Apparently, Dale Earnhardt Incorporated Wasn’t Dale Earnhardt Enough For Dale Earnhardt

It looks like the relationship between Dale Jr. and DEI is going to end like this:

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is going to hold a press conference on Thursday morning, where he is expected to announce his departure from Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, the racing team founded by his father and currently owned by his stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt. His contract expires in 2007, after which he can begin racing for his own company, JR Motorsports.

Dale Jr.’s departure most likely has to do with the tensions between him and Teresa. Despite being arguably the most popular driver in NASCAR, Dale has not been given majority ownership of the company, and he doesn’t have the rights to his own signature, and in turn its lucrative royalties. Teresa Earnhardt should never have allowed the feud to get to this point. Regardless of what’s actually happening between the two, it’s not difficult to get the impression that Ms. Earnhardt has been milking her son for money. It’s just sad to see this happen. She should have done everything in her power to keep her stepson at DEI. Now the face of the company is Martin Truex Jr. Nothing against Truex, but watching him race doesn’t exactly make me want to go bass fishing.

Now that Dale Jr. is going solo, he may need some assistance in continuing to market himself. May I suggest this guy?