Little D To Head Out On His Own

Published 10 May 07 07:36 PM | scoutmom
"We've decided it's time for us to move on and seek opportunities to drive for another team in 2008."  Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

At the end of this season, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be leaving DEI, the company founded by his father and currently owned by his stepmother.  Right now, he's focusing on winning the championship and said he doesn't know yet where he'll be racing next year, but there are a few things he's looking at that kind of narrow things down.

He's looking for an organization where he can compete for a championship -- still in a Chevy. That makes Hendrick Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing the most obvious choices.  Oh, and keep Budweiser as his primary sponsor, which likely would knock JGR out of the mix.

"Personally, it would be hard for us," said team president J.D. Gibbs, referring to the company's stance on companies that sell alcoholic beverages. "[Budweiser] is a great partner in the sport, but for us it would be tough."

 "We know how hard it is to add a team and we're in no big hurry" said Gibbs in explaining why he wasn't really looking to expand to four teams next year.

Although Earnhardt would prefer to drive for an established team, he didn't rule out forming his own Nextel Cup team if need be.

"Those of you who know me know that I don't like to keep things under wraps. I'm usually pretty honest," Earnhardt said. "After a year of intense negotiations and intense efforts on behalf of Dale Earnhardt Inc. and JR Motorsports, we decided that it's time for us to move on and seek other opportunities for me to drive for a new team in 2008.

"We both worked extremely hard to find common ground, but as the negotiations continued, one thing became evident: we both want to get to the same place, but we both simply have different visions on how to get there."

Something that might tip him towards RCR?  When he leaves DEI, he loses the No. 8.  But if he goes with RCR, his dad's No. 3 would be available, and how sweet would that be?  "At 32 years of age, the same age my father was when he made his final and most important career decision, it's time for me to compete on a consistent basis and contend for championships now,'' Earnhardt Jr. said at a news conference. "I believe I'd have my father's blessing.''

"Money's not really the issue. It's not the guy who gives me the biggest paycheck," he said. "There's some things you can't get with money: peace of mind and satisfaction." 

It will be interesting to see what happens as this all plays out.







Filed under:

Comments

# Sally said on May 13, 2007 11:51 AM:

Ah a bittersweet moment but had to happen sometime.  I think he will go out on his own, maybe not next year, but within 2 years if he doesn't get DEI, he will have his own team.

# scoutmom said on May 13, 2007 06:37 PM:

My hope is that Teresa will grab some goodwill by giving Jr his No. 8 to take with him.  Honestly, how would fans be if someone else tried to drive for DEI with that number?