Earnhardt, Jr RCR or Hendrick Racing bound?
Quote selected text Published May 7th, 2007 in NASCAR News
The “Robert Yates” NASCAR brand will remain a Ford brand, even in any merger with Dale Earnhardt Inc., according to sources familiar with the Yates-DEI negotiations.
However Earnhardt, who has been the heart of DEI, insisted he will be in Chevrolets again next season, no matter what.
Those two facts make the DEI-Yates negotiations peculiar, particularly since Earnhardt has been negotiating a new contract with DEI owner Teresa Earnhardt, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. demanding controlling interest in DEI.
If DEI officials are negotiating a possible switch to Ford, then Earnhardt would clearly appear to be not involved with those talks.
Which would mean if Yates and DEI do come to terms, it would almost certainly be a Yates-DEI merger without Earnhardt in the mix. There has been rampant speculation the past few days that Earnhardt may be moving to either Richard Childress’ Chevy team or Rick Hendrick’s Chevy team.
- Hendrick says they have picked Jr’s sponsor
- Hendrick has no room on team for Earnhardt Jr.
- Hendrick wants to buy the #8 from DEI
- Hendrick ready to leave the No 25 behind
- Mears to switch to the No 5, Earnhardt, Jr to the ‘No 25′
i’m the biggest junior fan in the world, but if he goes to
hendrick: i am done with him. i hate hendrick and anybody
asscoiated with him.
ok every body will love this check it out
DALE JR IN A NUMBER 3 BUDWISER CHEVY
just thinkin about it makes me all jiddery i think moving to RCR will be the best move in the history of NASCAT i beleve JR. in RCR we will see the true skills Little E. has got a new car a new team every thing oh oh and even a new start than i think DEI will slowly fall than jr goes and takes Jr.motorsports and helps DEI out gets it back on the track (get it)
and for ford going to DEI , That is stupped and if DEI dose that it is a a stuped part on DEI who ever decrossed the T’s and dot the i’s
as long as there has been an Earnhardt there has been a chevy remeber the chevy advertise
DALE JR IN A NUMBER 3 BUDWISER CHEVY
i ment TO SAY the
THE INTIMINATOR BLACK NUMBER 3 BUDWISER CHEVY
budwiser will never leave jr he is money in the bank for them (get it)…the ing of bad jokes like that
I won’t be able to root for Jr. in Hendricks. I am a huge fan, but to put Jr. in
the same caliber as Johnson and Gordon, “shudder”.
Ok guys if you are truly a Dale Jr fan such as myself you would want him to go to a better team than Dei dont get me wrong Dei is good but they dont give there driver the kind of cars that Hendrick dose…If Jr went to Hendrick Jr would win races and championships…so yea that would be a good thing for Jr Nation hell just because he would drive for Hendrick that doesn’t mean you have to cheer for Johnson,Bush or Gordon
He ain’t going nowhere!!!
junior is gonna go where he is gonna go if he does go to hendricks stable its probably a move so that he can start winnin championships in nextel i wouldn’t be mad at him if thats what he does one of my favorite things to do is root agains hendricks but if jr goes there i’ll have to root for him you don’t quit bein a fan because he is trying to stay in a chevy…………….. i think is nothin else he might start jr motorsports in nextel cup
His dad won in RCR. So can he.
i think its really sad that earnhardt fans would stop pulling for him if he went to hendrick. really, i wouldnt blame him for going to that team. Hendrick is doing the best right now in the car of tomorrow and if jr’s looking to improve his lack luster career he needs to go to a winning team. im not by any means an anti earnhardt fan or whatever. believe it or not, im both an earnhardt fan and a gordon one (yes…its possible!!) but you cant help but notice that jr isnt doing too well. my father, a diehard jr fan, even complains that he cant seem to find victory lane. but just yesterday shows the Hendrick domination. if jr. goes there, we’ll see better finishes out of him and possibly even championships. and like David said, you dont need to root for Gordon, Busch, or Johnson, nobody is going to be twisting your arm.
