Earnhardt Jr - I see the handwriting on the wall...

[Chris]

Teresa Earnhardt questioning Earnhardt Jr.'s commitment?: Dale Earnhardt Inc. team owner Teresa Earnhardt appears to be questioning stepson #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s commitment to racing in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. The story in Thursday's edition [subscription only] says Earnhardt Jr.'s contract with the team founded by his father expires after the 2007 season, but Teresa Earnhardt expressed uncertainty about his future. "Right now the ball's in his court to decided on whether he wants to be a NASCAR driver or whether he wants to be a public personality." Earnhardt Jr. "was not available for comment" on the statement, the story said

SO,.. Is Theresa a money grubbing widow,.. out for every nickle she can get,...??
Is Jr just a playboy, party animal, don't care about driving, and going threw the motions as she is inticating..??
I see trouble brewing... Maybe at the end of 2007 we'll see a 4th team for RCR and Jr as a driver there.  There's been a rumor for a couple years now that Jr would like to drive for RCR like his dad did,... this might be what it takes to make it happen.
Teresa don't know it but SHE is not what drives DEI... JR is.  Him being SR's son is what drives the discast sales, novelty items, popularity, etc etc.  It has nothing to do with who OWNS the team he drives for.
If he leaves DEI,.. then DEI will suffer.  Jr's novelity sales will continue no matter WHO he drives for.
I think it could be a shame if he goes to RCR,.. and then all that Dale Sr worked for Dale Jr ends up with no part of.  That seems to be totally wrong.
But I will say,.. Dale Sr was just a brash, young, hard headed kid until he went to RCR,... Chilress made him into a real champion, and a great driver.  I think Jr knows that,.. and deep down inside he knows the needs that same thing from Childress.

[Tyyrus]

Chris , I heard the same scenerio a couple of weeks ago..myself..don't remember where exactly. But the
same vague off the cuff statement from both Teresa and Jr. ..that when his contract comes up they may
revisit what Jr's priorities are..huuum..rather interesting..I agree 100% with your position on the merits of
Jr moving on to Childress..but would hate to see him lose any of his stock in DEI. I imagine Sr. left a clause
hopefully in his Will to cover Jr's collective behind..Eh !

[Bryan Blanton]

Actually dale earnhardt sr. won the 1980 winston cup championship and he was not driving for richard childress.

Dale sr. started driving for richard childress in the middle of the 1981 season cause he quit the team cause the team he was with was bough out and had new ownership and dale sr. wanted no part of it.

So he ran childress's cars for the rest of 1981.

At the end of the 1981 season dale sr. left childress or chilldress let him go so dale could get a better ride for 1982 and 1983 dale sr. drove for bud moore and won a few races in bud's car and maybe could have won the 1982 daytona 500 in bud's car but dale ran out of fuel and it damaged the engine. It made the engine blow.

And in 1982 and 83 believe it or not dale sr's. cars were not chevrolet's he actually drove a ford in both 1982 and 1983.

At the end of the 1983 season dale sr. decided to go back to richard childress racing for 1984. And most of us know what happened after that.

[Checkeredflag]

I'm not sure where I'm going with this comment until I finish typing, so please bear with me....

What Teresa said should not have been said to the media, period.  You don't air your dirty laundry in public.  But, then again, isn't she the one who raised Junior?  So, maybe she said it to fire him up, and have him mad enough at her that he will go out and race his little heart out to prove her wrong? 

Or, I know Junior aired his grievances regarding his previous contract to the media.  Maybe it's a family tradition?

There are things that Junior has said that make him out to be a really nice guy.  I like when he is sincerely sorry and worried about other drivers with whom he's been involved in wrecks with.  That's a very good quality.  And it does come across as true.

On the other hand, the whole team change to get him away from the Eurys, and then the change back mid-season when he saw he did need them more than they needed him, was obviously self-serving.  And Eury Sr.'s  reation to Junior wrecking Mikey that one race appeared sincere and he was very angry about it. 

