Dale Earnhardt Jr. Speculation

[Outdoors Junkie]

By David Newton
ESPN.com

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn't mince words when asked Thursday what it would take to re-sign with the Nextel Cup organization his father built.


"People around me are all the time having to remind me of the magnitude of me."
-- Dale Earnhardt Jr.

"I want majority ownership, basically," Earnhardt Jr. said during media day at Daytona International Speedway.


As in more than 50 percent?


"Absolutely," Earnhardt Jr. said emphatically.


Earnhardt Jr.'s contract with Dale Earnhardt Inc. expires at the end of the 2007 season. Earnhardt Jr. and his sister, Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, began negotiations on a new deal in the middle of 2006, with ownership of the company a major sticking point.


Until Thursday, Earnhardt Jr. never indicated what percentage.


Asked if stepmother Teresa Earnhardt, who inherited sole ownership of the company when Dale Earnhardt was killed on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, was willing to budge, Earnhardt Jr. said, "We'll see."


Earnhardt Jr. and Elledge, met with Max Siegel, DEI's new president of Global Operations, on Wednesday along with director of motorsports Richie Gilmore.


Earnhardt Jr. said it was more of a get-to-know-you meeting with Siegel than a contract negotiation, but added Siegel could expedite the process he initially hoped would be concluded by April or May.


"He's a great guy to talk to and a great guy to work with," Earnhardt Jr. said of Siegel. "He's going to speed things up. He's going to improve negotiations and help those things make it a little bit easier."


Not in the meeting was Teresa, who has been asked to step aside in negotiations because of her somewhat tumultuous relationship with Earnhardt Jr. DEI officials could not be reached for comment Thursday.


"A lot of the problems in the past, it was very clunky in how it went along," Earnhardt Jr. said. "Really, you could never get gears meshed. I think he [Siegel] can improve that."


The relationship with Teresa took a turn for the worse in December when Teresa told the Wall Street Journal that her stepson needed to decide between being a driver and public personality.



Mark J. Rebilas/US PRESSWIRE
Dale Earnhardt Jr. said he wants a majority stake in DEI.

Earnhardt, who has his own television and radio show, said in his most recent interview he was past that. On Thursday, he called it a "low blow."

"She portrayed it as I was out there waving a flag, 'Hey, look at me. I can dance and I can sing, check me out,' like I'm trying to do all this different stuff," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I enjoy my radio show. It's an hour long. It takes no time to do. My TV show takes five days out of the year to shoot."


Earnhardt Jr. said he's tried hard to remain professional with his public comments on Teresa and negotiations "to keep the bitterness out of it."


He was much more outspoken on Thursday, saying media reports that DEI needs him more than he needs DEI have helped him understand his value.


"You don't like public opinion or media opinions to sway decisions," Earnhardt Jr. said. "But in this case, I have a real bad habit of being way too modest about my position in this sport. A lot of people, including the media, have helped me understand what I'm worth, what the situation really is."


Four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon, who believes Earnhardt Jr.'s relationship with Teresa is damaged to the point it will make a new deal hard to reach, laughed.


"I feel sorry for him if he didn't realize where he was at all," he said. "I'm pretty sure Kelley knows where he's at. If he doesn't, she can remind him."


Earnhardt has been named the most popular driver in NASCAR the past four years. His merchandise sales are far and away tops in the sport and his primary sponsor, Budweiser, is the No. 1 sponsor in terms of exposure.


"People around me are all the time having to remind me of the magnitude of me," Earnhardt. Jr. said. "They're like, 'Hey, we want you to come to the ESPYS to present?' I'm freaked out, scared to death to go to it. They're like, 'Man, you've got to get more confidence because you're that big. You deserve to be there on that stage.'


"The media, when you guys write about the position that I have, the leverage that I have, it sort of helps me understand what my sister, J.R. Rhodes and all of those people have been trying to explain to me for the last five or six years."


Asked if Teresa understood that value, Earnhardt Jr. said, "You'll have to ask her. I don't want to put words in her mouth."


Nobody put words in Earnhardt Jr.'s mouth on what he wants.


"The main factor is the ownership part," he reiterated. "It has nothing to do with money and nothing else."

