It's (almost) official..Junior will leave DEI

[Ponch ®]

good for him. But DEI is royally effed...

Earnhardt Jr. leaving DEI
By Jerry Bonkowski, Yahoo! Sports
May 9, 2007

Jerry Bonkowski
Yahoo! Sports
Dale Earnhardt Jr. officially will say goodbye to Dale Earnhardt Inc. on Thursday morning, Yahoo! Sports has learned.

A highly placed source within DEI as well as additional sources familiar with the situation told Yahoo! Sports on Wednesday afternoon that both Junior and teammate Martin Truex Jr. will announce Thursday morning that they are leaving the DEI camp at the end of this season and will drive for Earnhardt's heretofore Busch Series operation, JR Motorsports.

Sirius Radio also reported late Wednesday afternoon that the Earnhardt/Truex split with DEI was a done deal and that the new Cup team entry will field Chevrolet chassis built by Hendrick Motorsports and will use Hendrick engines as well.

Sources tell Yahoo! Sports that Earnhardt Jr.'s primary sponsor, Budweiser, will follow Junior to JR Motorsports. Budweiser's contract with DEI is due to expire at the end of 2008, but Yahoo! Sports sources believe there are provisions within the contract for an early exit if Earnhardt Jr. does not drive the No. 8 Chevrolet for DEI.

The press conference, which is expected to be televised nationally, will take place at JR Motorsports headquarters in Mooresville, N.C., at 11 a.m. ET on Thursday.

There has been no comment thus far from either DEI president Teresa Earnhardt (Dale Jr.'s stepmother) or company director of global operations Max Siegel.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news?slug=jb-juniorleaves050907&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

[TruckDriver]

Might just be the best move he will ever do. I could never work with one of my parents.

[hemihead]

Oh well...

[chargerboy69]

I am superised the guy is leaving. I sure would have thought they would have given him the 51% he wanted. The company is not going to be worth squat without Jr. there. He was talking yesterday that he has to take his #8 cars to JR Motorsports to work on them, because DEI does not have they correct equiptment. Hope he finds a good ride for next year.

EDIT: Thanks for moving my post. I did not see this one was started.


I got this from Jayski.com



Earnhardt Jr. To Drive for New Team in 2008 Four-time NASCAR Most Popular Driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., announced today at a news conference at JR Motorsports that negotiations to extend his driving contract with Dale Earnhardt Inc. have come to an amicable end. Earnhardt Jr. will continue driving the #8 Budweiser Chevrolet through the remainder of the season, while his sister, Vice President and General Manager of JR Motorsports, Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, will begin exploring new opportunities for 2008. Earnhardt Jr. said Thursday he would look at his options in the coming months and hopefully announce a decision mid to late summer. "What team I drive for next season, I don't know," Earnhardt Jr. said. "But what I do want to say is that it's been a privilege to drive for DEI. After a year of intense negotiations and concerted efforts to extend my contract there, it became evident that while we want to get to the same place, we simply have different visions on how to get there." Earnhardt Jr. made the announcement with his sister, Earnhardt Elledge, by his side, and many of the Earnhardt family in attendance. "DEI will always be a special place for me and my family," Earnhardt Jr. said. "(Owner) Teresa (Earnhardt) and (Vice President of Global Operations) Max Seigel are taking the necessary steps to bring DEI back to one of the front-running NASCAR teams. However I am 32 years old – the same age as my father when he made his final and most important career decision – and the time for me to compete on a consistent basis and contend for championships is now. Since that is what I plan to do, I feel strongly that I would have my father's blessing." Earnhardt Jr. said JR Motorsports will continue to work with DEI on many projects that will benefit both companies and protect the legacy of his father. A full transcript of today's news conference will be released later this afternoon.(JR Motorsports PR)(5-10-2007)


Budweiser Statement: Statement from Tony Ponturo, Vice President, Global Media and Sports Marketing, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. Regarding Dale Earnhardt Jr's decision to leave Dale Earnhardt Inc. at the end of the 2007 Nextel Cup season: "Budweiser, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Dale Earnhardt Inc. have enjoyed a great relationship since 1999. Dale Jr., and his father before him, have been excellent and loyal ambassadors for our company and the sport of NASCAR. Budweiser and JR Motorsports have an agreement in place to ensure Dale Jr. will continue to personally represent Budweiser through 2008, and we look forward to discussing our future with Dale Jr. and DEI in the weeks ahead."(fingerprint inc./Bud Racing PR)(5-10-2007)

[Shakey]

Jr will be fine wherever he goes.

