The Frontstretch: Top Ten Reasons Sponsors and Drivers Are Leaving DEI by Jeff Meyer -- Wednesday June 25, 2008

Was this really necessary? You have forever lost a reader here. Its bad enough that Dale Jr and Tony Jr didnt have the respect not to badmouth the place in the press like a bunch of disgruntled employees instead of relatives of Dale Earnhardt. Now I need to read inflammatory BS like this? Why dont you read the transcript of Martin Truex Jr’s conference yesterday. It really is a shame that the employees of DEI have to defend the place stating that it isnt a horrible place to work and that because of pettiness they all have to worry about their futures because sponsors wont go there anymore. And why would they when Jr himself rips the place to shreds.

People think his father would be proud of him, I really doubt that. Really glad all the pressure is off him though and he is living a carefree life. He shouldve had the decency to keep his mouth SHUT and gave the people he left behind the SAME courtesy.

Oh please, “disgusted”… you’re delusional. Junior was very classy about leaving that place, even though Teresa treated him like garbage. IF he had gotten dirty about it.. YOU or anyone else could not say a word about it. TERESA threw the first punch when she made that idiotic statement to some newspaper or whatever it was. That was out of nowhere, just took a shot at Junior for no damn reason other than the fact that she’s a selfish witch. Yeah, she’s all class, I’m sure her husband would be proud. This person losing you as a reader is hardly a loss.

Teresa brought this on herself, with her greed. She should have worked something out with the family. She’s reaping what she sowed. DEI will be for sale soon.

Typical sheeple response Laura and not unexpected. Teresa’s comment got Dale off his lazy behind and actually working to win now. He is more focused this year than he has been for a long time and actually wanting to test and better himself. Teresa didnt say anything to him that his FATHER wouldnt have said to him had Jr dared behave this way with him around.

Teresa treated him like garbage? How is that possible when he claimed she was never around? And as far as her treating “family” horrible, Dale Jr said in an interview that he told her he did not want anything to do with her outside of business. He laid the path for their distance and treating “family” that way.

Who is the selfish one? Teresa who has kept DEI going or Jr who cut and run so he didnt have to worry about having DEI’s success on HIS shoulders? For a 33 year old BOY who doesnt even pay his own bills he wanted to run a multimillion dollar company? Oh and JRM doesnt count because Kelly runs that, now with the help of Hendrick and his engineers and people. Jr. couldnt even do THAT without taking the lazy way out.

Funny how you think Tony Jr making the Kmart/ToysRus comment is classy? But hey if Jr. and Tony Jr. can sleep at night so be it. The only one I have seen with class out of the bunch is Kelly.

It’s Kelley.. not Kelly. I didn’t say a word about Tony Jr.. where did I say anything about him? Yeah, he definitely had his comments, Junior held back out of respect. I don’t know where you get your info about the things Junior supposedly said.. LMAO.

As for this gem…

“Who is the selfish one? Teresa who has kept DEI going or Jr who cut and run so he didnt have to worry about having DEI’s success on HIS shoulders?”

What ROCK have you been under?? DEI wasn’t and isn’t up to par with the big teams, Junior TRIED to get control of that company so he could turn it around and make it more successful. How did you miss this??? Oh yeah, selective thinking I guess. Teresa is not about the racing, she’s about stuffing her pockets with money, planting trees and so on… the racing aspect was/is the least of her concerns.

So yeah, Junior tried to get DEI so he wouldn’t have the burden of the place on his shoulders. Makes so much sense..LOL! Just brilliant.

By the way..Junior works very hard, he does more with JR Motorsports than you give him credit for. He also would’ve done a lot with DEI, more than Saint Teresa ever did or will.

Disgusted.. are you Anita, by any chance?? LMAO

Anyway, I’m done with this. I’m so over the Teresa thing, I don’t know why I bothered to comment in the first place. Big waste of time.

I so agree with Disgusted. Laura is just another Junior Lemming. Dale Earnhardt left DEI to his wife, not his children, two of which tried to steal it.

What Dale Jr. did or said is irrelevant to the state of DEI right now. What does Dale Jr. have to do with the fact that DEI is treading water?

Okay, so Dale Jr. didn’t get the 51% he wanted. Now what? DEI is no better off now than they were last year. With sponsors and drivers leaving, now will people admit that DEI is in trouble?