Then, when they thought they might keep NAPA, and Jr. kept telling the media that no matter who DEI hired, the driver had to be younger than he was, that's kind of the wish of someone who is either insecure or immature, I'm not sure which.

All of that leads me to continue to believe that Junior should not go to RCR, for the sake of both himself and RCR.  He has continually stated that he is not his father, and wants to be his own man, well, going there will not help him at all in that regard.  The other thing is that chemistry is such an elusive thing, and right now, RCR has it between its three drivers and crew chiefs.  What will adding Junior to the mix do to that chemistry?  If he feels that age is important, he's not older than Burton, but he is older than Harvick, Bowyer and Wimmer.  Does that mean those three are suddenly his caddies or have to carry his water bottle?  Does a move like that suddenly destroy the tenuous hold RCR suddenly gained on catching up, and blow up in their faces?  It was said that there was no sharing of information at DEI.  How will a different situation play itself out?  Will Junior adjust and be just another driver there, or will he think he should be treated as his father, Richard's peer, and a 7 time Champion was?  Do they house the 8 car separately or build them along with all the others?

What about Junior's promise to stay at DEI until he wins a championship?  And what about the company his father built for his 4 children?  Does Junior just walk away from his legacy?

Working for a family company is never easy.  But, that doesn't mean the grass is greener anywhere else. 

I don't know what to think.  I don't believe anyone who has played the game as long as Teresa has would deliberately throw her meal ticket away.  That would be very very stupid.  For all I know, maybe he did something dumb, made her angry because he should know better at the age of 32, it happened right before the interview, so she vented.  It could all blow over.  Or he could be driving for RCR, Hendrick, Gibbs or anyone else he wants to (gotta love those souvenir sales) by the All Star Race.   

Or, of course, there's always the possiblity that Junior pulled a Jamie McMurray/Kurt Busch move, signed somewhere else, and Teresa's setting up an acrimonious exit strategy.  Woman scorned and all that...

JMO, and I hope some of it made sense 

[paulfan]

Those comments made by teresa made me think about HER commitment to DEI.  At the end of last season Junior couldn't get a commitment for DEI to get engines for his Busch program.  In desperation, he went to Richard Childress and got an engine supplier over dinner in about 30 minutes.

Then there was an issue of Juniors rights to his own name.  She didn't want to give it up if the reports on the blogs were true.

Also, do you think there might be a little jelousy involved?  There is the Eurey connection and both Juniors mother and sister are his employees.

[falcon325]

Teresa Earnhardt has been praised as a brilliant businesswoman.  But more and more evidence is accumulating that she is just an unscrupulous one.  We really don’t know why it took so long to sign Little E to his last contract, but it appears that the rights to his name might have been a major factor.  Apparently, June Bug thought his step-mom was being greedy.

But her shoddy treatment of Pete Rondeau is what really sticks in my mind.  When Rondeau was fired, we learned that he signed his three-year contract which included a clause requiring DEI to let him know six weeks in advance if they were unhappy with him so he could try to work things out.
 
http://nascar.scout.com/2/385235.html

Tresea apparently took that contract and stuck it in a drawer without signing it herself.  She may have thought she was being insufferably shrewd.  All she was really doing was cementing a reputation as a person who cannot be trusted. 

Junior should get away from DEI as soon as possible.

[Chris]

Nice post falcon...
I think you may be right on the money...
You know it's kinda sad.... Dale Sr would have done anything for Dale Jr and was working to make a real racer out of him.  You could see a 'mutual admiration' for each other.

You would think that, even though Teresa is his step mom, she did help raise him the majority of his life, and things like contracts, etc would NOT be a problem.  Dale Sr's death should be a bond between them.  Only someone being exceptionally greedy, trying to take total control, etc would be the only reason for things to progress to a point where people can't work together.  I think Teresa is that kinda person.

Now I KNOW that with high dollar racing, contracts is just a necessry part of it. And I know they are needed if for no other reason just so everyone knows were everyone else stands.  But all this stuff with Dale Jr not being able to have the rights to his OWN name, etc,... well thats just Teresa trying to control everything she touches.