I Think it would be awesome to see Jr. in a GIBBS CHEVY! IT would be smart for Jr. to do because JGR has top notch equipment and even have the COT figured out. Hendrick is just getting lucky with the cot but JGR has by far led the most laps. Joe Gibbs should bring out a 4th car and put Jr.in the Budweiser #8. tere wuld be no stoping joe gibbs racing then. think about it. Denny Hamln, Tony Stewart and , Dale Earnhardt Jr………on the same team…….look out for JGR at restrictor plate tracks. lol damn near unbeatable.
jr in a gibbs chevy would be pretty cool. and to answer everybodies questions on hendrick. i wouldnt want jr to go there either because hendrick cheats and nobody wants jr to be asscociated wit a team that has a history of blatently cheatin an gettin away wit it. it would take his credibility away whether he cheated or not. im not a jr fan and i dont want to see him in a hendrick car. gibbs rcr or some other team. but not hendrick.
OH MY GOSH Strech your so full of it Hendricks does not cheat they are just very good at what they do. Why is when other drivers do so well one thinks they cheat. Its such a sad world we live in when people cants see people for how good they are. I am a Jimmie fan but I also like Jr my son is a big fan of Jr and I think it would be so cool to have him join our team. For any Jr fan to disown him if he did come to Hendricks just shows you were never a true fan in the first place I am sure he is better off not having you as his fan.
Best Wishes JimmieJohnsons#1Fan.
1st of all I would love to see Dale Earnhardt Jr drive the number 3 but it ain’t gonna happen. NASCAR has retired the number 3. I really want him to move to RCR but if he moves to Hendrick I would still be his fan. Hendrick has some of the best cars out on the track, if you don’t believe me just look at how many races in the past two to three years that Hendrick has won!
2nd of all:
All of you just need to get over yourselves or grow up either one! If you quit being his fan just because he switches teams, then you were never a fan to begin with!
NASCAR has not retired the #3.
NASCAR hasnt retired the # 3 but Richard Childress did, however say that he will not use the 3 again on any of his cars, and him as the team owner has the first option of using the 3 if ever used again.
Earnhardt drove the #3 car for most of his career, spanning the early 1980s until his death in 2001. Although he had other sponsors during his career, his #3 is associated in fan’s minds with his last sponsor, GM Goodwrench, and his last color scheme—a predominantly black car with bold red and silver trim. The black and red #3 continues to be one of the most famous logos in racing.
In 2002, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., drove a Chevrolet Monte Carlo in the Busch Grand National series race at Daytona. The car featured Oreo Cookies as a primary sponsor, and carried the trademarked #3 on the doors and roof. He went on to win the race. As of now, he hasn’t driven the #3 again, however in interviews he has stated that he would “probably finish his career driving the #3 car”.
A common misconception is that Richard Childress Racing “owns the rights” to the #3 (fueled by the fact that Kevin Harvick’s car has a little #3 as an homage to Earnhardt), but in fact no team owns the rights to this or any other number: NASCAR decides who uses which number. However, according to established NASCAR procedures, RCR would have priority over other teams if and when the time came to reuse the number. RCR and the Earnhardt estate do own the rights to various black and red #3 logos used during Earnhardt’s lifetime; however these rights would not prevent a future racing team from using a different #3 design. (Also, a new #3 team would, in any case, need to create logos which fit with their sponsor’s logos.)
It is generally believed that current NASCAR owners have agreed never to use the #3 in NEXTEL Cup competition again, although this is not official NASCAR policy. Only the International Race of Champions has actually retired the #3, which they did in a rule change effective in 2004. Anyone wishing to use the #3 again has to use #03 instead.
Hell I’m just a big fan of Jr’s. I will cheer for him wherever he goes. Even if he went to MB2 Motorsports. LOL
I’ve said it once, and i’ll say it again, If JR. leaves DEI i’d like to see him go to RCR and
race the #3, which RCR has the rights to.
The difference between speculating and ASSUMING ….
I don’t see any difference.