[Woody]

WOW!  Outspoken is right!  And I don't blame him a bit!  Seriously I think he would be a better owner/part owner than Teresa is now.  Don't get me wrong, she's doing good, but it can always be better!  Some don't know that Teresa came from a racing background long before she met Dale Sr.  So she isn't completely "green" to Nascar.  Sr. & Teresa used to run DEI out of a garage before moving to the "Garage Mahal".  But the past few years we've seen DEI struggle to keep ahead of the game, compared to when Sr. ran it. 

Being as Jr. already has his own race team-JR Motorsports, he has business sense, and having him as a part owner can only help gain control of the reins at DEI.  GIT SOME Jr! 

[Realtree]

If Teresa is smart, which I know she is, she will give Jr at least some ownership share in DEJI (Dale Earnhardt Jr Inc). The sport has changed a millenium since Dale's untimely death in 2001, and not being an at the track/hands on owner, I am not sure she has been able to keep up with what the teams need to stay competitive. She has surrounded herself with great people, but I think it is time for at least partial control of the future of DEJI is turned over to Jr as Dale had originally planned.

Dale's started DEI with the dream that one day all of his kids would be involved in its operation. I think it shows how much Dale Jr has matured in the years since losing his father that he is looking ahead at the future of DEI and where the company needs to make some changes. I don't believe Jr has the vision or the business savvy that his Daddy did, but this is what Dale's original plan was is for his kids to carry the torch into the future for DEI.

If Teresa does not at least meet Jr halfway, look for him to end up with Richard Childress or over at Joe Gibbs Racing with his good buddies Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin. Bud and his other sponsors will follow Jr to the ends of the earth if needed. He is their bread and butter, and a bag of chips too.

Peace out.

[Realtree]

Eury Jr. would leave DEI if Dale Jr. bolts:

If #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. opts to leave Dale Earnhardt, Inc. at the conclusion of the 2007 Nextel Cup season, his crew chief will follow suit. Tony Eury Jr., Earnhardt's crew chief and first cousin, told ESPN.com on Sunday that if Junior goes, he'll go, too. "Yes, [I'd go]," Eury responded when asked if he'd follow Earnhardt to a new race team. "That's the way I based my feelings when I decided to stay there and sign a long-term contract. I made it very specific to them that if 2007 comes and Dale Jr. decided to do something else, I'd like to have my options open to do whatever I want to do." Ultimately, though, Eury hopes Dale Jr. stays put. "The best thing is to stay at DEI," Eury said. "DEI is his Dad's deal. [Junior] should be running the company. That's what Dale Sr. built the company for, was for those kids to have something later on in life. However it turns out, it turns out. I really don't want to get into the politics side of it with them, so I just let them handle it and we'll figure it out from there." Earnhardt said on Feb. 8 he must get majority ownership of DEI in order to remain with the company his father founded. Eury said he's uncertain where the contract negotiation stands. He's staying out of it. "I just told Junior for him and Kelley [Earnhardt Elledge] to figure out whatever they want to do -- stay or go," Eury said. "I hope he stays, but if they can't get things worked out, that's fine, we'll just figure out what's best for all of us."(ESPN.com)

[Outdoors Junkie]

DEI would be crazy to let Jr leave.  What would they have without him?  They can still market Dale Sr name.  Who would they have to race and market for the future?  Give Jr what he wants!!!

[Bufflehead]

 Dale Jr is DEI!

 Too bad it looks like someone hired to do a job has gotten too much control.

 I'm sure his dad left instructions on what was to be, in the event of his death.

 This should be a cut and dried thing

 Looks to be money and greed are once again in the way of family

[Realtree]

Sounds like the powers that be at DEI are doing everything they can to appease Dale Jr and find some common ground that they can build on. I just read an article on jayski.com that said Dale Jr and Kelley have been having some substantial input and contributing much to recent business building processes at DEI.

I hope hiring Max Seigel to be the middle man between Teresa and Dale Jr/Kelley proves to help get things worked out between the two parties.

[Woody]

You and me both!  Did you know Kerry now works for DEI?  So does his son Jeff-developement driver. 

