Now that Dale Earnhardt Jr. has sealed his future for the next five years with Hendrick Motorsports beginning next season, there are other issues on the table. For instance, will he be able to take the #8 with him from Dale Earnhardt Inc.? Earnhardt said Friday after qualifying at Michigan that there has not yet been any communication with DEI about obtaining the #8.
“Obviously, we’ll see if there’s any interest from team owner Teresa Earnhardt and DEI president of global operations Max Siegel to do that, but they’ve probably got to answer a couple more questions of their own to be able to have a good idea how they feel about that,” Earnhardt said. “Whether they feel like they have any interest in talking about it, I’m sure that’s something Rick Hendrick and my sister Kelley Earnhardt Elledge would be interested in doing.”
Siegel said Friday that he would be willing to discuss a transfer of the number. “We’re open to talk about anything,” Siegel said. “But in order to consider it, there has to be some formal proposal. No one has contacted me. Other than knowing his desire to have the number, no one has approached me with a formal proposal. I’m not going to talk about it until I get one.”
- DEI not allowed to sell #13 points
- Roush has plan to sell off one team
- DEI cannot sell the #8 to Hendrick
- Dodge says they’re staying…at least through 2009
- Kentucky Speedway wants Frances to sell either ISC or NASCAR
Woo hoo! CALL HIM NOW !
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DOn’t give the number up. Teresa might be a witch but that number is the Earnhardt legacy, it’s was Ralph’s and Dale Sr. used it when he was starting out. It’s not Hendricks to have and if JR. wanted it, he should have either stayed with DEI or struck it out on his own
DEI should keep the #8. there is too much being made of Jr. being the legacy for
Earnhardt inc. Maybe Dale, Sr. should have had more faith in Kerry
and put some money into developing him as a race car drivder
time will tell
Theresa is th witch that has been a thorn in Jr’s side since he was 6 yrs old.
If Dale Sr was alive. This woman would have NOTHING to do with DEI because he would have figured this evil *itch out & divorced her azz & made sure his children & company were protected.
Jr deserves more then the #8, He deserves the #3 & his Dad would have wanted it this way.
yeah come on Jr make the call already! keep that nu,mber 8 its your legacy dang it. i hope this happens. im keepingmy fingers crossed
Dale would have still been married to Teresa and Jr would still have been towing the line his dad set or he’d have tried somewhere else.. Why should Jr get everything he wants. I’m not not a jr fan and I’m not a Hendricks fan but he has the best stuff on the lot right now and he is giving Jr everything he needs to prove he is the best driver out there. Yet he is willing to give the number 5 up to make Jrs fans happy. Jrs dad changed numbers with teams. he had more than one number and a career before Childress. Hendricks started out 22 years ago with a car 5 and has won a championship with it but because he is Jr everything should be given up.
I think its great Jr wants to be his own man and do his own thing, but with that should come leaving the past behind I think the 5 belongs to hendricks not the 8 and even if its the number on Jrs car it will still belong to Hendricks not Jr.
Dont you people read Jr said he doesnt want to use the number 3,and as far as earnhardt legacy goes dale sr bought the number 8 from a different team for jr to use,DEI didnt have the number 8 till then so why shouldnt she give him the number it has no meaning to her,the 8 was jrs number to have regardless where he goes.and if DEI had been building cars good enough to compete instead of junk he wouldnt have left I dont blame him isnt the point of racing to win? not be a top 10 or 15 car every week.
JR just wants to sell more shirts and hats. Racing isn’t his strong suit.
iagree with lee dale sr bought the number for jr to use so why shouldnt he have it it was his grand fathers number so why should she keep it from him its only right nobody else is going to use it because it was his and they will be in his shadow give up the number
PettyFan4Life If you know anything about the history of the number 8, Dale Sr. bought it specifically for Junior. It wasn’t a matter of DEI owning the number, it was about Junior having the number because it belonged to his grandfather. Dale Sr. wanted Jr. to have the number in life, what makes anyone think he wouldn’t want Jr. to have it in death.
Not for nothing people, but the issues that are going on with DEI are Dale Srs fault in a way, His friend and people in the racing community knew that he intended that company to be legacy for his children. Even Teresa has said in the past that the kids taking over the company would be what he would want. Well, if that was really the way he felt, he should have at least left part of that company to his children in his will and not left everything to Teresa. The issues between Teresa and Dale Jr. have been known about for years. If you find the video of Jrs first Nextel Cup Win, (then Winston Cup) on YouTube he hugged his father and you can see an obvious tension when Teresa hugged him. It’s family issue, not a business one and unfortunately, it seems that Dale gave too much credit to his wife that she would follow through with what he would have wanted. And that’s why now she should let Hendrick buy the number 8 and follow Dales wishes for Jr to have that number.