Call me a Junior Lemming if you want, but you’re going to eventually have to find another scapegoat and stop putting all this on Dale Jr. DEI had the chance to step it up and prove that they didn’t need him. They’re failing right now. Hopefully, they can rebound because I don’t want to see the team disappear and I’m quite sure Dale Jr. doesn’t either, no matter what any Message Board Cowboys have to say.

“Teresa is not about the racing, she’s about stuffing her pockets with money, planting trees and so on… the racing aspect was/is the least of her concerns. “

I agree, what other Racing team has an Entertaiment Division produce to distribute music, film and television, visual imaging and digital content?

I cannot stand the uptight people out there who hate DEI. They all need to get lives. Particularly those on the Pitboard – they are jealous, hateful, and down right mean spirited people. Leave DEI – you boy Junior is in a better place as you think. Junior is an ingrate and mishandled DEI – he wasn’t man enough to come to terms with Teresa…..you all are a bunch of whiners.

Laura,

Don’t let the Jr. haters get to you. Teresa will fail, not because of Jr., but because of her greed. I was not even a Jr. fan before he left DEI but now he is proving that he can go it alone. That bugs the Jr. haters. Does anyone still wonder how all those engines blew last year?

Hey Marissa, sounds to me like you are one of Teresa’s butt kissers. Too bad everybody doesn’t think she is all she is cracked up to be. Sounds to me like you are one of the biggest whiners. Blah, blah, blah..

I agree, what other Racing team has an Entertaiment Division produce to distribute music, film and television, visual imaging and digital content?

Correct me if I’m wrong but doesn’t Dale Earnhardt Jr do the exact things you bash DEI for under his Hammerhead Production Co.

I love all the Jr fans who state they are finished with DEI but yet spend hours bashing them.

DEI will survive. How do 42 other teams survive without Dale Jr as the driver I will never understand.

Isn’t there a photo of Jr’s behind that you DEI haters can post to drool over.

Yeah that was his fathers company, but it comes down to whether the owner was providing the goods. He didn’t complain any more than Matt Kenseth or Tony Stewart would of if they were not getting the equipment to win or contending for a championship.

Life is for the living. DEI is not able to contend for a championship right now. The top teams have moved on and gotten better period. Now DEI is a memorial to Dale Earnhardt. Teresa was just not keeping up with what was going on. I have to say when TY was there he was looking for new technologies that would help the race teams.

Just think Teresa got the memo a little too late. Hope that it is not too late for Petty Enterprises.

Yates was able to save it. But that is about it will DEI ever become a championship contending team who knows they are hanging on for survival.

As the owner the buck stops with Teresa period. Until they are contending for championships every year and winning races, because the Founder was a 7 time champ the expectations are high.

Maybe Jr (and his sheep)needs to go back and read some old interviews.

Playboy: What about the Earnhardt empire? Your stepmother, Teresa has taken over much of the decision making. You told one reporter that you trust her even more than you trusted your father.
Earnhardt: Financial, yes. He always joked that before he met Teresa, he owed the bank money. Afterward, the bank owed him.
Playboy: A lot of rich families fight over what they inherit.
Earnhardt: The way I see it. Teresa is almost as responsible for what we have as Dad was. I sure didn’t build it. They created it, and if she wants it, it’s hers.

From ESPN-

So the journey began. Several years ago, he stopped going out after Tuesday night. He took more and more control of his affairs. He invested. He refused to be just another employee of DEI. Junior and Teresa Earnhardt, Dale’s widow, had always had a complicated relationship, and soon after his dad died, he wanted it to be purely business with his stepmother.

“I think it took her a while to see that was my stance,” he says. “I really don’t go out of my way to spend a whole lot of time with her, and I rarely see her, so I think it took a while to understand, that’s how he’s gonna play it.”

From USA today 2003, probable BEFORE she finally realized “how he was gonna play it”

The relationship between Dale Jr. and Teresa has seemed tense at times, particularly earlier this year, when they were negotiating a contract extension and he reportedly turned down a lifetime deal with the team. Earnhardt Jr. declined comment for this story.

Teresa acknowledges she and Dale Jr. don’t talk often but says people shouldn’t read anything into that. “That’s one thing that I wish we could do more of is spend more time together, but that’s nothing new,” she says. “That’s always been like that. But that’s because of the scheduling.”

