Earnhardt Jr. leaving DEI

Earnhardt Jr. leaving DEI

By Jerry Bonkowski, Yahoo! Sports
May 9, 2007

Dale Earnhardt Jr. officially will say goodbye to Dale Earnhardt Inc. on Thursday morning, Yahoo! Sports has learned.

A highly placed source within DEI as well as additional sources familiar with the situation told Yahoo! Sports on Wednesday afternoon that both Junior and teammate Martin Truex Jr. will announce Thursday morning that they are leaving the DEI camp at the end of this season and will drive for Earnhardt's heretofore Busch Series operation, JR Motorsports.

Sirius Radio also reported late Wednesday afternoon that the Earnhardt/Truex split with DEI was a done deal and that the new Cup team entry will field Chevrolet chassis built by Hendrick Motorsports and will use Hendrick engines as well.

Sources tell Yahoo! Sports that Earnhardt Jr.'s primary sponsor, Budweiser, will follow Junior to JR Motorsports. Budweiser's contract with DEI is due to expire at the end of 2008, but Yahoo! Sports sources believe there are provisions within the contract for an early exit if Earnhardt Jr. does not drive the No. 8 Chevrolet for DEI.

The press conference, which is expected to be televised nationally, will take place at JR Motorsports headquarters in Mooresville, N.C., at 11 a.m. ET on Thursday.

There has been no comment thus far from either DEI president Teresa Earnhardt (Dale Jr.'s stepmother) or company director of global operations Max Siegel.

Earnhardt and sister Kelley Earnhardt Elledge have been in often contentious negotiations with Teresa Earnhardt that have sparked considerable posturing from both sides in the media.

Both siblings have said that if a deal with DEI was not in place by the end of May, they would consider a variety of options, including Junior leaving DEI. Just last week, DEI confirmed that it was talking with Robert Yates Racing about a possible merger and also a switch from Chevrolet power plants and chassis to Ford engines and chassis.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. began his racing career with DEI in 1996, shortly after the organization was formed by his late father, seven-time Cup champion Dale Earnhardt, and Teresa Earnhardt.
Earnhardt Jr. won back-to-back Busch Series championships in 1998 and 1999 before moving full-time to the then-Winston Cup Series in 2000. His first career Cup win was at Texas, with a memorable celebration between father and son in victory lane.

Voted the most popular driver in NASCAR by fans the last four years, Earnhardt Jr. has 17 career Cup wins but has yet to win his first Cup championship. He has gone 36 consecutive races without a win, his last being at Richmond in May 2006.

Yahoo! Sports' Bob Margolis contributed to this report.

Veteran motorsports writer Jerry Bonkowski is Yahoo! Sports' NASCAR columnist. Send Jerry a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.

Updated on Wednesday, May 9, 2007 6:49 pm EDT
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Bill's Comment: Even though this seems to be a bit premature, I would not be surprised. Let us say that even if he gets both the bodies and the engines from Hendrick Motorsports, it does not mean that the new endeavor will be an overnight success. Yes, Junior has won two Busch Series Championships as a co-owner (2004 & 2005 wih Martin Truex, Jr.), being an owner in the Cup Series is a different ballgame.

What do I think? I think that a lot of this is a battle of the egos between Dale, Jr.'s stepmother, Theresa, and sister, Kelley Earnhardt Elledge. I guess that since he may not be getting as much of a percentage in ownership in DEI as he would like, then this would probably be the next best option. Besides, there are not many seat openings for 2008.

The world will know for sure at 11:00 AM on Thursday, May 10. Stay tuned.
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Update: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has announced that he will be leaving Dale Earnhardt, Incorporated (DEI) at the end of this season. This decision is based on his career aspirations to win a championship, as both he and his sister, Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, will still have involvement in the business success in the company their late father started. He will be testing the waters as to see which owners may be interested. As for if the number eight (8) or his sponsorship, Budweiser, will come along, it seems that all of those logistical details will come at a later time. As for Martin Truex, Jr., Earnhardt, Jr. said that Truex was not part of this situation. (Speculation has it that Bass Pro Shops, the sponsor for Truex's #1 Cup car, may be leaving after the 2007 season.)

When any further updates become available, I will add them, along with any new posts related to this subject matter, in a timely fashion.

Bill