Jr. leaving father's team

[Steve Savicki]

http://www.yahoo.com/s/577579

[Ally_Kat]

he has his own racing company -- JR Motorsports.

Right now, he's a free agent, but I had the feeling the entire press conference that there was something he wasn't telling us.

Childress was at that press conference. I'm sure him and Junebug had a lil talk.

What was really telling was that most of the family from his father's side was at that press conference to support him. That doesn't make Teresa or her stinging press statement look good.

I'm willing to bet Truex leaves DEI (word has been for a long time he was unhappy with Teresa) and that Tony Jr follows Dale to whatever team he goes to.

[BigBadBrian]

Originally posted by Ally_Kat
he has his own racing company -- JR Motorsports.

Right now, he's a free agent, but I had the feeling the entire press conference that there was something he wasn't telling us.

Childress was at that press conference. I'm sure him and Junebug had a lil talk.

What was really telling was that most of the family from his father's side was at that press conference to support him. That doesn't make Teresa or her stinging press statement look good.

I'm willing to bet Truex leaves DEI (word has been for a long time he was unhappy with Teresa) and that Tony Jr follows Dale to whatever team he goes to.

Damn, who would have thought a street-wise, politically-savvy intellectual from NYC a NASCAR fan?



:D

[Ally_Kat]

Originally posted by BigBadBrian
Damn, who would have thought a street-wise, politically-savvy intellectual from NYC a NASCAR fan?



:D

a girl needs hobbies ;)

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Bravo Jr., bravo.....

[redblkwht]

Originally posted by Va Beach VH Fan
Bravo Jr., bravo.....
Just guessing here now..watch Jr come around the corner and really start winning.

Him winning more is what the sport needs, he's got such a fan base too.

I think ole step mom was holding him back & she was really distracting.
Just my 2 cents.

[Ally_Kat]

you might be right, redblkwht.

The ties that unbind
Cold war with stepmother prompted Junior's big move

It was a quarter to one Thursday afternoon, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. was ready to head to his smaller-than-you'd-expect house in Mooresville, N.C., where he planned to sit on his porch, stare into the Blue Ridge horizon, and, in his words, "just think and think and think."

Already, it had been a long day for him. Earlier that morning he had met with the 400 employees at Dale Earnhardt Inc. and, with wet eyes, told them that he was leaving the organization -- the house his father built in 1996, the only place for which he'd ever raced.

A few hours later he had faced the media during a 50-minute press conference, fielding questions about why he was leaving, where he was going, and what his daddy would think now. Junior did a pro's job of concealing his emotions while the lights and the cameras were trained on him. He was so smooth that he didn't even take a sip of water from the glass that was set in front of him. He was in press conference mode -- a default setting that the biggest stars in NASCAR slip into out of necessity when in front of a crush of media -- and while he answered the questions sincerely, he was careful not to dig too deep.

And so the clock had just ticked to 12:45 p.m., when I walked into Earnhardt's second-floor office at JR Motorsports. Little E wasn't doing any sit down, one-on-one chats with any print media other than SI, and right away I could tell he was emotionally drained. He smiled at me and pointed to a corner of the room, "Come on, man. Let's sit in these two chairs. I never sit over here."

Thus, our discussion began. Some background: My first year covering NASCAR for Sports Illustrated happened to be Earnhardt's rookie season on the circuit, and my first story assignment was to do a rookie diary with him. We met frequently during that 2000 season, got to know each other fairly well, and since then we've have had an ongoing conversation.

I've kidded him over the years about his endless search for the perfect woman (I know: easy target); he still ribs me about the day in Miami in '05 that his dog Killer literally ate a copy of The All Americans, a book that I had recently authored. Never one to pass up a chance to make a joke, Junior wrote on one of the surviving pages, "Lars, I really liked the book, though it didn't taste very well. Signed, Killer."

So Earnhardt and I have a bit of history, and after we spoke about some personal things for a chunk of time on Thursday, he slowly shook his head and said in a voice that was chocked with emotion, "I am scared s---less."

Here's one thing about Dale Jr.: When he looks you in the eye, he is simply incapable of concealing how he truly feels (he's a bit like Tony Stewart in this regard). "I was laying in bed last night worrying about what everyone was going to think today," he said. "I didn't want any of my words to sound rehearsed; I really wanted to speak from the heart. I know some people at DEI are really, really mad at me right now, and I feel so bad about that, man, I really, really do. This whole thing is just so hard for me to wrap my head around."

We continued to talk, discussing whether or not this was a good move. He spoke in a hushed, serious voice -- a tone that he normally doesn't employ. I eventually asked him why, really, he's leaving DEI.

"Not many people know the real story here," Junior said.

"I think I do," I replied.

"I think you do, too," Earnhardt said.

The reason Earnhardt is leaving DEI can be summed up in two words: Teresa Earnhardt. Little E and his stepmother have a long and complicated history, just like any son and his stepmother. They've had their share of good moments, but they've also been waging a power struggle that goes back deep into Earnhardt's childhood. One example: When Junior was a teenager it was largely Teresa's decision to send Earnhardt to military school for a year. "Sure as hell wasn't my decision," Earnhardt said with a laugh.

If Teresa would have handed operational control of DEI over to Junior and given him majority ownership of the company -- two things, in fact, that Dale Sr. told me in '00 that he wanted Junior to have, which I wrote about in SI about a month ago -- Earnhardt would have signed a contract extension. I have not met a single person in NASCAR who thought these were unreasonable demands by Junior. After all, his father built the company specifically for his children, not his wife. But Teresa, who rarely speaks to the media, obviously felt like her stepson, who happens to be the most popular driver in the history of auto racing in America, was asking for too much. Why? Well, that's a question only she can answer as she guides DEI straight into racing obscurity.

"Me and Teresa do not see eye to eye," Earnhardt said. "I wish we did, but we don't. In a weird way, our relationship might get better now that I'm moving on.

"I really thought that we'd get something done, contract-wise. But as the negotiations went on, the writing was on the wall that I was going to have to leave. What she wanted was specific to me. They'll get another driver in there and she'll give him a normal contract. But that wasn't going to happen with me. And my decision to leave was solely based on my relationship with my car owner."

Earnhardt continued. "Man, I look at the fun that other drivers have with their owners. I want a guy who's going to be at the track and give me feedback. I want to feel really part of an entire organization. That's a big part of racing, and I want that.

"I'll catch myself looking ahead and thinking about the options, but I've got to slow down, listen to everyone, try to get to know each group, and make a solid decision. I can't come back a year later and change my mind. This is the last time I'm going to do something like this."

While we talked, lunch was delivered to Earnhardt's office. It was his first meal as a free agent, and while he's very anxious about his future, leaving DEI was clearly the right play by Earnhardt. There was symmetry to the move as well. His father was Little E's age -- 32 -- when he signed to drive for Richard Childress Racing, where he went on to win six championships.

Can Junior find similar success on another team? Who knows, but here's one guess: He'll be driving the No. 33 Chevy for RCR next season.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/lars_anderson/05/11/dale-earnhardt-exclusive/index.html