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View Full Version : Dale Jr. is leaving Dale Earnhardt Inc.



royalfan5
5/9/2007, 04:45 PM
http://jayski.com/cupnews.htm#news99

To his own team, is taking Truex with him, and getting Hendrick Equipment.

soonerscuba
5/9/2007, 04:47 PM
All I wanna do is franchise, deddy!

oilmud
5/9/2007, 04:49 PM
Didn't see that one coming, I thought he'd end up at RCR.

Jimminy Crimson
5/9/2007, 05:07 PM
<yawn>

;)

oilmud
5/9/2007, 05:23 PM
<yawn>

;)


negged

Cam
5/9/2007, 08:47 PM
Gotta love step-mom's...

Blue
5/9/2007, 10:36 PM
If thats the case, DEI will probably fold in the car`racin bidness.

royalfan5
5/9/2007, 11:11 PM
If thats the case, DEI will probably fold in the car`racin bidness.
Yep. DEI will become memorabilia only, and John Menard, Robby Gordon, and Yates will team up to be a 3 or 4 car Ford team using the DEI shops.

Blue
5/10/2007, 12:00 AM
Theresa=Yoko? :D

Osce0la
5/10/2007, 09:28 AM
But I'm leaving the family business...

Dale Jr. to leave DEI (http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/6796182)

GrapevineSooner
5/10/2007, 09:38 AM
I think he's changing his number to 3.2.

StuIsTheMan
5/10/2007, 09:39 AM
this is just plain wierd...DEI with no DE...WTF...And if Bud goes with Gordon...I am switch'n beers!

olevetonahill
5/10/2007, 09:41 AM
srry Dad urdedimgonebitchishere :eek:

royalfan5
5/10/2007, 09:45 AM
this is just plain wierd...DEI with no DE...WTF...And if Bud goes with Gordon...I am switch'n beers!
Budweiser will follow Jr. wherever he goes. Plus he will actually have a decent motor program and engineering support now.

GrapevineSooner
5/10/2007, 09:50 AM
Sometimes Jayski's right. Sometimes he's not.

Let's just wait another 10 minutes to find out, mmmkay? ;)

Simply in part because if Junior's goal is to win a Cup, ramping up his Busch team to accomplish that goal would be a step backward, IMO, what with having to get his engines from Hendrick Motorsports.

Might be going out on a sentimental limb, but I think he winds up at RCR.

royalfan5
5/10/2007, 09:52 AM
Sometimes Jayski's right. Sometimes he's not.

Let's just wait another 10 minutes to find out, mmmkay? ;)

Simply in part because if Junior's goal is to win a Cup, ramping up his Busch team to accomplish that goal would be a step backward, IMO, what with having to get his engines from Hendrick Motorsports.

Might be going out on a sentimental limb, but I think he winds up at RCR.
He's right far more often than he's not.

Osce0la
5/10/2007, 09:59 AM
Budweiser will follow Jr. wherever he goes. Plus he will actually have a decent motor program and engineering support now.
Budweiser's contract with DEI is up at the end of this season (as is Dale Jr.'s contract with DEI). It is a pretty safe bet that Budweiser would choose to follow Junior (he is one of the biggest marketing tools they've ever had). Kelly Earnhardt (sister) is also supposed to be going with him (along with Truex Jr.). Kelly is brilliant as far as the business side of the sport goes and is responsible for a lot of the money Dale Jr. rakes in every year.

They are saying he will use Chevy chassis' built by Hendrick Motorsports and engines built by Hendrick Motorsports. If all of that is true next season will really show whether he is a good driver or just living off of his last name. He will be running basically the same cars Gordon and Johnson are running - so he will have no excuse for not winning races or at least having consistant top 10 finishes...

GrapevineSooner
5/10/2007, 10:01 AM
Well, Yahoo Sports is reporting the same thing as Jayski.

If it's all true, good luck with all that, Junior.

And when is the DEI Museum opening?

GrapevineSooner
5/10/2007, 10:22 AM
Junior definitely leaving DEI (http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news;_ylt=AqtykU2XpN1xtM6pjCHAQFDov7YF?slug=ap-nascar-earnhardt-future&prov=ap&type=lgns), saying contract negotiations were never close.

Will finish the year going all out and expects everyone else on the team to do the same.

He has not decided whether he'll sign on with an existing team or will start up his own Cup team.

Would like to continue driving a Chevrolet next year.

Sooner in Tampa
5/10/2007, 10:36 AM
The old man is rolling over in his grave...Damn you Theresa!