[rchaze60]

Hasnt Kerry always worked for DEI? I thought at one time he was driving for mommy lol

[Woody]

No he just signed on with DEI, and Teresa isn't his mom-it's is stepmom.  He used to drive for Richard Childress Racing, car #33 

[rchaze60]

oh ok i thought he drove for DEI and the comment about mommy was a joke 

[Woody]

That's cool...alot of people assume she's his and Jr.'s mom.  Just wanted to get the facts out is all. 

*Teresa if your reading this, I'd like to take you out for dinner some night! 

[rchaze60]

I would like to have her for my stepmom lol

[Realtree]

You and me both!  Did you know Kerry now works for DEI?  So does his son Jeff-developement driver. 

Yah DEI hired Kerry and his son shortly before the start of the season. Kerry is going to be like a go between for the teams and help the development drivers from what I read about it. It is moves like these that solidify in my opinion that Teresa (willingly or not) understands that the future of DEI lies in the E's being a part of it.

[rchaze60]

I feel that is the only way the company will last is to get his kids  into the mix

[Realtree]

That is exactly what I think Randy. It is also the main reason that Dale started DEI in the first place; for his children. He wanted to make sure that they were taken care of and were part of his legacy as well.

Where would DEI be without Dale Jr? Nowhere ! I am pretty confident that Budweiser and most of the other sponsors currently under contract with DEI would bolt no questions asked if Dale Jr were to part ways with DEI. He is a sponsors dream and a fan magnet.

[Realtree]

Dale Jr./DEI conracts on hold while sister is in hospital

UPDATE: Negotiations to re-sign with the company his father built isn't #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s top concern at the moment. The health of his sister is. Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, who has been negotiating the new deal at Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI) with her brother, is scheduled to undergo surgery Friday.

"My sister is in the hospital right now, so we're going to have to put everything on hold for a while," Earnhardt Jr. said Thursday at Bristol Motor Speedway. "She's going to be in the hospital for a couple of days. We'll be watching that pretty closely. Everything in life is on hold until that gets better." Representatives of DEI would not discuss specifics of the surgery, only to say that the family was concerned.

A source close to the situation said a benign cyst was discovered on Elledge's pancreas last week. Elledge's situation has forced the postponement of several negotiation meetings the past week and a half. But sources close to the situation said the meetings prior to that had gone well and that Teresa Earnhardt, Earnhardt Jr.'s stepmother and the owner of DEI, was actively involved. "Our No. 1 priority right now is for Kelley to have a speedy recovery," said Max Siegel, the vice president for Global Operations at DEI.(ESPN.com)

UPDATE: Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, who handles brother Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s business affairs and is general manager of JR Motorsports, is resting comfortably after surgery earlier today, said JR Motorsports Director of Motorsports Steve Crisp. Crisp would not disclose the exact nature of the surgery. "She's good," Crisp said. "Everything went as expected. She's resting right now. ... Everything was a success.

All indications are that everything is all taken care of." Earnhardt Jr. said Thursday that his contract negotiations with Dale Earnhardt Inc. were on hold until Earnhardt Elledge could return to the negotiating table. Earnhardt Elledge is married to Jimmy Elledge, crew chief for #41-Reed Sorenson in the Nextel Cup Series at Chip Ganassi Racing. Jimmy Elledge was not at the track Friday, with Busch Series crew chief Brian Pattie helping fill that role. Jimmy Elledge is expected to be at the track Sunday to call the shots.(SceneDaily.com)

[Woody]

Well I for one wish Kelly a speedy recovery!  I also wish Jr. good luck-seems he's found nothing but bad luck as of late.   

[Realtree]

ESPN.com

New DEI deal for Dale Jr. by May a 'realistic goal': Although negotiations are on hold, that shouldn't prevent #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. from having a new deal with Dale Earnhardt Inc. by May. "Absolutely," Max Siegel, the president of Global Operations for DEI, said before Sunday's Nextel Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway. "All of the issues are properly framed. That's a realistic goal."

Negotiations were put on hold when Earnhardt Jr.'s sister and business partner, Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, underwent surgery on Friday to remove tumors from her pancreas. She is expected to stay in the hospital for four or five days. "She's at a critical part of this process," Siegel said. "I don't want the focus to be on her recovery for the contract negotiation. "Every day we're checking in with her and making sure that the first priority is her getting healthy. As soon as they're ready to resume any kind of discussions we're ready."