DEI is not dead.

Jr is winning at Hendrick.

Truex will re-sign.

The Army will stay with Almirola. He will succeed at DEI.

End of story.

Anyone that lets the most popular driver ever walk out the door to drive for a rival team really needs to re-evaluate their ambitions. Jr left because Teresa wouldn’t do what RC did for RCR or Rick did with HMS. Dale offered to take over the company (51%) so he could do it and leave Teresa to handle the Big E legacy, but she decided not to do that. Therefore Junior left, and now DEI is more like TEI. And the I doesn’t stand for Incorporated, it stands for Indeeps$$t. I give the company post-Jr another 2 years. Jr left, Mark left, Truex will leave, and all are leaving to go work with Dale Jr or for him. I’m sure Teresa sees the irony in that.

Hello disgusted, is that you Anita. Sounds like that same old Teresa is the best person ever bull that you always seem to spew.

Jr. sure isn’t holding back now. He jumps at the chance to cut Teresa down. DEI is an over-rated organization, just as Jr. is an over-rated driver. I thought they were a perfect fit.

I will first and formost proudly admitt that I am a Dale Jr. fan. I have been a fan since he first sat down in a car, because I was a huge fan of his father’s and I knew he wanted to see his son grow and succeed. Now when it comes to bashing DEI, I refuse to spend my time talking trash about any company carrying Dale’s name. I was however, disappointed and crushed over the comments its current “owner” made about her step-son. Dale would have never wanted their work or personal relationship to come to a point that they parted ways. People can say Dale Jr left for the wrong reasons or whatever, but I think he made the choice that was best for not only his future but for the family. It’s true that Junior will always be known for his famous father, he will always be looked over and compared and expected to do the things people “think” his father would have wanted him to do. But at some point people we have to start seeing Junior as his own man and not focus so much on his last name and who he shares it with. He has his own fans, his own talent, his own life, and his own way of living and we have to respect that and give him a chance to step out of that strong shadow and just be Junior. It’s true if ALL he was ever going to try to be was “Dale’s son” then DEI was were he needed to stay….But if he intends to be his own person and become a Champion, then DEI wasn’t the strong team to help provide that. Hendrick was the right move, as bad as so many of us hated to come to terms with it, we now see that this will be the team that helps hoist the Cup with our favorite driver.

Cashmina…Hammerhead Productions is owned by MTV…Hammerhead Entertainment is owned by Dale Jr and is a separate entity from JRM. He also has DEJ Holdings which covers his merchandise and I believe his real estate company (but that might be a separate entity too.) There is no “entertainment” division of JRM…it is a racing team.

Teresa made her choices…Dale Jr made his and both will fail or succeed by the choices they have made. It is needless to bash either of them.

And to others who have taken offense at this “top ten”…it is comedy folks…they show up every week here I believe…c-o-m-e-d-y.

No I am not Anita. Funny how Laura and Frani claim it is needless to bash DEI yet I dont see the sheep passing up any chance to do so.

C O M E D Y huh? Well Mr. Meyer how about a Dale Jr top 10 that is as demeaning and disrespectful as this garbage list and see how fast the Sheep pounce.

Mark wants to drive for someone younger looking than himself. (comedy?)

Teresa doing the “motherly” thing with Mark Martin just doesn’t look right. (comedy ?).

So everyone is up in arms about what Teresa said about her employee (not her step-son as he chose to have no family relationship with her), funny how everyone thought Dale Jr had every right to talk about Brad and his big ego to the press. But of course standards that apply to other people do not apply to the Almighty Dale Jr.

Pathetic.

Amen, Amen Marissa! As a Dale Jr fan, I am disgusted at how some “fans” still care about the state of DEI. Dale Jr is in a lot better shape at Hendrick. As for the Pitboard, some of the people on there eat, sleep, and breathe everyword he says. They make a majority of the JR Nation look bad. We may never know the whole truth between Dale Jr and Teresa, and frankly I don’t care. He is at HMS, competes strongly week in and week out, and could win his 1st Cup Championship in ’08. Let’s forget DEI and move on.

Some of y’all need to stop projecting your own family baggage into the situation.