Before I jump off the porch I’m gonna wait to see what happens!!
there is no room at hendricks, gordon is on a 15 year contract, johnson i think is up there, busch still has 3(?) years, and im not sure on mears since he’s a new arrival. So with the car cap, it’s a known that Junior wont be there. He could go to RCR, but richard said already that it would not be in the number 3 car, that he is saving that number if junior wants to use it towards the end of his career. There is also Gibbs that he may end up at, which mightn’t be a bad thing. Then he could always bring JR motorsports to the cup level and be a satelite team, at which point he could associate himself with whichever team(s) he wanted to.
I’m a HUGE jr. fan but put him in a Hendrix car I’ll boo him, Hendrix only wins beacuse they own NASCAR practicly. Jr. should not race the 3 that’s his dads number and it should remain retired Jr needs to make his own name with out the help of his dads number I like him but if he’s in a Hendrix car I’ll change to Mark Martin or someone else I will never root for a Hendrix car unless its between that and a Toyota. Jr driving the black chevy budweiser car would be freaking awesome. DEI, needs to keep it Chevy they’ve ran that since the day they opend there doors and besides a few times Sr. ran Chevys if they merge they need to stay Chevy at all costs. I’d love to see Jr. move to a race team that can put a car to back his talent. DEI just doesnt have the people to do that for him and when they did it was at restrictor plate tracks what happend? Since Sr. died that company has lost alot of its ability to remain in the competetion if Jr. gets control that could change and become a good race team like before the best racer ever Sr. died.
Childress owns the number 3. He can can do whatever he wants with that number. He could sell it to Hendrick and let them use it for Junior if he saw fit.
So, Gibbs, Hendrick or RCR? I don’t see why anyone would dislike any of those choices for Junior if he can’t find a deal he likes at DEI. Junior would be the rebel at Hendrick. All those West coast preppy boys with their “family oriented” sponsors and then you’d have Junior with the Bud. I think it would make the competition better. If Junior was at Hendrick then we could see how he really stacks up against Jimmie, Gordon and even Kyle. Boot out Mears and bring in Junior.
But RCR would be ideal.
Do it the hard way. Screw the technical superiority of Hendrick and go with the passion of Childress. Either way, I don’t see what’s wrong with those choices.
I personally don’t think Gibbs is a high enough caliber for Junior. I don’t see them as being much better off than DEI. Tony and Denny just make the best out of what they got. I wouldn’t see Gibbs as being a step up for Junior by any means.
BTW… There’s no stone cold proof that Hendrick as a whole cheats… Chad Knaus on the other hand doesn’t seem to mind a rule bender or breaker here and there, but hey, its his job to give his driver the best shot possible at a win regardless of rules (as long as he doesn’t get caught). Some of the “Awesomeness” of Bill Elliot came with some bent or completely smashed rules. That’s how its been through out the history of any form of autoracing. Sometimes its driver, sometimes its devious engineering… Sometimes its both. (Look into Smokey Yunick)
i have 2 say teresa would b foollish 2 let j.r go but i would love 2 c the #8 bud car n tha r.c.r stable. that would b 1 hell of a team!!! we;ll jus have 2 wait it out!!! till then “GO #8 BUD CHEVY!!!
Dale Earnhardt jr needs to drive were his dad was
how do you think his dad won at daytona with a richard
childress engine and all the engines dei has comes from
RCR so dale needs to be were he is comfortable with his
engine and his car as for seeing him in the #3 you will
probably never see that but the #8 budwieser RCR will
probably buy that from dei and let jr drive that on out
his career. so jr go to RCR.
Here is my open prayer/letter so to speak.
To Dale Sr.
I pray to you with honor (Of Racing) most high, that your son stay where he is, or goes to either RCR or Gibbs. I know you have a bit of magic up there with an angel or three, please make it happen.
It’s not about how much people hate Hendrick…well, maybe it is but I digress. We want to see Junior where he would most likely fit in, and with the Hendrick Cheerleading Squad isn’t it.
As much as we would love to see him don the Red Chevy 8 another year and for many years to come, your shrew of a widow has seem to have lost priority. So, with that being said……… It would be the honor of honors that he goes to RCR and ride the Intimidator for you, and all the loyal fans. It’s only right…..it’s only fair.
So Dale Sr, I know you have your wings already, but how about we work on that halo of yours and steer Junior in the right direction (Preferably RCR or Gibbs) if he doesn’t get what he and Kelly truly deserves at DEI. Thanks:)
Very well said Axel.