Stephen, Jr made it clear in the first press conference that he was not really interested in drieing the 3 car. You can only imagine how much history that number has for the family. Even more so than it has for NASCAR…
In my way of thinking when i see the 8 i think Dale jr so it should go with him
lest get real! jr is still has part ownership of dei. he will have the #8 and bud. just rember that hot rod todd said it first!! the olny thing that i have to say is watch out jeffy and jimmy THE BIG DOG IS IN THE HOUSE!!!!!!!!!
When I see budweiser, I think of Jr, when I see a number 8 ANYWHERE, I think of Jr, hell when I see someone wearing red I think of Jr Nation. 8 is HIS symbol. It’s his legacy and he ought to keep his number.
ralph, dale sr, and dale jr have all driven a car with this number on the
…the # 8 has a long history with the earnhardt family, and as far as im
concerned teresa is no longer an earnhardt….she has her new boyfriend or
whatever…—> puke
Hot Rod Todd, Dale’s will left EVERYTHING business-wise to Teresa. I know Junior already have a house on his fathers land before passed away but, I’m not sure if he got anything additional in the will because he just built a new house recently (couple years actually I think) and he still has his old house, which is rumored to be were Martin Truex lives and his sister and her family just moved into another house on the property. So, a substantial aboutmof the land must have been given to the kids, but DEI in full went to Teresa in his will.
it’s not hendricks to own that number, but jr to keep it, it doesn’t matter which team is jr in, dale jr should own this number and take it with him anywhere he goes! plus, c’mon man, I got way too many caps with the #8 on!!!! =)
I think that Jr should be able to keep the #8. He still owns part of the company. Teresa can at least give him the #8 since she wouldn’t give him anything else. I hope he gets to keep his number because then i get to keep my liscense plate DEJR 8. And as for Anonymous, responding to these articles isn’t your strong suit and frankley you are a pain in my side and i think that alot of other Jr. fans would say the same thing.
Okay, where does everybody get the ides that Junior owns any part of DEI. Go to http://www.scenedaily.com/stories/2007?05/21/scene_daily629.html This is not the first that I’ve heard this information. Simply put, Dale SR owned 100 percent of DEI at the time of his death and in his will signed in 1992, he gave 100% of the company to his wife. He gave her the power “to retain and carry on any business or property that I may own an interest at the time of my death”and that Teresa gets “all of the stocks owned by decedent in Dale Earnhardt Incorporated.”
whoops sorry…didn’t mean to double post, computer froze and didn’t say it was submitted.
whoops again…the link is
http://www.scenedaily.com/stories/2007/05/21/scene_daily629.html
Guess I shouldn’t be replying AFTER I take my sleeping pills and muscle relaxers.
i think that dale jr. should just move on. what will happen in five years if he doesnt stay with hendricks. then they’ll own it. at least now its with dei
Everyone keep saying how Jr sucks and he’s living off of his father’s legacy. Also, people keep saying how Kelley was the best driver in the family. First off, Jr himself has admitted that a lot of his popularity is based on his name. If Kerry was actually the Jr. the focus would be more on him. And Jr also has said that Kelley is the best driver in the family (om the pPayback show on SPEED) but, her life moved in a different direction. He wants to keep the number 8, big deal, it’s not about him wanted to make money because of his name. Once again, his father got the number for Jr. If it was a matterof him buying the number for DEI, why did it take almost 20 years for him to buy the number. The company began in 1980 and he didn’t buy the number until Jr was driving for him.
The 8 is a Earnhardt legacy and should remain so. It was Ralph Earnhardt’s number. Dale Earnhardt Sr. had the number. Big E bought the number for Jr. It’s been with the Earnhardts for awhile now. Besides can you really see anyone else driving the 8 car. It wouldn’t suprise me for Teresa to be a b*%#h about it though and not let it go. And come on folks it’s not DEI anymore it’s TEI.
ARS.com already said that Jr will be racing the 5 car
I hate reporting indescrepencies
INTIMIDATOR FAN
Jun 17th, 2007 at 11:51 am
The 8 is a Earnhardt legacy and should remain so. It was Ralph Earnhardt’s number. Dale Earnhardt Sr. had the number. Big E bought the number for Jr. It’s been with the Earnhardts for awhile now. Besides can you really see anyone else driving the 8 car. It wouldn’t suprise me for Teresa to be a b*%#h about it though and not let it go. And come on folks it’s not DEI anymore it’s TEI.
