DEI and #8

Given that Dale Earnhardt started the company with his wife Teresa, and that she was involved in the daily running of the company while Dale was alive and he never once voiced his displeasure with how things were being run, there is no reason to think it would be any different today had he still been alive. Dale would still support any decisions his wife made in regards to the company, and he would stand behind her against all criticism and defend her till his last breath. Teresa is a woman he loved and trusted, and it would be no different now than it was then.

It wasn’t even Junior that wanted to take the #8 with him, but Hendrick who saw the marketing that DEI had already put into the number that they purchased. Junior wanted the #81 as he had previously driven it numerous times in the Busch series. DEI came up with a figure that they thought was fair given the amount of time and money they had already put into the #8, and Hendrick didn’t seem to think it was worth the asking price. A number does not belong to the driver no matter who they are. The number is bought and paid for by the team owner, and is theirs to do with as they wish. They pay good money every season to retain those numbers, and devote endless hours promoting those numbers. To simply up and give your number to a competing team would be a horrible business move. Not only would you lose the money you already have invested in it, you’d also have to purchase another number and invest millions more promoting that one to the level of the previous number. The new team receiving the number would save millions of dollars and thousands of hours as the promoting for that number was already done by someone else.

Teresa made a business move that she felt was in the best interest of DEI. She is someone that Dale entrusted to run the company and had the faith she would do it right. Like any other business out there that is in the public eye, there are going to be decisions made that not everyone is going to agree is the right decision, but they’re also not the ones that have to make the choices and deal with the consequences of those choices. Dale never would have publicly voiced his displeasure with any decision his wife made even if he thought it was the worst decision in history, he simply would have dealt with it behind closed doors. Eventually perhaps those who claim to have been fans of Dale Earnhardt will realize that they too should have the faith in his wife that he had and trust her to make the decisions that Dale obviously thought she was capable of making, even when they don’t agree with it.

Now some might say that Teresa simply lucked into the situation, though I can’t say watching your husband die in a high speed crash could be considered lucking in to anything. Teresa was involved in starting that company from the ground up, was involved in the daily operations of that company, and she was entrusted to run that company. Some might say she isn’t a businesswoman, but how many women do you know that can help build a multi-million dollar multi-car team from the ground up, keep it running day after day, and complete such partnerships as she has with someone that Dale considered one of his closest friends, Richard Childress. That’s right, she had the sense enough to seek out the help and advice of Richard Childress himself, as well as others such as Felix Sabates and Chip Ganassi, two of the biggest names in the sport. If she were such the horrible business person that she’s made out to be, I seriously doubt the above mentioned people would have anything to do with her as they too have multi-million dollar teams to worry about, as well as their reputations. Dale entrusted her with his company, Richard, Felix, and Chip all entrust her enough to partner with her, so forgive me if I don’t see where she’s been such a detriment to the sport nor to the Earnhardt name.

Then we have those that shed a tear for Junior, as if somehow he had a claim to the team. Junior had no claim to the team despite what his fans would like to think. He did not start the company, he did not invest in the company, he did not deal in the operations of the company, he simply drove for the owners just like he does now. If Rick Hendrick were to suddenly pass on, do you think Junior would be given partial interest in Hendrick Motorsports ? Of course not, he would either stay on as a driver or move to another team, just like he would for every other owner out there.

It’s rather odd that Richard Petty can toss his son aside, fire him from his position, bankrupt his company, sell his company to investors, and everyone seems to think that’s just business. Yet when Teresa Earnhardt takes partners, her step-son leaves to join another team, and she refuses to give him a number she invested years in, suddenly she’s the wicked witch of the East. People have to realize that business is business and family is family. There comes a time when the two have to be separated, and often times that leaves members of the family feeling left out or short changed, but that’s the nature of the beast. Decisions have to be made for the best interest of the business, not to please a driver. It doesn’t matter if that driver is Dale Earnhardt Junior or if it’s Joey Logano.

Until you have walked where they have walked, and been faced with the decisions they have faced, then you really have no idea what is or isn’t the best decision. It’s easy to sit at home behind a keyboard and talk about what you think of a situation, but until you’ve tried living it then you really have nothing to base it on other than what you’ve been led to believe. Especially when you have never had any contact with those involved, other than through your television. If Dale Earnhardt himself, Chip Ganassi, Felix Sabates, and Richard Childress have enough faith in Teresa to partner with her though the years, then perhaps they know just a little more about Teresa the woman and Teresa the business person than those who simply have heard about her on television over the whole couple years they have been watching the sport.