I think Teresa needs to remember where she came from. She would of always been a HUGE NOBODY if not for Dale Earnhardt.  When she went to the first race with him and was on TV,.. she was ugly as a mud fence.  Over the years, with with Dale's millions in winnings, they had tons of money, and you can tell that gal have PLENTY of "medical touch ups"
Now I give credit where credit is due.  I heard she was the driving force behind the marketing of Dale Earnhardt's souveniers, etc etc... and she was kinda ahead of the curve on that.  SO I give her credit there.  But after Dale Sr died.. I think she just kinda took over everything and started acting like she "owned" everyone and everything.
She don't have the business sense (IMO) to know that the people that work at DEI are her employees, and she should treat them as such.  Not as some posession she "owns".  You get more work, and dedication out of your employees when you treat them with respect.

[flamehothead]

Teresa don't know it but SHE is not what drives DEI... JR is.

I agree 100% chris. You would think that she would know this being the wife of the great Dale Earnhardt. RCR will make ALOT of money from the #3 and D.Earnhardt probably for the rest of his life. As a matter of fact the sales from #3 merchendise is probably more than anyone of us make in a year. When I buy a T.Stewart hat or shirt it's not because I like Joe Gibbs and I'm sure he know's that. The same thing goes for Teresa, I would imagine that the Merchendise sales from the #8 and Bud is Astronomical but I doubt the fan's go up to the trailer and say, Give me 2 of everything because I like Teresa Earnhardt. I think not. I'm not sayin that Truex Jr and Menard don't make money but if JR left DEI then she would have trouble paying the bill's. To me Dale Jr is supposed to be with DEI and I'm sure that's what D.Earnhardt Sr wanted that's why he worked so hard to get him ready. Teresa need's to take a step back and look at the BIG picture and STOP being JEALOUS of Jr.

[AfterShock]

Behind every successful man,.......There's a surprised woman.

What's in a name?
If Teresa gets mad at Jr,. can she tell him he can't respond or use the name Dale Earnhardt Jr.?
And if Teresa got mad at EVERYone, and refused to let ANYbody use that name, MAN!
There's be a LOT of dead air!!
How would they fill it up?

Tremendous power for one woman to have.
Not too shabby for a no talent chick along for a ride.

I wonder if any of the arm candy we're seeing now a daze would have any problems putting their man in the ground and taking over an organization like D.E.I.?
How hard can it be?

Afterall, it's a team thing,......right?
And in that team we have a "playboy, party animal, don't care about driving and going threw emotions", member.
What's not to like?
 
And, why should Teresa even worry about the name "Earnhardt"?
Or death photos in Newspapers for that matter.

Is it possible Dale Jr. isn't so much disinterested in racing in general, but rather the directions the form of racing his daddy taught him about is going now-a-daze?

Dale Jr. has enough money now with more coming in every day, whether he gets up in the morning, or not, to last him a lifetime. And as much and as often as he might say he isn't his father ......... the more obvious it becomes that he really is.
That apple didn't fall too far from the tree. IMO

Being the corporate head of a family affair only adds complecations to the mix.
Imagine a mega-buck sponsor waiting in the wings for a committment, and that committment is sleeping in because he was up late partying all night.

Blame it all on Teresa!
How can ANYone wake a sleeping giant if NO one can call his name,......because Teresa owns it and won't allow anyone to use it?

I suppose folks could get around that by calling him the driver formerly known as Dale Earnhardt Jr.
But that's a mouthfull.
Ya reckon?

[SMOKEN14]

Richard Childress has said many times there will never be another #3 car unless an Earnhardt drives it??? Dale JR in the #3 with RCR sounds better all the time

[nascarbabe2U]

I’m not familiar with the woman or what it is that she has or has not done I intend to do a little research and find out just who and what she is. Just from what I’ve read with no prior knowledge it seems to me everyone is being a bit harsh. I’m sure if she were a man then it would be all fine and dandy right? Sure it would and you know it.

