a NASCAR champion. The majority of his wins are at restrictor plates where most drivers have stated that any monkey with a little luck can win. Heck, even Derrick Cope won the Daytona 500! Jr. is a hell a marketing tool, but only a mediocre driver. If DEI gets anyone with a little more talent gives them the goods Jr. had, you can expect a championship contender.
““It’s frustrating because … I have to be careful, because I’m going to say something wrong.
“There’s a company there that has fed people’s families and bought ‘em cars and given a real nice place to work and gave them insurance and what have you for a long time”
…sounds like someone fears telling the truth will cost him his livelyhood!!
CHRISTINA….like what would YOU do to Jr to straighten him out!!
winning races takes more than a driver’s ability. it takes a strong motor, and
DEI has been borrowing equipment from Dale Jr’s company! So to me that says
alot about what DEI employees CANT say out of fear!
You need to have a racecar so you will understand all the facets of running
a successful TEAM
Billy-Derrike Cope won because of a rainout. But nice try.
Obviously they don’t have good equipment, or they wouldn’t be merging
with RCR. That SCREAMS “We need help”. And I don’t mean to put down
fabricators, but without an engine I don’t care how sleek the body is,
the car ain’t goin anywhere.
Like Axel said, all
one has to do is listen to Jr’s radio during the race to know that
he wants to win. It’s not like he has to race to rake in money;; his
merchandise sales will keep him going until his dying day. So obviously
he loves the racing, and not the money.
Junior won at Bristol… You have to be a talented driver to do that. That is undeniable.
Junior is popular because he is an Earnhardt. I’ll give you that, Billy, but he has enough talent to keep his fans. If he had been driving for Hendrick all this time I would bet a year’s paycheck he’d be more successful than Jimmie Johnson and atleast have one championship in the same period of time. Junior’s talent is not mediocre and his ability is only improving. DEI is holding Junior back, that is also undeniable.
There is a quality Junior has that people relate to and like. Some people can’t handle that fact because they’re jealous.
I’ll grant yiou that Junior relates well to his fans. And sure, he has had a tough win or two, such as Bristol. But then, a lot of the drivers have won a tough race and still aren’t a top driver…see Jamie McMurray or Kasey Kahne. There is no jealousy of Jr., he seems like a likable enough guy and I wish him the best wherever he ends up. But he is the Brian Urlacher of NASCAR…way overhyped and trumped up.
I’m not saying Junior is the best driver out there, but I am saying that I think he is better than Jimmie Johnson. I also think Junior’s skill is improving all the time. DEI is just not the company to be racing for to win a championship or even races.