Will you call Mark Martin lazy and immature if he moves on from DEI next season? Would you say Tony Stewart is trying to “steal” from Joe Gibbs by bringing up the question of an ownership stake? Racing is a business, and sometimes in business you have to make the decision to sever ties with one organization and move on to another.

Before painting Jr as selfish or disloyal, consider how many folks either followed him to Hendrick or went to work for his own company when he left DEI. Perhaps, they know the real Jr?

As for DEI, no it isn’t dead, but it is clearly headed in the wrong direction. Less competitive this year than last, and all indications are that trend will continue.

Frani

It’s the exact same concept regardless of the flagship you run it under.

Jr’s production company is doing his Sirrus show, the ESPN Shifting Gears special and other matters.

It’s comparing a cherry to a cherry.

People love to throw up the entertainment division at DEI but Dale Earnhardt Jr is following the same path.
Doing exactly what haters rallying against at DEI.

Personally I am tired of the DEI bashing.

When/If Smoke decides to leave JGR will all his fans wish a business ‘death’ on them.

It’s all so childish. The Pitboard needs to worry about their driver and leave DEI alone.

Oh wait..after the Kyle Busch bashing I suppose DEI is next in line.

Here’s a concept for a few. Try to LET IT GO.

Jim likes to refer to Mrs. Earnhardt as Saint Teresa so I guess it’s to be expected from the pitboard.

Funny how 3 years ago everyone was loving DEI. I am a Jr fan but get totally turned off by certain boards tirades on DEI.

It hurts as a Dale Earnhardt fan to read such hateful things about a company he founded.

Wait for it.

They will come back with the bashing and hating.

Really don’t you peeps have a butt photo to drool over.

Scott B-not sure who you are referring to but there are no step-relations in my family so I am carrying no baggage. I am merely pointing out that everyone rips on Teresa about “how can she treat family like this” and “family means nothing to her”. From the Almighty Horses own mouth he kicked her to the curb. I can bet that if Tony leaves Gibbs (and if he takes Zippy with them) you wont see them pissin all over JGR and Joe Gibbs to the press. Its called CLASS. And Jr wasnt asking for an ownership stake. He wanted FULL CONTROL (and that was just BS talk anyway so he wouldnt look like he blew town on his Dad’s company, makes it look like he was “forced” out-which he wasnt). Same thing with the #8. He said he knew Teresa wouldnt give it up from the beginning but he used his Sheep to cause an uproar and a stampede and visciously attack Teresa trying to get her to cave but she didnt.

Ryan-Maybe if he didnt sign a 5 year contract and merge his business with HMS that would be plausible.

He left DEI and that is his choice. But for him and Tony Jr to talk about the shabby state of DEI in the public and how much better HMS is was ignorant to do to the people who chose to remain there IMO.

Hey Cashmina! Do the people on the pitboard do anything but stare at pictures of his butt or bash Kyle Busch? I’m thinking is some jealousy in the Kyle Busch department. He went to Gibbs and came out STRONG! But wait, I thought after Kyle Busch bashing was bashing towards Mark Martin? Guess I was wrong!

Is it even possible to have a reasonable conversation whenever DEI or Jr. are involved?

DEI does appear to be in trouble. Certainly there has to be some concern.

OK…now let me get a head start before throwing the beer cans.

Wow, Disgusted, what have you been watching? I have gained a lot of respect for Jr by the way he has handled all this, even to this day he still tries to defend Teressa to a certain extent.

I bet you wouldn’t be able to handle all the pressure that poor boy does. Think about that. On the outside it would appear to be great being Jr., but I bet on the inside it’s a lot of weight. That he handles very well and I think many can learn from it.

PS, not to mention he wants to win, and that is a racer my friends!

Anyone ever see the studio audience get into fist fights at the Letterman show after a Top Ten list?

No? Me neither.

Most of y’all need to chill!

Disgruntled…never thought you were Anita…and where did I bash DEI or Teresa? I may have done my fair share of bashing last year…but that is mostly because I really wanted it to work out for Jr at DEI…but that wasn’t to be. I don’t hate Teresa…I just said she has to live by the decisions she makes and that is true of all of us.

Cashmina, Jim has never, never refered to Mrs. Earnhardt as Saint Teresa. As a matter of fact, he discourages, and will remove, any message personally ripping on her.

As for all the other comments concerning Jr, DEI, and Teresa, noone knows the truth except the two of them. We need to butt out of their business.