MOORESVILLE, N.C. (AP) -Dale Earnhardt Jr. will leave the company founded by his late father at the end of the year in a shake-up certain to ignite a bidding war for NASCAR's most popular driver.
He told Dale Earnhardt Inc. on Thursday that he had decided to make the switch to another team when his contract expires.
"We worked really hard, but we were never close," Earnhardt said of negotiations with DEI. "I am a little sad, but I am trying to remind myself to be excited about what's ahead."
Earnhardt had asked for 51 percent ownership of the team now run by his stepmother, Teresa. Negotiations on a contract extension began before the season and have been tense all along. Earnhardt's sister, Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, had set a deadline to get the deal done by the end of the month. "I'm sad that I have to leave some employees that I got close to, leave some relationships," Earnhardt said. "We're going to finish this year out, and I told my guys we're going to run hard. I don't want any excuses for us not giving our best effort. I plan on giving everything I've got like I always do, and hopefully that's what I'll get in return."

Blue
5/10/2007, 03:03 PM
Gibbs baby!

royalfan5
5/10/2007, 03:41 PM
Gibbs baby!
Only without Budweiser. J.D. Gibbs has stated that JGR does not want to deal with an alcohol sponsor. I wouldn't rule out JR Motorsports moving up with a partner of some sort yet. RCR has to be the most likely involved partner, unless Hendrick dumps Mears off on Haas or Ginn. Maybe Mears goes to the 14, and Budweiser returns to the 25 with Jr.

royalfan5
5/10/2007, 10:50 PM
There have been reports on multiple TV stations the Jr will drive a Black #3 Budweiser car for RCR next year, and the deal will be finalized soon.

Sooner in Tampa
5/11/2007, 05:24 AM
There have been reports on multiple TV stations the Jr will drive a Black #3 Budweiser car for RCR next year, and the deal will be finalized soon.I would be midly suprised. Dale jr. has even went on record as saying that he is not sure if he wants to drive the Black #3...it was/is his dad's number.

I personally hope that he doesn't do that.

royalfan5
5/11/2007, 08:23 AM
I would be midly suprised. Dale jr. has even went on record as saying that he is not sure if he wants to drive the Black #3...it was/is his dad's number.

I personally hope that he doesn't do that.
Now it's sounds like it will be the 33 for RCR.

Sooner in Tampa
5/11/2007, 08:46 AM
Now that would SUCK too. When I think of 33...I think of Harry Gant and the Skoal car.

badger
5/11/2007, 09:29 AM
I think it is obvious that NASCAR fans are fans of drivers-- not racing teams or racing owners.

Sooner in Tampa
5/11/2007, 09:41 AM
I think it is obvious that NASCAR fans are fans of drivers-- not racing teams or racing owners.I guess Theresa didn't get that memo.

Beef
5/11/2007, 10:19 AM
Don't throw beer on me, Jr. fans, but is Jr. good enough to win multiple championships like he thinks, even with good equipment? I'm just not sure he's as talented as Johnson, Gordon, Smoke or Kenseth. And RCR equipment just isn't on par with Hendrick right now.

Sooner in Tampa
5/11/2007, 10:40 AM
Don't throw beer on me, Jr. fans, but is Jr. good enough to win multiple championships like he thinks, even with good equipment? I'm just not sure he's as talented as Johnson, Gordon, Smoke or Kenseth. And RCR equipment just isn't on par with Hendrick right now.That's a great question Beef. Even the most ardent Jr. fans have to wonder if he is as good as the aforementioned drivers. I would say the jury is still out. I really liked the idea first floated around about Jr. starting his own race team and then using Hendrick chassis and motors. THEN we would find out just how good he is.

Beef
5/11/2007, 10:46 AM
I think he can ask his old teammate how much fun being a driver/owner is. I think it would be a disaster for the sport if he drove for his own team and struggled. He wouldn't have owners points to be automatically qualified if he started a team. And then if he wasn't qualifying for races, there would be a lot of unhappy people losing a lot of money. I definitely see him driving for himself down the road, but there's too much money to be made and it would be a long process to be competitive week in and week out.

royalfan5
5/11/2007, 02:31 PM
Don't throw beer on me, Jr. fans, but is Jr. good enough to win multiple championships like he thinks, even with good equipment? I'm just not sure he's as talented as Johnson, Gordon, Smoke or Kenseth. And RCR equipment just isn't on par with Hendrick right now.
A lot more on par the DEI equipment is. DEI has slipped, and they haven't invested money in keeping up.

royalfan5
5/11/2007, 02:32 PM
I think he can ask his old teammate how much fun being a driver/owner is. I think it would be a disaster for the sport if he drove for his own team and struggled. He wouldn't have owners points to be automatically qualified if he started a team. And then if he wasn't qualifying for races, there would be a lot of unhappy people losing a lot of money. I definitely see him driving for himself down the road, but there's too much money to be made and it would be a long process to be competitive week in and week out.
If Jr. bought HMS equipment, he would be able to qualify just fine. If Sterling Marlin, Joe Nemechek, and Johnny Sauter can qualify every week in HMS satellite equipment, so can Jr.

Scott D
5/11/2007, 03:05 PM
You heard it here first. Jr. is joining the Ferrari team.

Beef
5/11/2007, 03:29 PM
I figured Renault would outbid them to replace Alonso.

Scott D
5/11/2007, 03:32 PM
Schumacher can't last forever ;)