I am not a Jr. fan, but I think any of the 3 teams mentioned would be a step up from DEI. I don’t think he should take the same path his daddy did. He is not like his dad, nor does have the talent. He needs to go where he has a better chance at winning.
Hendrick teams do not cheat anymore than any team out there. They ALL try to bend the rules as much as possible to get the most advantage since Nascar has tried to even up the playing field so much.
I think if Jr. leaves DEI he will do better.
I don’t know but i think Jr. should go to hendrick or RCR or JGR.. That would be his best bet and then once his contract is up for them he should have Jr. Motorsports up and running in the Nextel Cup series and should focus on that and build that into a great racing empire.
Im not a Jr. fan but if he leaves DEI i will feel bad for the ones that have the number 8 tattooed on their body like in that commercial.. haha.
-Chris
okay everyone calm down.. i highly doubt junior would go to hendrick because there is the car limit of 4 cars per owner.. hendrick already has 4 cars and 4 drivers so its not gonna happen
it would be nice to see jr in rcr car and the number 3
I am gonna have to agree with the ones who said if Dale jr goes to hendricks they wont root for him. Who cares where he goes people….if you are a true Dale Earnhardt fan you will be proud to see him go where he can fullfill his dreams of winning a championship..and even more so…make his father proud. Whether he stays with DEI, goes to RCR, hendricks..hes doing it for his career, if you choose to boo him and say he cheats because hes apart of hendricks, then you were never his real fan. I hate Jeff Gordon with a passion, but the guy is a damn good driver and theres nothing you can say about that. Dale Jr is a damn good driver and he has the ability to win many championships, maybe even more then his daddy….so i say whereever he goes…i will stick by my #8!!!!!!!!!!!!
i meant to say i am gonna have to disagree! be a real fan and support wherever he goes!
Im still trying to figure out why people insist that RCR owns the number 3 he does not own the number 3 and he does not own the rights to it, NASCAR decides what numbers get used and who uses them, he has the first option of using the number 3 again, but he doesnt own the rights to it, and he doesnt own it.
Joining Yeffey & Yimmie @ HMS is a non-issue, unless Hendricks can ’shuffle-off’ Mears to either of their branch-divisions (Haas or Ginn), so it really comes-down to RCR or JGR, and here is what I see the advantages/disadvantages of each:
RCR ~ offers friendly-confines (he’s known Childress his entire life), a chance to work with those who helped his father, and the chance to run his father’s colors & number, and help re-build that organization into it’s previous glory.
JGR ~ has won 3 Championships in 7 seasons with 2 very-different drivers, has a 3rd budding-star in Hamlin, would benifit from Joe Gibbs’ legendary ‘people-skills’, and become an ‘official’ teammate of drafting-partner Tony Stewart (along-with Hamlin & Yelley) on that plate-tracks.
INTANGIBLES ~ RCR offers an ‘easy’ move for Junior, with friendly-faces, while Gibbs may treat him as ‘just-another-employee’ (which may-be GOOD for him):
JGR also offers J.D. Gibbs, who’ll run the company well-into the next 20+ seasons, while we’re not-sure WHO’LL run RCR the remainder of Jr’s career (how-old is Childress-himself?)
At the end-of-the-day, EITHER organization places Junior in-contention for races-wins, and Cup-Championships, NOW, leaving Junior’s primary-concern to be ‘crankin’-on-’at’whiil’, as his dad used-to say.
The big loser is DEI because there nobody left,that can drive. And with Tony Eury problbly going with jr. Truex is also said to be going with JR.
Menard is a looser and the young Earnhardts Kerry and Jeffery Earnhardt
They have alot to learn. DEI needs alot of updating as far as tecnology and research and devolpment. They have been using JR”S equipment will this be the end of that I hope so Teresa needs to learn what it takes to run a racing team. I hope she finds a new money maker because JR”s appearances have paid very well now without them she better find something to make money on. She may have some Money but with the money it takes to run a team and keep it going she’s going to need to do something. Maybe she can model some swim suits.
