Dale Earnhardt Jr. Speculation

[rchaze60]

   
 Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s future has been the topic of discussion this season, with seemingly everyone in NASCAR consumed with where the sport's biggest star will drive next year.

Tongues were really wagging Wednesday when Earnhardt, who's in the final year of his DEI contract, called a news conference for Thursday morning at his Mooresville race shop without releasing any details.

Reached at a sponsor appearance at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Wednesday night, Earnhardt told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution he planned to talk about "some ideas I've got for the future" but would not elaborate.

Rampant speculation Wednesday night had Junior set to announce he was leaving Dale Earnhardt Inc., the company founded by his late father and the only team he's ever driven for, to field his own Nextel Cup team.

Mike Davis, a representative for Earnhardt, refused to discuss Junior's announcement.

Earnhardt owns JR Motorsports, which fields a Busch team for Shane Huffman and several late-model teams. At the recent grand opening for JRM, he said he could see the organization fielding Cup cars. Earnhardt's sister Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, who runs JRM's business side, appeared taken aback by the remark and later said the duo had no plans to expand into NASCAR's top series.
 
The AJC reported that during Wednesday night's sponsor event, Earnhardt told fans that his plans for JR Motorsports might not include adding Nextel Cup cars and that his priority as a team owner is promoting young drivers and mechanics.

"I don't want the company to get too big," he said. "I've got about 70 employees now, and I don't want to get too many more."

If expansion is in the cards, Earnhardt would need help with engines and equipment. That could come from car owners Rick Hendrick or Richard Childress, who fielded championship-winning cars for Dale Earnhardt and currently leases engines to JR Motorsports.

Hendrick officials said they have no knowledge of Junior's announcement, and calls to RCR officials were not immediately returned.

But a person familiar with the discussions told The Associated Press that Hendrick recently offered Earnhardt engines if he decided to field his own team. That person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss it. Hendrick, winners of seven of the past eight races this season, already leases engines to Ginn Racing and Haas-CNC Racing.

Calls to Earnhardt's sponsor Budweiser and race team DEI were not immediately returned Wednesday night. An e-mail to Elledge was not immediately answered.

Just two days ago, during testing at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Earnhardt complained DEI could not compete with Hendrick - particularly in the Car of Tomorrow. Hendrick drivers have won all four COT races this season, which Earnhardt chalked up to the resources that team has devoted to the program.

"They've got a lot of resources. They've got a great company, two, three really good cars every week, great crew chiefs. They've really got the package right now," Earnhardt said Monday. "Their cars, they handle pretty good. They're getting through the center of the corner better with the COT, and that's just because they test the hell out of it.

"I hear rumors they got Max Papis and road race guys at Sonoma testing and testing and testing and testing."

Asked if DEI could keep up, Earnhardt didn't pause.

"No. Not many teams can do that," he said. "There are a few that can do that, but not many. They put a lot back into their race teams, you know what I mean?"

Elledge has set a deadline for negotiations with DEI, saying a deal must be completed by the end of this month. And Earnhardt's sponsor Budweiser, which has an option on its DEI deal, is free to leave and follow Junior wherever he goes.

That has given Earnhardt the power in this latest round of contract negotiations with his stepmother, Teresa, and Junior and his sister have exerted it more than once. They've demanded at least 51 percent of the company in a bid to gain control of what they believe their father wanted them to have.

Both sides have stopped commenting publicly on the issue since Earnhardt was caught off guard last month by DEI president Max Siegel's remarks that the driver had been offered 51 percent of the company.

People familiar with the negotiations have told the AP that Teresa Earnhardt is willing to sell the shares to Junior for between $55 and $75 million. Those persons requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the deal.

Earnhardt and his sister, however, aren't convinced they should pay anything for the shares.

The two have been adamant that their only goal is to help Junior win Cup championships, something he's been unable to do at DEI. He has not been a legitimate title contender since 2004. In 2005, he had a horrendous season when Teresa Earnhardt split up his crew, and he failed to make the Chase for the championship.

He rebounded last year by making the Chase but was never a threat for the title.