“funny how everyone thought Dale Jr had every right to talk about Brad and his big ego to the press. But of course standards that apply to other people do not apply to the Almighty Dale Jr.”

Yes it did. Go read the Pit Board from that day. Many of his biggest fans were upset that he did that, me included.

Sorry for interrupting the DEI debate but I thought #10 was the funniest !!

Amazing that some people write with such vitriol and all of this is in the past – let it go. Jr did what he felt was right, Tony Jr did what he felt was right – no one held a gun to either of their heads – and so it’s over — but just wait and see what happens next!

Well, Jeffery Meyer —- I hope you’re satisfied!

As Marissa pointed out, you’re a “jealous, hateful, and mean spirited” writer, and you are a “whiner” deluxe.

But, I think Frani hit the head right on the nail when she spelled it out — C-O-M-E-D-Y.

But Disgusted seems to have a spellin’ problem.

And, although he DID refer to you as “Mr Meyer”, out of respect, no doubt — he ended his tirade with the word “Pathetic”.
Which, I think, fits him to a “T”, —- as in “T“eresa the “T“errible.

You’ve opened up yet another can of stale carp, and riled up the mess of the masses for messin’ ‘round with their Saint Teresa, —- who, probably because she’s a woman, can do no wrong — even if it ain’t right.

Just because LillE had to sue her in court to reclaim his own name, doesn’t mean she’s all about the money.
NopE!

I think it’s more about the power.
What a trip.

And what an article!
And, as usual, you’re on the cutting edge, Mr. Meyer.
That’s what I’ve come to expect from you, and appreciate.

You just ain’t right, Jeff. LoL & LoL some more.
I hope you ain’t plannin’ on changin’, just because SOME folks can’t spell
C-O-M-E-D-Y.

Hey the past is the past. Dale Junior did what was best for him, and Mrs E did what she thought was best for her.
They live separate lives and I think they both do quite well for themselves.
I have never heard Dale Jr publicly bad mouth Teresa other than the comment It was no bed of roses. Teresa made a remark in the newspaper about Dale Junior. So, I am sure we have all made remarks we later regreted.
I am a diehard Dale Junior fan. I don’t care where he drives I will follow him, because that is what fans do.
I wish Teresa and DEI well. I wish for my driver to be happy. Let them live their lives.
And yes this old lady who is old enough to be his mother thinks he has a very cute backside, but the driver is who I like.

Wow Jeff, I have never seen this many comments before. Talk about rattling some cages. I don’t have a dog in this fight, but #2 is my favorite. Excuse my ignorance, but who is Anita?

Wait a second! Jim removes posts on the pitboard? Shouldn’t he take some of the buttshots out, and the rude comments about Kyle Busch. DEI was founded by Dale Jr’s father, and so many Jr fans are up in arms. Ever had a step-parent? Some aren’t that rose. Hell, my stepmom and I butt heads all the time. Could it be that she is only 5 years older than me! Teresa has a point, it wasn’t in the will for Dale Jr to have DEI. Will wins everytime!

Wow. Lots of hate in response to a humor piece.

How can a group of supposed adults take an article meant as humor and turn it into the daily pissing match. All of us at one time don’t support one team/driver or another. It’s human nature. But, Give it a break, do you think Jr or Therea really care? They have moved on, do they same. And as for attacking the PitBoard, lighten up…compared to some of the “other” message boards I’ve read, these folks are decent humans who don’t go for the juglar. And they also do something many of the message boards don’t do…They have the PitBoard Charity that helps children/families @ Xmas and organizations all year. A little booty shot gonna kill you, don’t look, you don’t like what they post, don’t read it. But before you trash others learn about them or take a long look in thr mirror. And NO I don’t post there,lurk and enjoy the info. and people. But I do believe in giving people a fair shake. Try it.

What can I add, when it’s all been said?

In the immortal words of Frankie the lizard. “Let it go Louie”

The only thing I might of added, if I were writing this piece.

#5 When someone hollered Jr. too many people answered.

Amazing that all this talk about DEI and it’s future but not one person made mention that there is an Earnhardt on the back burner gaining the experience to move up.

God All Mighty, these people should be ashamed. I don’t believe Jr, DEI, NASCAR, or anything else associated with them holds the cure for cancer. Folks, its only racing, get a life before you all visit the nut farm.