Siegel doesn't foresee any situation in which negotiations would continue without Kelley. But Siegel sees no reason why a new deal can't still be done by May while DEI still has exclusive negotiating rights. "You can't really rush the process," he said. "We're all headed in the right direction, so just as soon as it makes sense for us to sit back down we will. But none of us want to do anything that is going to interfere with her recovery or frame of mind." Earnhardt Jr. is in the last year of his contract with the company his father built. He said earlier this year he wanted majority ownership to be a part of his new deal.

[Realtree]

 #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. has not backed down from his demand for majority ownership in his late father's company, his sister said Tuesday. "Fifty-one (percent) is the right number because that gives us control," said Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, Junior's sister and business manager. "We'll take 75 or 95 or whatever we work out. At the end of the day, 51 gives you control. "And we want control."

Earnhardt is in the final year of his contract with Dale Earnhardt Inc. and has made owning a share of the company a major issue of his negotiations. He raised the stakes even higher in February when he said he actually wanted 51 percent of DEI - not just a piece of the team. Earnhardt Elledge said the ownership stake was not the breaking point of negotiations, but that time could run out for a new agreement to be reached. [DEI President Max] Siegel has said he believes a decision can be made by May, and Earnhardt Elledge said the next two months are crucial.(Associated Press)(4-11-2007)

[Realtree]

Dale Earnhardt Jr Says JR Motorsports Could Move to Cup at Some Point:

Dale Earnhardt Jr. indicated in the past that he didn't envision his JR Motorsports team going Nextel Cup racing. But now that he's unveiled a new shop for his Busch and Late Model teams, well, he could envision it "years down the road." "It was just so, so far down the road, it was ridiculous to even think about [Cup racing] or dream about it," Earnhardt Jr. said Tuesday during an open house of the new shop. "Being closer and closer to something like that being a reality, it's always a possibility."

Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, who handles Earnhardt Jr.'s business affairs, was asked if Earnhardt Jr. could be the team's driver in Nextel Cup. Her answer: "No way." But Earnhardt Jr. says ... "With any company like ours, the sky's the limit," he said. "You just have to maximize your opportunities and make sure you're picking the right ones, working with the right people."(SceneDaily.com)(4-11-2007)

[Realtree]

It sounds like maybe Jr and Kelley are positioning themselves for some tough negotiations with Seigal and DEI about majority ownership issues...throwing out a little bone that "oh by the way, maybe we will move JR Motorsports up to the Cup level". Very interesting twist to the story since JR said previously that he was not considering a move to Cup with his Busch Series program at any point. 

[Realtree]

Earnhardt Jr., DEI on clock
Driver's adviser says contract needs to be done within 45 days
By DAVID POOLE

Jason Smith-US PRESSWIRE
Dale Earnhardt Jr. during car of tomorrow testing at Richmond International Raceway.As contract talks between Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Dale Earnhardt Inc. continue, time is becoming a factor.

Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, the NASCAR driver's sister who also is president of JR Motorsports and a key adviser to Earnhardt Jr., said Tuesday if a deal to keep him in the No. 8 Chevrolet is going to be done, it needs to happen within 45 days.

"There is no breaking point except a timeline," Elledge said of her discussions, being held primarily with DEI president of global operations Max Siegel. "Max and I are very honest with each other. At some point, we've got to get to 2008. They do with sponsors and teams and drivers, and we do, too."

While Elledge has not returned to work full-time after surgery to remove a growth on her pancreas on March 23, she has resumed talks about Earnhardt Jr.'s contract with DEI.

"I was on the way home from the hospital and called Max," she said.

Elledge also said she went to DEI for lunch last week and walked through team headquarters thanking people for well-wishes she'd received during her hospital stay. She also said she has talked to Teresa Earnhardt, the chief executive officer of DEI and Dale Jr. and Kelley's stepmother, several times about her recovery.

Earnhardt Jr. said he doesn't want his sister to take on too much, too soon.