The contentious contract talks started before the season even began, when Teresa Earnhardt questioned her stepson's commitment in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.

"Right now the ball's in his court to decide on whether he wants to be a NASCAR driver or whether he wants to be a public personality," she said in the Dec. 14, 2006 story.

He was silent on the issue until preseason testing, when he admitted the comments bothered him and said his relationship with his stepmother "ain't a bed of roses."

"The relationship that we have today is the same relationship we had when I was 6 years old when I moved into that house with Dad and her," he said. "It's always been the same. It hasn't gotten worse over the last couple years or last couple months.

"The way I felt about her then is the way I feel about her now."

 

[Realtree]

Looks like we may all know a little bit more of what Jr's future may look like after tomorrow....

[Realtree]

Hendrick Motorsports General Manager Marshall Carlson told Sirius NASCAR Radio's Sirius Speedway Tuesday that his team is fully stocked with drivers for 2008 and beyond, and that he has not spoken with Dale Earnhardt, Jr., about the possibility of joining the Hendrick stable. (Sirius NASCAR Radio's Sirius Speedway)

Are they telling the truth?? Time will tell... ???

[Realtree]

Dave Moody reported on Wednesday afternoon's Sirius Speedway that rumor has it that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will announce tomorrow [Thurs, May 10th] at JR Motorsports, that both he and #1-Martin Truex, Jr. will drive in the Nextel Cup Series for JR Motorsports in 2008. Hendrick Motorsports will provide engines for the team.

A press conference is planned for 11:00am/et at JR Motorsports headquarters per a PR from the team and SPEED will interrupt regularly scheduled programming to go LIVE from the JR Motorsports race shop at 11:00am/et for a news conference with NASCAR Nextel Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.

MORE: Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR's biggest star, has been in contract negotiations with his current employer, Dale Earnhardt Inc., and is asking for 51% ownership of the team. But the location of the press conference, at JR Motorsports, which Earnhardt Jr. owns separately from DEI, indicates his future plans might not include DEI.

Earnhardt Jr., who was at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Wednesday evening for a sponsor appearance, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he planned to talk about "some ideas I've got for the future" but would not elaborate. Officials from DEI did not return phone calls seeking comment. But Earnhardt Jr., answering questions from fans at an event held by his sponsor Budweiser, indicated that his plans for JR Motorsports might not include adding two Nextel Cup cars. He said his main goal in being a team owner is to be able to help young drivers and mechanics advance their careers. "I don't want the company to get too big," he said. "I've got about 70 employees now, and I don't want to get too many more."

He also seemed to squelch another persistent rumor ? that he was headed to Richard Childress Racing to drive the #3 Chevrolet made famous by his late father. "'I'd like to do it for a year or two at the end of my career, when I'm 50 or 55," he said.(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

[Realtree]

HAS SHUNNED SPOTLIGHT FOR YEARS

Dale Jr.'s grandmom speaks out. She says she's there to support him, promotes breast cancer event

MARK PRICE
msprice@charlotteobserver.com


 KANNAPOLIS --During a week in which the hottest sports story around was speculation on Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s future, another member of the Earnhardt NASCAR dynasty was making her first media blitz, after years of shunning the spotlight.

Martha Earnhardt, mother of the late Dale Earnhardt and grandmother of Dale Jr., granted 20 interviews of her own, not about her grandson's departure from Dale Earnhardt Inc., but about a charity initiative to fight breast cancer.

It's more interviews than she has done in a decade, mostly because her family worked to keep her out of the news, says her daughter Cathy Watkins.

"We were raised a private, small-town family, and as Dale's celebrity grew, it exposed us to people who could have taken advantage of us," Watkins says. "We were careful not to get her involved, because we didn't want her overwhelmed."

Their plan worked extremely well, seeing as how Martha Earnhardt's profile is so low, she has safely lived the past 52 years in the same blue-collar neighborhood in Kannapolis. The home, a white bungalow on a half-acre lot, is where she and the late Ralph Earnhardt raised five children, including Dale Sr. She brags that she can see her church, Memorial Baptist, from the porch.

"Dale said he wanted to buy me a new house, but I never could decide where I wanted to live," says Martha, one of 12 siblings raised on a nearby cotton farm.