I think DEI will be OK as they have deep pockets and there will be a line of drivers that would be willing to take a seat in one of their race cars.  All they'd need to do is win some races.

[ChargerRT440]

  lets hope Hendrick hires him and puts him in the 3 like they've been planning on for a while now. But I wouldn't expect to hear anything about that until Daytona next year. I would assume that they world be keeping that a secret

[Big Lebowski]

  Dale's mommie in law is a real Bitch. She's taking all the $$$ to her grave. Anyone ever seen a Hearse with a luggage rack?

[Ponch ®]

  Dale's mommie in law is a real Bitch. She's taking all the $$$ to her grave. Anyone ever seen a Hearse with a luggage rack?

Bubba the Love Sponge had a classic rant about her this morning. He basically said that she should consider herself lucky to be so rich because she sucked and f--d her way into the Earnhardt family fortune, didnt have to work for it, and now shes screwing over Dale's kids - the rightful owners of DEI.

[chrisII]

lets hope Hendrick hires him and puts him in the 3 like they've been planning on for a while now. But I wouldn't expect to hear anything about that until Daytona next year. I would assume that they world be keeping that a secret

uum you mean childres??(sp) it wouldnt shock me to see dale jr in the #3 buswiser chevrolet next year, the big question is red or black? its pretty much uneversaly accepted that richard childres will never let the #3 go , but nobody but dale jr would ever be accepted by the nascar fans driving it. I heard on one of the racing shows a few weks ago that there is a verry good open offer to do just that. Why keep it a secret? most fans want to see it happen, once a deal is made we will know. probably the end of the season. will tony sr and jr jump ship and folow dale?  lots of good nascar (world wracin Entertainment) type of drama here

im also curious where truax will land in this, most likely driving for Jr motorsports even if dale isnt. jr motorsports may even "merge" with childres if thats where dale goes, but remain seperate for owner limitation reasons

[chargerboy69]

lets hope Hendrick hires him and puts him in the 3 like they've been planning on for a while now. But I wouldn't expect to hear anything about that until Daytona next year. I would assume that they world be keeping that a secret

uum you mean childres??(sp) it wouldnt shock me to see dale jr in the #3 buswiser chevrolet next year, the big question is red or black? its pretty much uneversaly accepted that richard childres will never let the #3 go , but nobody but dale jr would ever be accepted by the nascar fans driving it. I heard on one of the racing shows a few weks ago that there is a verry good open offer to do just that. Why keep it a secret? most fans want to see it happen, once a deal is made we will know. probably the end of the season. will tony sr and jr jump ship and folow dale?  lots of good nascar (world wracin Entertainment) type of drama here

im also curious where truax will land in this, most likely driving for Jr motorsports even if dale isnt. jr motorsports may even "merge" with childres if thats where dale goes, but remain seperate for owner limitation reasons

From everything I have read, if Jr. does go to RCR it will be #33 and not #3. Jr. has even said he does not want to drive the 3 car until the last couple years of his racing career.

As far as Truex, he still has another year on his contract with DEI. He has to stay.

[TruckDriver]

I would love to see Jr. drive for Childress myself. And last night before the Busch race, Childress himself said that he is going to see if he can make it happen.

[NHCharger]

I don't know how Jr. can fit in his race car with that huge ego of his. I can't blame Teresa for not wanting to hand control of one of NASCAR's top teams over to an 28 y.o. driver with only average driving skills and a high school education.
If Jr. was smart he would go to Gibbs or Hendricks and just drive. We all know the track records of driver's who try to run/own teams.