HeY!
What’s wrong with the “nut farm”?
LoL!

I for one found your top 10 humorous Mr. Meyer!

I am so sick of DEI haters. Nothing but a bunch of dowdy women sitting on their asses all day pounding away at their computers. Dale Jr. is a loser – he missed the boat drinking and partying all those years. He never took anything seriously until Hendrick came along. DEI haters——find something else to write about and leave DEI and Teresa the hell alone.

Wow, I was alerted to this topic and read the comments and then the top 10 reasons list. You people can go OVERBOARD without much provocation. I found the list amusing and humorous. As to Dale Sr. leaving everything to Teresa and not naming his children, I would love to put Teresa under oath and ask her if she promised Dale Sr. she would take care of all of his children in her Will? After all, Dale Sr. loved her and believed in her and my guess, trusted her to do what was right. My guess is it won’t happen now. It will all go to Taylor who only loves horseflesh, not horsepower. Teresa is great at making $, look at the recent unveiling of a car for “the men in black”. I found it interesting that although Dale Sr. loved Johnny Cash’s music, the two never met(!) but yet here we are with a car that is basically meaningless, but great for putting more $ in Teresa’s pocket and that of Johnny Cash’s brother. I admire Teresa as a business woman, just not as a person with scruples.

Peggy,

Did you know that DEI has been self-sponsoring 3 Camping World East cars besides the partial sponsorship on the #01. I would assume that takes money, which the Johnny Cash cars could supply. Just because Taylor rides horses does not mean she may not be interested in the running of DEI when she gets older. People certainly make alot of assumptions.

Unless some miracle happens, DEI is getting ready to hit bottom. I really hate to see that but when you can’t retain the most popular driver in Nascar you have definitely got a problem. You certainly can’t rank DEI with Hendrick, Childress, Gibbs, and several other teams. So where does that leave DEI? I think most of us know and knew it when Jr. left. Teresa has gotten a lot of credit for DEI when it was a major player in Nascar, let’s see if she gets credit when DEI continues its downward spiral. How can anyone brag about Teresa when she hires a Music/Entertainment Person to run a Nascar Team? I’m not the smartest person in the world but even I have more sense than that!

Why does everyone say Teresa couldnt hang on to the MPD? Does anyone really think he had any intention of staying there? Jade mentioned that he knew at the end of 2006 season that Jr was leaving (DEI Insider-Jade is that you??) and there were other things said that show he knew he was leaving before 2007 season even started.

I dont exactly see where people are “bragging” on Teresa per se as opposed to saying enough with the battering of her and with what press (gee wonder why she never grants them any interviews??), Junior and the Eurys comments (not to mention the frothing at the mouth nation and their antics) is it any wonder that sponsors are wary of going there. I understand the fact that the results are not there plays a huge part but do you see people who leave Petty (which is in worse shape than DEI) dissing them to the press? And when the press writes about Petty or Wood brothers and their troubles it is still done with respect. I have never seen anything written about DEI done with respect, which is kinda funny cause not one writer would dare say any of the things they write to The Man’s face if he were standing in front of them.

Well neither here nor there, Jeffrey is working his way up and so is Trevor Bayne. I have no doubt that DEI will be there when they are ready to go Cup. If Truex wants to leave what can you do? Just hope he remembers Jamie Mac and Elliott Sadler’s foray into “greener” pastures.

Debbie, just keep your eyes on DEI. They are headed downhill fast. Facts is facts, just look at their results. Hope I’m wrong because I hate to see DEI’S Demise but unless a miracle happens that’s exactly where they are headed. I think time will prove me right, if not I kinda like crow anyway!

Well get the A-1 “crow” sauce ready Larry. LOL. As long as Menard is willing to field a car for Paul DEI isnt going to fold. Even it if remains a 1-car Cup team for the next couple years I really dont see acquiring a sponsor for Jeffrey being that difficult. Trevor Bayne also has great talent. I agree that Max is not getting the job done and hopefully some kind of move is made there REAL soon. If the Furniture Row car can make the dang show on Sunday, DEI can do the same. I dont think anyone assumed there wouldnt be rebuilding years after Junior left, hopefully the RIGHT decisions will be made when Jeffrey is ready to hop in that 8 cup car.