"One year, Dale and I were talking about me moving, and Dale Jr. was sitting on the porch swing listening. I guess he was about 14 at the time, and he told me: `Mamaw, you can't sell this house. You know this is what holds our family together.' I never forgot that. I don't think I'll ever move from here."

She was there in support of Dale Jr. last week, when he announced his decision to leave DEI, in part because of a feud with his stepmother, Teresa, who owns the company.

Martha is cagey when asked about the break-up. "Dale Jr. is one of my grandchildren and if any of my grandchildren makes a career move, I would be there to support them."

It's coincidence that she had her own media blitz, which began last week. Her goal is to promote ticket sales for next year's Daytona 500, because the speedway will make a donation to fight breast cancer for every ticket sold through June 27.

As for why Earnhardt agreed to go public for a cause, she says one reason is that she has a niece who survived breast cancer through surgery. Another reason is that Earnhardt is recovering well from a stroke suffered after Dale Sr. died in 2001.

Then there's the obvious reason.

"Nobody asked."

[rchaze60]

way to go Martha ...... sounds like she is the rock for the family :rock: :rock: :rock:

[Woody]

UPDATE

Hendrick stable too full for Earnhardt -- right now
 
By JENNA FRYER, AP Auto Racing Writer

May 21, 2007

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Rick Hendrick wasn't lying when he said he has no room on his team for Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Hendrick, the last big-time owner to comment publicly on Earnhardt's free-agent status, has spoken to NASCAR's most popular driver about his future. But with a full stable of drivers under contract, Hendrick didn't have a whole lot to offer.
 
 
``I've talked to him about doing motors and cars if he wants to do this himself,'' Hendrick told The Associated Press. ``But that's really all we've discussed.

``Right now, I'm full.''

C'mon, Mr. H, are you really claiming there's no room at the inn for a superstar such as Earnhardt?

``There's no room at the inn,'' he firmly repeated.

He's right. But that doesn't mean things can't change.

Jeff Gordon has a lifetime contract with Hendrick Motorsports, so he's not going anywhere until he retires. With a fifth championship looking very realistic for this season, it doesn't appear Gordon will be turning in his car keys anytime soon.

Jimmie Johnson, the defending Nextel Cup champion, is a car owner's dream and he just signed an extension last season that will keep him in a Hendrick car for a very long time.

So that leaves Kyle Busch and Casey Mears, and conventional wisdom says Mears should be nervous about keeping his cushy Hendrick job.

Mears is having a tough first season with Hendrick and is currently a miserable 35th in the standings. But he was placed with the one team at Hendrick that always has struggled, and walked into a team that was a tad bit behind when he got there in December.

Hendrick made a crew chief change four days before teams reported to Daytona, and it's taking some time for everyone to catch up.

Yes, Mears appears to be the weak link. But it's unfair to judge him after a mere 11 races, and it's doubtful that Hendrick is doing that.

Busch, on the other hand, has had plenty of time to be judged.

Although Busch is under contract through 2008 and Hendrick previously said he's working on an extension, the car owner perhaps should reconsider.

Busch is an excellent driver. He made the Chase for the championship last season, has four career victories and is currently 11th in the points.

But the 22-year-old has made three significant missteps this season that raise questions if the talent is worth the headaches.

Consider:

-- After winning the first Car of Tomorrow race at Bristol in March, Busch came off as a spoiled brat when he ripped the car and repeatedly said it ``sucked'' during his nationally televised Victory Lane interview. When Busch continued the rant in his post-race news conference, Hendrick sat silently next to him, lips pursed and clearly uncomfortable.

-- Busch left the track without telling his crew after wrecking in Texas last month. When the team patched up the car to get back on the track for valuable points, Busch was nowhere to be found and they grabbed Earnhardt -- of all people! -- to finish out the race.

-- He wrecked his older brother, Kurt, in Saturday night's All-Star race, then gave Kurt the opportunity to be the model of decorum. While Kyle stewed inside his hauler after the accident, Kurt gave a somewhat humorous interview and delivered the line of the race when he said, ``I'm not eating any Kellogg's any time soon,'' in reference to Kyle's sponsor.