[greatwn73]

In my opinion its always better to quit before your FIRED

[Lowprofile]

Posted: 18 hours ago     



CONCORD, N.C. (AP) - Cross Hendrick Motorsports off the list of teams interested in signing Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Although he's spoken to Earnhardt, car owner Rick Hendrick said Saturday "there's no room at the inn" for NASCAR's most popular driver.
 

Earnhardt is leaving Dale Earnhardt Inc., his late father's company, at the end of the season. He wants to stay with one of the top Chevrolet teams so he can contend for championships, and Hendrick is the best in NASCAR right now with eight wins in the past nine Nextel Cup races.

Richard Childress Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing are the next best Chevy teams, and both owners have indicated they are interested in speaking with Earnhardt. Only Hendrick had been silent on the issue, but as he walked toward pit road before Saturday night's Nextel All-Star Challenge, he said he was maxed out with four drivers right now and couldn't fit Earnhardt in his stable.

"We're good friends and I've talked to him, because I really want him to make the best decision and do the best thing for himself," Hendrick told The Associated Press. "But right now, I'm full."

Hendrick fields Cup cars for four-time series champion Jeff Gordon, defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch and Casey Mears. All are under contract through at least 2008, and Hendrick is currently trying to extend Busch's deal.

Hendrick said he's offered to help Earnhardt if he elects to field his own Cup team.

"I've talked to him about doing motors and cars if he wants to do this himself," Hendrick said. "But that's really all we've discussed."

Earnhardt owns JR Motorsports, which fields a Busch Series team and several late model cars. He hasn't ruled out running his own team, but Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, his sister and business manager, said Friday that expanding JRM to the Cup Series was their last option.

In his seventh season with DEI, Earnhardt is frustrated by his inability to win a championship and his difficult relationship with his stepmother, Teresa. He asked for 51 percent ownership during contentious contract negotiations, and walked away from the table last week because the two sides "were never in the same ballpark."

It made him the most coveted free agent in NASCAR history, but getting a deal done might not be so simple, after all.

JGR president J.D. Gibbs said his family would have a hard time signing Budwesier, Earnhardt's longtime sponsor, because of its family values focus. And now Hendrick appears to be out of the race, as well.

[chargerboy69]

It was posted on Jayski last week Jr. will be talking with Penske. They have room, and their program is really good this year. Jr did say he would like to stick with Chevy, but will talk with Penske anyway. After all,  Roger is by far the wealthiest owner in NASCAR. If I remember correctly he is worth over 2 billion dollars. Newman, Busch and Jr. would be a great team.

[NHCharger]

There's going to be a four car per team limit pretty soon which is why Hendrick's pretends he's not interested. I'll bet he's already figuring out how to buy out Casey Mears contract to make room for junior.

[ChargerRT440]

Made a mistake I ment Childress. Honestly I don't care what car he's driving as long as it's getting him into the winners circle were he belongs. He was doing pretty good a couple years ago but I'm not sure what happened now he's just a name unfortunatly.

[Ponch ®]

It was posted on Jayski last week Jr. will be talking with Penske. They have room, and their program is really good this year. Jr did say he would like to stick with Chevy, but will talk with Penske anyway. After all,  Roger is by far the wealthiest owner in NASCAR. If I remember correctly he is worth over 2 billion dollars. Newman, Busch and Jr. would be a great team.

why would Miller Lite and Bud want to sponsor cars from the same team. If it came down to Jr. having to part ways with Bud, he'd probably rather go to JGR.

[Lowprofile]

Budweiser out as Earnhardt's sponsor 
Associated Press, Updated 3 hours ago   
 
   





CONCORD, N.C. (AP) - When Dale Earnhardt Jr. leaves his late father's team to drive for Hendrick Motorsports next season, longtime corporate sponsor Budweiser won't be going with him.