Id like to see him stay a DEI….it would be wierd knowing a dale earnhardt company without dale jr! either way ill support him wherever hes headed!
I do not beleive Jr. will drive the 3 until the end of his career, he has said that he wants to make his own legacy that needs to be in a new number if not the 8. I think you will see him in that 3 car at the end of career with a schedule like Mark Martin is running currently.
My prediction is that Jr will go with GINN- a Hendrick sister company.
I agree with Killer68 and he wont fit at Hendrick.
I like rcr Harvick Burton Boyer ; however ; think it will be his busch motor source only.
Joe Gibbs would be his best fit with Dale Jr ,Tony , Hamlin and Yeley { POWERHOUSE }
Especially if he takes bud with him. Bud Depot Fed Ex Interstate
Sat, May 19, 2007
DEI, RCR join forces
By AP
CONCORD, N.C. — Dale Earnhardt Inc. has merged its engine program with Richard Childress Racing, an alliance that likely will help DEI return to prominence.
DEI has been in a slow decline since Dale Earnhardt’s 2001 death, and star driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. is leaving at the end of the season because he doesn’t think he can win championships at DEI.
His stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt, hopes that merging engine programs with RCR will strengthen the organization.
“This backs up what Teresa said last week - her commitment is solid, and her No. 1 priority is to win championships,” John Story, general manager of DEI, said yesterday. “This is the first of a few big things we are going to do to continue moving toward that goal of winning championships.”
Jr. will only race for Hendrick, or RCR! Since Hendrick don’t want the pup. His only choice is RCR!! So Jr. will be racing the #3 for RCR!!! Which is good, cuz there is no room for pups, at the top dog shop of Nascar!!! NO to Jr. coming to Hendrick!!!
Nice dig the knife in. U must be the spoiled whiny dog.
Noone has mentioned Ginn Racing the man has money and alot of resources to become one of the top teams Mark Martin must have seen that he’s driving for him. I think its a possibility.
I really don’t care where Jr. goes as long as he stay away from Hendrick. Jr. will suck anywhere he goes. I just don’t want him bringing Hendrick down!!!
[Nascarfan4life24]
“Since Hendrick don’t want the pup”
[/Nascarfan4life24]
Don’t-let simple things like ‘FACTS’ get in your way of telling a good story.
Rick Hendrick NEVER said he didn’t want Dale Earnhardt Jr. in one of his cars:
he simply said that ‘currently’ there are no openings in his 4 cars.
Rumors circulating Charlotte last weekend had Ryan Newman leaving the 12, and Meat-Head replacing him, joining Dumbo at Penske, which WOULD open-up the 5 car, despite reports that Hendrick is trying to extend his current contract with HMS:
if Hendrick WANTS Meat-Head to resign, and HMS has the best cars on the track, it could-be that Meat-Head isn’t entirely thrilled playing 3rd-string to Yeffey & Yimmie, as Marty Smith hinted in a column last week.
Rick Hendrick OBVIOUSLY thinks highly-enough of Junior to let him drive his cars:
witness who drove the 5-car after Meat-Head threw a hissy-fit @ Texas, destroying the #8 Chevrolet…..
Imagine the stink the Yeffey & Yimmie fan-boys would’ve had if JUNIOR would’ve wrecked-out an HMS-car, left the track, and the HMS-driver had to substitute for Junior.
Believe-me, Junior-fans don’t want to see-him as a teammate to Yeffey & Yimmie any-more than you do:
here’s a quarter, but a clue.
Ok Nascarfan24, why would JR bring Hendrick down? He can’t bring him down no more than Casey Mears does. You sound so adamant about JR driving the #3 car, well you are wrong. JR will wind up driving the #33 for RCR!!! Fan base for JR is higher than any of the Hendrick boys ever thought about having.
Aint the black number 3 retired when big e passed away JUst think a red bud number 3
Aint the black number 3 retired when big e passed away JUst think a red
bud number 3 car it wont be so bad having that legandary 3 in a different color red is better anyway
Elledge also said Junior remains focused on aligning with a competitive Chevrolet organization currently fielding cars in the Nextel Cup Series.
This statement seems to point him away from Ginn racing.