Couldnt have said it better myself . Max Siegel here is a f*&king idea maybe u should contact Jr . Hi Jr things really got screwed up so for fair market value take the number 8 and shake hands. Its a family number she is the x wife . Maybe just maybe down the road Jr motorsports might want to give it to another Earnhardt. Or u can do what we all expect and keep it.
Even if the deal for the five is done . Anything is possible later.
BethStocker
Jun 17th, 2007 at 5:38 pm
ARS.com already said that Jr will be racing the 5 car
I hate reporting indescrepencies / ars.com came up as a HVAC company ?
ill follow jr and give up the #8 and budwieser if thats what happens
but i ill follow jr. go jr. go he should be able to keep NOT
have o BUY it what a money hungry women
A moeny hungry woman who doesn’t care anything about her late husband’s wishes, who, btw, is the reason that she has the money she has…
If Dale was alive, he’d want Jr to have that number, then gain if Sr was still alive, Jr wouldn’t be leaving DEI. He probably wouldn’t even be looking for any share of the company because Sr would be running it a LOT differently than Teresa is.
yeah JR should have it I MEAN AFTER ALL HE DIDNT GET a part of the company LET HIM HAVE SOMETHING OF HIS FAMILY GEEZUS you fk tarts, JR IS A EARNHARDT and that 8 belongs to him like 51% of tha company should have THERESA needs to stoping being a bytch and let him have SOMETHING OF HIS FATHERS
Jr IS the legacy people!!! It doesn’t matter where he is going…He is Sr’s legacy…DEI will be nothing is a couple years anyways so why should they fall apart and take the #8 with them????
You are so right Theresa….”Not for nothing people, but the issues that are going on with DEI are Dale Srs fault in a way, His friend and people in the racing community knew that he intended that company to be legacy for his children. Even Teresa has said in the past that the kids taking over the company would be what he would want. Well, if that was really the way he felt, he should have at least left part of that company to his children in his will and not left everything to Teresa. ” He definately should have had his house in order especially since this sport can take someone from you in an instant, like it did with Dale Sr.
I don’t know if they would still be married or not , but I doubt that Dale Jr would be “towing the line” either. I expect Jr would not have left DEI because he would have been given what he deserved and needed to win races. Teresa may be a savvy buisnesswoman…but she doesn’t no shit about race cars and what you really need to win. Obviously!
Dale Sr’s #3 is his legacy and I have no problems with them keeping that # for him….but #8 is Dale Jr’s has been for several years now and should continue to be…it will be way too weird seeinghim in a #5…way too weird!
I’m not a Jr. fan at all nor do I agree with the fact that he’s at Hendrick now. But I have to accept it cuz it ain’t gonna change just cuz the fans don’t agree. But I feel Jr’ should get the #8 concidering daddy did buy that # strictly for Jr. Teresa has no ties to the #8 and should just let him have it. She can have the #5 since I’m sure thats where Kyle is gonna end up at.
There’s an article on NASCAR.com talking about what Jack Roush thinks of the DEI selling the number eight and that he wouldn’t do it because “DEI is #8″…is there seriously ANYONE out there that thinks number 8 merchandise is going to sell even a tenth of what it sells now without Jr being connected with that number? And, if Hendrick is really willing to trade the 5, which has a lot of history for HIM as the 8 has for Jr, the only reason for Teresa to not give up the number 8 is out of spite.
Roush is just pissed off cuz jr. would never drive for him cuz he runs Fords. So now he’s gonna disagree with anything that Jr. wants
I honestly think that the #8 should not go to Hendrick..it should go to JR Motorsports. That way, if in five years, JR’s not happy at Hendrick and decides to move on, he’ll own the #8, not Hendrick and not Teresa.
If Hendrick and Junior buy the 8 it doesn’t mean they have to trade the 5. Also, so what if Ralph had the 8 fifty years ago? Senior bough it for Junior and how could anyone think that Big E would have any problem with Junior taking it with him considering the way Theresa has treated Junior? Not to mention the other drivers that Senior hand picked for DEI. Junior nor his sister have ever owned even 1 percent of DEI which is a travesty considering what was probably intended. Theresa wanted over 50 million from Junior for him to gain the ownership he wanted. Can anyone say “bitch”? I’m sorry, “greedy inconsiderate bitch”. How can anyone disagree with Junior’s path? It’s his life. Shut up and watch it.