The incident spoke volumes to how far Kurt Busch has come. Always a bit quirky, he's made significant strides since joining Penske Racing last season. When he's not trying so hard to be liked, or butchering the English language in an attempt to sound smart, Kurt Busch can be kind of cool.

Kyle Busch? Not so much.

When he first was signed by Hendrick to drive the No. 5 Chevrolet, Kyle Busch vowed to use everything he'd seen his brother struggle through as a lesson on what not to do. He's instead done just the opposite.

He comes off as arrogant and entitled, and veterans repeatedly gripe Busch never wants to listen to their advice. Two-time champion Tony Stewart felt like he was talking to a wall when he tried to counsel Busch after their 2006 tangles.

And after Busch and Mears had issues last season, Busch immaturely said he didn't know how to get in touch with Mears to discuss it. Never mind that these guys live inches apart in the motorhome lot 38 weekends a year.

Hendrick is a patient man who can put up with an awful lot. And there's no reason to believe that enough time in the Hendrick organization won't eventually make Busch grow up and start behaving the way a good Hendrick driver is expected to.

But with Dale Earnhardt Jr. sitting on the open market, wanting desperately to fit in with an organization committed to helping him win championships, one has to wonder if Hendrick should take a long hard look at making it happen.

Who knows? Maybe room No. 5 at the Hendrick inn suddenly could open.

 ::hittingself::
 

[Woody]

I purposely left out some of the smaller teams-as they most likely wouldn't be able to offer JR. anything more than what he has now at DEI.  It's been clearly stated JR. would prefer to run in a chevy-but I included others-as they have not been ruled out. 

[Woody]

This is what I'd like to see.
(Even though Jr. has said he isn't sure he wants to race the #3 just yet)

[Realtree]

Jr will not drive the #3 and I am fine with that. I respect his decision to want to make his own legacy aside from his fathers and not be put into his fathers shadow even more.

I would love to see him end up at Richard Childress or Joe Gibbs, but I am not sure either of those will come to fruition when all the dust settles. I have a feeling he may end up at Ginn Racing or even a new upstart satellite operation of Rick Hendrick Motorsports with engineering support from them, but not with his own JR Motorsports team. We can sit here and speculate all we want but only time will tell.....

[Woody]

Earnhardt sales going strong despite DEI defection
 
By JENNA FRYER, AP Auto Racing Writer
May 31, 2007
CONCORD, N.C. -- On the day he announced he was leaving his late father's company, Dale Earnhardt Jr. fretted over fan reaction.

He worried the "Red Army" wouldn't understand his decision, and the loyalists would resent him _ maybe even boo him _ for walking away from Dale Earnhardt Inc. But based on souvenir sales in the three weeks since he made his decision, NASCAR's most popular driver had nothing to be concerned about.

Sales of Earnhardt merchandise at race tracks is up 17 percent since his May 10 announcement, industry analysts said. At NASCAR.com, where his figures spiked 107 percent the first week, sales have now leveled off but are still slightly above last season's pace.
 
 
"I knew people were going to collect. I knew they were going to want a piece of his legacy," said Chris Williams, director of trackside sales for Motorsports Authentic, the company that manages 60 of the souvenir trailers that are stationed at every race track.

"His Daddy wanted Dale Jr. to win a championship at DEI, and people want a memento from that part of his career. Now, if he should start winning races and get into championship contention this season, his sales are going to be like nothing we've ever seen before."

Hats, shirts, beer holders, pins, and the diecast cars _ a collector's staple _ are flying off the shelves at a frantic pace. It's a stark contrast to say, Greg Biffle, who is in flux right now at Roush Fenway Racing.

Because Biffle's sponsor wants to leave at the end of the season, and he's in the middle of contract negotiations that could end with him leaving Roush, his souvenir sales have dipped.

Earnhardt is for certain leaving his team at the end of the season, and nobody has any idea if he'll be with sponsor Budweiser in 2008. But it doesn't stop the fans from shopping at a dizzying pace.