"I don't want to place any more stress on her than she needs to have," he said. "The decisions we make over the next six months are going to impact us over the next several years, and I need for her mind to be clear as well as mine."

Elledge reiterated that Earnhardt Jr. wants at least 51 percent ownership of DEI, a company his late father, seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt, started along with Teresa.

"Fifty-one is the right number because that gives us control," she said. "We'll take 75 or 95 or whatever we work out ... (but) 51 gives you control. The biggest reason we want ownership in the Cup program is so that we can direct it to where we feel like it needs to go.

"It is no secret that that business has not been at its maximum potential. There hasn't been someone solid in the business putting the resources back into the race team."

"We want Dale to drive 10 or 12 more years. We've got to get on the race track and win and get competitive and win championships. We have to have a situation that provides that for him."

[Woody]

Honestly...I think this is the right move for both Jr. & DEI.  It's obvious that DEI hasn't been what it was when Sr. was still around.  And I wouldn't expect it to be given the circumstances.  Teresa is a good businesswoman, but not a driver.  And that is what DEI needs to get the company back on track and be a force to be reconned with once again.  I don't see this as a greed thing at all...Jr. wants to be able to have say in what goes on, he wants to win championships.  And with the current course DEI is headed, he won't get a championship with DEI until things change.  Now is just as good a time as any! ::

[Woody]

Well when you consider how well things are running at DEI the past few years, and that possibly driving for another owner isn't Jr.'s best option-maybe moving JR Motorsports up to cup could be the best answer!  This way he calls the shots, and has to answer only to himself.  The man is hungry for a championship.  He has championship potential-and I believe it'll happen for him.  The question now is-WHEN?!

[Realtree]

I believe that things will be worked out somehow and Dale Jr will end up staying at DEI with some portion of ownership; I'm not conviced that it will be a majority ownership role, but I think Teresa and Max Seigel will work something out with Dale Jr and Kelley to meet them somewhere in the middle for the short term to keep the DE in DEI.

[Realtree]

Interesting new info coming out about the ongoing contract negotiations between Dale Jr and DEI


Teresa already has agreed to 51% of DEI for Dale Jr.?

The Dale Jr. / DEI contract negotiations continue and the influence of ace negotiator Max Siegel may be bearing success. One contact told me [MaxChevy's Glen Grissom] on the down-low that the 51% (or majority ownership) that Dale Jr. requires to stay with DEI has essentially been negotiated ? agreed to by Teresa Earnhardt.

But that she, in turn, is requesting that an independent, impartial review board be set up within DEI that would take into consideration and review any major operational changes that Dale Jr. would want to take place ? acting like a board of directors it seems to me [MaxChevy's Glen Grissom], with Dale Jr. basically reporting to it. So far, this has been balked at ? but stranger management structures have survived in the business world. All parties say they want to have the contract resolved by May, so with April half-over, it?s crunch time.

[Outdoors Junkie]

Give Jr at least 51%!

[Realtree]

Now I just heard today that the previous info that I reported about Teresa already agreeing to 51% ownership for Dale Jr has been denied by DEI sources. There is so much rumor and inuendo going around about this right now it is hard to figure out what is true and what is just hype and speculation. I guess we will know for sure when something official is announced from either the Dale Jr or DEI camps by May.

[Realtree]

The efforts to sign #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. to a NASCAR driving contract for 2008 and beyond has reached a critical point, and the top two teams on Earnhardt?s list are the Chevrolet teams owned by Richard Childress and Rick Hendrick, according to men familiar with the negotiations.

Earnhardt today is leaning toward a deal with Hendrick [NOTE: where would Earnhardt go? HMS has four Cup teams and all three drivers signed for a couple more years, unless some sort of deal with Haas CNC Racing or Ginn Racing would be worked out], largely because of Hendrick?s very strong engine program, sources here said yesterday.

Earnhardt and veteran crew chief Tony Eury Jr., his cousin and close confidante as well as the man who has led him to many of his 17 Cup victories, have talked with both the Hendrick and Childress camps in recent weeks about the positives and negatives each team owner would have to offer, sources said yesterday. And Eury will have a major voice in the decision, because Earnhardt?s primary goal now, at age 32, is to win a championship.(Winston Salem Journal)