The 8 is Junior’s now. Do ya’ll really think Ralph or Dale would be saying “no” under these circumstances? Still, Junior will look cool cruising in a 5 car. That’s not a bad number either.
I think nascarsbest8 was right on with what he said, as always… regardless of how it was typed.
Dawnie, Junior owning the number himself would be the best bet, but, if I came to Jr having it himself, I’d imagine Teresa would say “No” without hearing any offers, maybe Hendrick could be the go between and buy it from DEI and let JR buy it from him…who knows how it will all work out.
NASCAR owns the #’s not the team owners or the drivers, they have the option at the beginning of each year to have the same numbers from the previous year.
Beth, last I read on ARS, things were still up in the air which number Jr would be driving within their own company. He could be driving the 5 or he could be in the 25 with Casey Mears moving to the 5. And nothing against ARS, but, it was also said here and in other places that Earnhard Jr and Truex Jr would be driving or JR Motorsports. No one is going to know what’s really happening until the company makes an official announcement, or in February when everyone arrives in Daytona to start the 2007 Speed weeks.
Very true Theresa. We don’t always get it right either although we try our absolute best.
Killer68 that is true owners lease the numbers from nascar every year so its not hms and dei trading numbers or hms buying the number 8 from dei,dei just wouldnt renew the number for 2008 an hendrick can lease the 8.
Good call Killer…. I was always under the impression that the numbers were owned be individuals after the deal between Kenseth and Darrel Waltrip years ago. Guess I Ass u Me’d.
I found this on NASCAR.com in an article by Duane Cross:
“20-3.11 of the rule book — (2) All NASCAR Nextel Cup Series car numbers are owned by and will be assigned by NASCAR for use by the car owner. Car numbers are not transferable or assignable by the car owner. Numbers on a car competing in the Series must correspond with the car owner’s license that is one file at NASCAR headquarters, unless otherwise authorized by NASCAR.
“Nope, NASCAR isn’t going to play this numbers game. If Hendrick and DEI come to an agreement, NASCAR most likely would agree to swap the numbers. If not, the sanctioning body could open up a can of worms by making the switch without everyone being on the same page.”
Autoracingsport.com Editor,
I hope that didn’t come across as a put down. It’s just that there are so many rumors and “insiders that know” that reports come from, one can never know the facts for sure until it is official or they hear it directly from the peoople involved. Like how Jeff Hammond announced “on good authority” that Junior was going to Gibbs. I’m a fairly new NASCAR fan, and I’ve learned alot by coming here and talking to other NASCAR fans whether we agree or disagree.
Not at all Theresa. We encourage everyone on here to challenge even us if they don’t agree on something or or if they wish to debate. We just ask that it be done with respect….of course sometimes you get people on here occasionally who fail to understand that!
Have a good one.
I would love for Jr to get the #8…I think he deserves it….but I could deal with him driving any red Bud car # alot more than I could see him driving a #8 Kelloggs car. That red Bud car is more of him that the #8. Budweiser seriously HAS to go with Jr! I don’t think I could take it if they didn’t. How soon will we find out? I’m going crazy wondering! LOL!
I think the changes are going to be way different for all of us…not just Jr.
Cybil, I believe that Budweiser is still under contract with DEI through 2008. So, that means another whole rounnd of negotiations to get into. Personally, if he doesn’t have the 8, maybe he shouldn’t take Bud as a primary sponsor either. Just to make it a total fresh start, new boss, new number, new sponsor. But, if there is a choice of him having the number his father wanted him to haev, or the Bud sponsorship, I’d have to disagree with you and say that I’d prefer him having the 8.
What? Sell # 8 and all it’s Championship history??????
What? oh, there is no history………
Hmm…isn’t it funny about the number of people that have to post put downs as “anonymous”…what’s the matter people, afraid someone will remember and make you eat your words when Jr wins a championship?
#8 has no championship history, so , I don’t that anything will come back. What happen in the future is yet to be decided. The number on the side of the car has nothing to do with winning a championship, it’’s the driver.
who is gonna drive that number anyway. I cannot see any sponser willing to cross the marketing machine of JR. by endorsing someone else in that car. He will be in it maybe with a different sponsers or bud as a partial.
Fred Murst wrote:
Jun 20th, 2007 at 1:29 pm
#8 has no championship history, so , I don’t that anything will come back. What happen in the future is yet to be decided. The number on the side of the car has nothing to do with winning a championship, it’’s the driver.
I agree but it is an Earnhardt family number . Time will tell.