The Hendrick team announced on Friday that Budweiser would not continue as the sponsor of Earnhardt's car next season because of Hendrick's "long-term contractual commitments to existing sponsors."
Earnhardt announced in June that he would leave Dale Earnhardt Inc. to join the Hendrick team next season, but Hendrick has not yet made it clear what number car Earnhardt will drive or who his sponsor will be.

Kyle Busch, who is leaving the Hendrick team at the end of the season to make room for Earnhardt, currently drives a No. 5 car with sponsorship from Kellogg's and several other companies.

"We have agreements in place with sponsors for the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, which prevent us from having a relationship with Budweiser," team owner Rick Hendrick said in a statement. "Honoring our commitments is important to us. The trade-off is missing an opportunity to bring Budweiser, a marquee brand synonymous with NASCAR and its fans, into the fold."

The team has not announced a timetable for its sponsorship announcement.

"They had a full plate," said Earnhardt, who said he'd prefer to keep driving the No. 8 car for his new team. "They had sponsors pretty much already signed in agreements through '08. It wasn't really an option for Rick to make room."

Budweiser will continue as a sponsor in NASCAR.

"Budweiser has sponsored Dale Jr. for nearly a decade, and we wish him the very best," said Tony Ponturo, vice president of global media and sports marketing for Anheuser-Busch Inc. "Budweiser will remain an active sponsor of NASCAR, and we look forward to building upon the legacy of the iconic Budweiser red car in 2008 and beyond."

Earnhardt called it a "privilege" to drive the Budweiser car.

"Although Budweiser and I will be unable to continue our partnership beyond this season, I remain committed to driving for Bud the rest of this year," Earnhardt said. "I'm a race car driver. All I can do is drive as hard as I can for my fans and sponsorship partners and give my best effort each weekend."

Earnhardt said he had some regrets about splitting with the Budweiser brand, but he's excited to see what new sponsorship deals the team will put together.

"We felt like we possibly only accomplished half of what we could do together, so that part of it's kind of unfortunate," Earnhardt said before qualifying at Chicagoland Speedway. "Sure, I would have loved to continue working with Bud. But under the circumstances, that's not a possibility. We'll have to change our frame of mind and see what the possibilities are for our primary sponsors next year. Those should be in line with what I like and what I enjoy, and I'm excited to put that together."
 

Earnhardt said it would be "cool" if Budweiser decided to stick with DEI, but believes there might be substance to rumors that the company is looking at sponsoring Evernham Motorsports driver Kasey Kahne.

"You hear the rumors - they've been looking at Kasey Kahne for about two months now in case things weren't going to work out, I guess," Earnhardt said. "So they've definitely been entertaining some ideas on other drivers. Kasey would really have a lot of fun with that. I think they would enjoy Kasey, might bring him out of his shell a little bit."

[TruckDriver]

By the time all this Jr. sponsor crap is done, he will be driving a pink car sponsoring tampons for Hendrick Hendrick is a ass.

[1carcrazyguy]

By the time all this Jr. sponsor crap is done, he will be driving a pink car sponsoring tampons for Hendrick .

Depends......

[bull]

Is this a soap opera plot or NASCAR? Sounds like the "Dallas" episode "Who shot Earnhardt Jr?"

[Shakey]

By the time all this Jr. sponsor crap is done, he will be driving a pink car sponsoring tampons for Hendrick Hendrick is a ass.

His old man drove a pink car for a while back in the '80's - I'd love to see his son drive one now and all the die hards start crawling under rocks!   

[89MOPAR]

  Dale's mommie in law is a real Bitch. She's taking all the $$$ to her grave. Anyone ever seen a Hearse with a luggage rack?

Bubba the Love Sponge had a classic rant about her this morning. He basically said that she should consider herself lucky to be so rich because she sucked and f--d her way into the Earnhardt family fortune, didnt have to work for it, and now shes screwing over Dale's kids - the rightful owners of DEI.

The rightfull owners of DEI are the ones that own the business.  They / She were willed the assets.
If Earnhart Sr had done a little pre-planning.... like say a 30 minute trip to a lawyer, then maybe Dale Jr , and Kerry[the son] would own it.