"I think it all has sentimental value now," said Lee Madison, of Asheville. "He's part of history. The red Budweiser 8, get it while you can."

Earnhardt had a series-high five trailers surrounding Lowe's Motor Speedway last weekend, and a sixth truck sold merchandise for both Junior and the elder Earnhardt.

Rob and Suzanne Carpenter crowded around one of them early Saturday with their three sons looking for new gear. They had plenty already _ Suzanne wore her Budweiser bikini, with a gold `3' charm on her bellybutton as a nod to Earnhardt Sr. _ but needed to pick up the latest fashions.

"We spend about $500 a year, usually on hats, a (beer) cozy or two, maybe a T-shirt. Anything I need to replace," Rob Carpenter said as he picked up a limited edition camouflage `8' hat for his son to wear.

The family didn't flinch after dropping $53.38, and Carpenter was certain he'd spend more at trailers closer to the track.

Because he makes up 30 percent of the market, Earnhardt has the most trailers and gets the best locations every week. Laying out the sales is a surprising science and Motorsports Authentic has to carefully plan the grid each week.

Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart rank second and third in sales, owning about 15 percent of the market each, and Williams said he can never put an Earnhardt trailer across from one of them because the shoppers would clog the lane. Although he spaces Junior's trailers around the facility, there's no mistaking that each one is in an upfront location.

"As consumers, we shop at the same stores and usually the ones closest to your house," Williams said. "The fans who go to races are the same way. They park in the same locations, walk into the track through the same entrances, follow the same routine. Since the market shows a high percentage want to buy Junior's merchandise, you hit all the high-profile areas with his trailers.

"The places that draw the most volume, interest and sales is where you put two or three of his trailers. Whatever it will bear, which right now is quite a lot."

Tony and Cindy Smith of Roanoke, Va., snapped up a pair of new T-shirts, fully aware Earnhardt's merchandise will look different next season. Unless his stepmother stops leasing the No. 8 from NASCAR, he most certainly will have a different car number _ at minimum.

"That just means I'll have to buy a whole new wardrobe," Tony Smith said. "I'm hoping it will be a 3 for Richard Childress, but it doesn't matter. We'll follow him anywhere."

Kelley Earnhardt Elledge wants to sign a new deal for her brother by the end of June, a deadline partially set by Motorsports Authentic.

Because souvenir sales make up such a huge part of his annual income _ he's estimated to earn $20.1 million a year, and about $10 million of that is believed to come from merchandise _ Earnhardt must have licensing approvals in hand by late summer to ensure he'll have stocked trailers at next year's season-opening Daytona 500.

There's a fan push for him to sign at RCR, where the elder Earnhardt won six of his seven championships in the famed No. 3. Bill Miles from Montana said he'll abandon Junior if he moves to Hendrick Motorsports, and the Carpenters don't want to see him a Ford.

Williams is convinced Earnhardt's numbers won't suffer either way.

"Everyone is waiting for him to win that championship, and if he goes to RCR to do it, everyone will be extremely happy," Williams said. "But if he goes somewhere else, he'll still be fine. He's got it all, everything going for him _ the name, the fans, the legacy that his Daddy left behind.

"He's sitting pretty no matter where he goes."



Updated on Thursday, May 31, 2007 8:07 am EDT

 
 

[Realtree]

on FoxSports NASCAR pre-race from Dover, Jeff Hammond said sources tell him that Dale Earnhardt Jr, would sign with Joe Gibbs Racing and have sponsorship from VISA, with the announcement coming within the next 10-14 days

[Outdoors Junkie]

Visa would be a good sponsor.  Joe Gibbs is a great owner!  I think it would be a great move for JR.

[Woody]

Jr. would sure love it!!  (Season tix to the Redskins)

There was something mentioned of a shoe mfg. as a sponsor as well-NIKE?

[Realtree]

i am hearing all kinds of speculation about Dale Jr's new sponsor for next year but the prevelant ones have been Mt Dew, Sony and Addidas. I don't think Bud is going to end up on the car next year, and I am perfectly fine with that..then I will be able to add some Dale Jr diecast to my collection of Dale Sr, Hamlin, and Harvick diecast.