Speaking as a woman who once was at the top of her game in a male dominated field I can say without a doubt I was well respected but also very demanding, ruthless sometimes, and took no prisoners when it came to my job. Out of the office I am pretty damn loveable but business wise I’ll swipe yer balls while looking you in the eye. I’m fair and honest but business is business boys…..and No I’ve never been one to try and out man the man.  I’ve been called a B**CH to my face…..I always smiled said “Thanks” and walked away feeling pretty damn good about it too! Why? Because it meant I was doing my job. I was protecting my artist and my venue. I was hard as hell as my performers. There is no room for an error when your likeness or talent is at stake. Success does not come from screwing off. When one is in the public eye, one carries a name, which in itself is a marketing tool. You’ve given up your rights to a ‘Normal’ life and had damn well better be in the mood to be cross examined and have your life put under a microscope, whether you’re a NASCAR driver or a musician.

In order to make ANY business successful one must eat, sleep and breathe it. Be dedicated, loyal, fair and honest……you either give it 110% or don’t bother. You get nothing from doing something half assed.

 Did you ever happen to think the woman is just keeping his best interest in mind? He’d better be damn thankful that he has total control of what it is that he does do and does not have some bean counter telling when, where & what he is to do, or trying to influence his style or change his style. At some point in the ball game his sponsors might happen to wonder if he is worth keeping in the loop.

Poor Junior has a Family Legacy uphold, and that doesn’t happen by using suspenders alone. He is responsible not only to DEI and his sponsors but his fan base as well. Bottom line….no fans means no money. If I were she you can bet I’d be on his assets too.

[flamehothead]

Well she might not want to do anything to his ass or assets. IMO without Dale. Jr their is no DEI. And once again I am not saying that Menard or Truex. Jr are not good drivers because they are. What I'm saying is that they are not going to make her alot of money and if anyone has noticed  their are not alot of drivers out there looking for a job. You either get a Old School Driver or you get someone who has ran the Busch series for a month or so. I think the problem is that she has had nothing but success in her career and thinks she doesnt need a top driver to make it. I'm sure if Dale. Sr was still around you wouldn't here anything unless it were true or they wanted the media to know about it. And before I start getting hate mail, I don't think it matter's if the owner is male or female as long as they do a good job.

[Chris]

I agree with you 100% FHH...
And as far as me,.. I'd of said what I did,.. be she male or female...

Shandera said

In order to make ANY business successful one must eat, sleep and breathe it. Be dedicated, loyal, fair and honest……you either give it 110% or don’t bother

This was my point,.. She's all about HERSELF, and using DEI to make herself rich(er)
Reference the contract with Rondo,.. and trying to "own" Dale earnhardt Jr's name.  The way she made Rondo sign on the dotted line,.. but then failed to do so herself isn't fair,.. it's underhanded  and DIShonest to say the least. What's "Honest" about wanting to own Jr's name... she already has her own,.. what does she need with his.  HE is Dale Earnhardt Jr,.. not her,.. what benefit does SHE deserve from that.  How is that Fair or Honest.

My point is this,.. for the large part she didn't do anything to build DEI... Dale Sr did that himself,.
She didn't do anything to earn any of that (by and large) and it all just landed in her lap when Dale Sr got killed.
Like I posted before,.. she was a pretty much a nobody until Dale Sr came and took her away from little podunk town,.. and spent lots of money to make her look "presentable"

I am sure if Shandera will dig deep,.. go find some old pics, etc she'll have an eye opening experience... Those of us old timers that have been there and saw it all unfold know what went on and saw it first hand.

[Checkeredflag]

Reference the contract with Rondo,.. and trying to "own" Dale earnhardt Jr's name.  The way she made Rondo sign on the dotted line,.. but then failed to do so herself isn't fair,.. it's underhanded  and DIShonest to say the least. What's "Honest" about wanting to own Jr's name... she already has her own,.. what does she need with his.  HE is Dale Earnhardt Jr,.. not her,.. what benefit does SHE deserve from that.  How is that Fair or Honest.

My point is this,.. for the large part she didn't do anything to build DEI... Dale Sr did that himself,.
She didn't do anything to earn any of that (by and large) and it all just landed in her lap when Dale Sr got killed.
Like I posted before,.. she was a pretty much a nobody until Dale Sr came and took her away from little podunk town,.. and spent lots of money to make her look "presentable"

I am sure if Shandera will dig deep,.. go find some old pics, etc she'll have an eye opening experience... Those of us old timers that have been there and saw it all unfold know what went on and saw it first hand.

The Rondo contract (or lack thereof) is one of the sleasiest things I had ever heard of, and if anything, it will make it harder to attract top notch talent - unless they or their representatives require that someone in authority at DEI sign the contract first.  But, did she or someone else make that call?  We'll never know...

Regarding Junior's name - I don't really blame her on that one.  You're not talking about the actual name, but rather the marketing of the entire package - Junior, his stylized signature, #8, Budweiser, etc.  By granting Junior the marketing rights to his name, it merely means the disclaimer at the bottom of advertisements has to add a few more words, and there will be one additional royalty check issued by each company that negotiates for the rights to use his name.  But, I hope the name rights were transferred over to JR Motorsports, and not back to Junior the individual, for many legal and a few practical reasons. 

I understand why Junior wanted the rights, and I don't blame him either.  But, I hope he's using his head about what he's planning on endorsing outside the world of NASCAR.  With DEI (not Teresa, but DEI) owing those rights, he was limited by what they were willing to allow him to do.  Now, he can do whatever he wants.  Had the rights been left with DEI, it would have been easy enough to negotiate that all the royalties specifically attributed to them be paid out to him.  It did not have to become a media firestorm, and really shouldn't have, because it is not a huge issue - no matter what the media would have you believe.

Whether Teresa is a gold digger who got lucky, or whether she truly was the driving force behind DEI is debatable, and known only to 2 individuals - herself and her late husband.  I can't speculate on that.  But, honestly, to me, her comment just sounded like frustration - the same frustration I have heard over and over again from my parents regarding me!!!   "Decide what you want to be when you grow up - and can you please hurry growing up already!!  You're "X" number of years old - figure it out". 

 

[nascarbabe2U]

Like I said Chris I don’t know much about her, her past, or her marriage so I’m looking into the facts. I did look at a series of photos and honestly don’t see a darn thing. Are you forgetting that over the course of 19 years that people do change? They mature, change their style, dress, etc……..I think it could equated to growing up. I sure know I’m not the same person I was 19 years ago nor would I want to be.

So what are you saying, if you come from trash you’re always trash? I kind of find that offensive. I’m not a stupid woman, nor ugly but just like everyone else if I had the means in which to change a few things, drastic or not, about the way I look you can bet your truck I’d do so, especially if I was in the public eye like this woman has been. Changing my looks for the better doesn’t mean I’m a ‘Gold Digger’, it simply means I might happen to value myself and want to look and feel my best.

Ya know I’d probably agree with you about what she deserves or doesn’t deserve if she’d only been married to him a short while but 19 years is past the point of being a newlywed. From what I’ve read it seems she was there from the get go in building this empire. It wasn’t just handed to her or maybe it was, who really knows but the parties directly involved?

Now whether she is an honest businesswoman or not is still open to debate. If she isn’t then she deserves to have her ass handed to her. I did read up on what she did to Rondeau and think it was beyond dishonest. Even if she did not sign the contract it was implied and correct me if I’m wrong but an implied contract holds the same amount of water in a court of law. Her actions of paying him for his work and allowing him his position within the company AFTER he signed the document are as close to a signature as you can get. I could be wrong or the laws of that particular state may not be the same as California’s but the last Business Law class I took covered the basics on this and it seems to be an implied business deal to me. I hope he took legal action against DEI.