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Topic: Earnhardt Jr. leaving DEI , may drive Hendrick chassis/motors in '08
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May 10, 2007 at
09:37:07 AM
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This message was edited on
May 10, 2007 at
10:28:13 AM by Bucky65c
In a news cnferrence that started at 10am, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has confirmed that he is leaving DEI and is leaving his options open for 2008. Stating that his first choice is to drive for a top Chevrolet team, starting his own Cup team out of JR Motorsports would be his last resort for 2008.
As reported by 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 at Hendrick Motorsports reportedly disavowed knowledge of a pending partnership. Also, various reports have indicated that Earnhardt Jr. will announce his plans to leave DEI, but that he won't necessarily be driving for a JR Motorsports team in association with Hendrick.
Sources tell Yahoo! Sports that Earnhardt Jr.'s primary sponsor, Budweiser, will follow Junior to JR Motorsports or wherever he lands. 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 will 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.
Truex's contract with DEI reportedly runs through 2008, though '08 might be only an option year on his deal with the team. It also is possible Truex has an out tied to primary sponsor Bass Pro Shops' future with the DEI. Sources have told Yahoo! Sports that the sponsor has explored moving to a different team after this season.
Earnhardt and sister Kelley Earnhardt Elledge have been in often contentious negotiations with Teresa Earnhardt that have sparked considerable posturing from both sides in the media.
Both siblings have said that if a deal with DEI was not in place by the end of May, they would consider a variety of options, including Junior leaving DEI. Just last week, DEI confirmed that it was talking with Robert Yates Racing about a possible merger and also a switch from Chevrolet power plants and chassis to Ford engines and chassis.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. began his racing career with DEI in 1996, shortly after the organization was formed by his late father, seven-time Cup champion Dale Earnhardt, and Teresa Earnhardt.
Earnhardt Jr. won back-to-back Busch Series championships in 1998 and 1999 before moving full-time to the then-Winston Cup Series in 2000. His first career Cup win was at Texas, with a memorable celebration between father and son in victory lane.
Voted the most popular driver in NASCAR by fans the last four years, Earnhardt Jr. has 17 career Cup wins but has yet to win his first Cup championship. He has gone 36 consecutive races without a win, his last being at Richmond in May 2006.
It's not HOW fast you go, but how you GO fast.
www.myspace.com/bucky65c
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May 10, 2007 at
11:02:24 AM
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I am glad he finally made this decision. I hope he goes to Hendrick or Childress. LETS GO RACIN!!
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May 10, 2007 at
12:14:41 PM
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THERE GOES DEI
Stevie Slater cell (405-436-2088)
www.reddirtracing.weebly.com
Sportmod #00
Red Dirt Racing
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May 10, 2007 at
02:31:36 PM
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Rumor has it that he could go drive for RCR and possibilly drive the Black #3. I would love to see that number and that car back on the track competing for a championship. It will get interesting as the season progresses towards 2008.
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May 10, 2007 at
03:57:29 PM
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Reply to:
Posted By: mrsmartin on May 10 2007 at 02:31:36 PM
Rumor has it that he could go drive for RCR and possibilly drive the Black #3. I would love to see that number and that car back on the track competing for a championship. It will get interesting as the season progresses towards 2008.
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The ratings would go through the roof!
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May 10, 2007 at
07:23:09 PM
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He clearly stated in his press conference that he doesn't want to drive the #3 at this time in his career. He stated that was his fathers' and that was that.
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May 10, 2007 at
07:51:31 PM
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Mark my words, (I'm going out on a limb here), Dale Jr. drives for Hendrick next year. Mears is gone. Busch is next. Budweiser and Hendrick have a history. Gordon, Earhardt, Johnson. Are you kidding me? Junior and Gordon teammates with Junior in the "3". The biggest thing ever to hit NASCAR.
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May 10, 2007 at
09:42:20 PM
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Reply to:
Posted By: nonwing bill on May 10 2007 at 07:51:31 PM
Mark my words, (I'm going out on a limb here), Dale Jr. drives for Hendrick next year. Mears is gone. Busch is next. Budweiser and Hendrick have a history. Gordon, Earhardt, Johnson. Are you kidding me? Junior and Gordon teammates with Junior in the "3". The biggest thing ever to hit NASCAR.
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has your interest in nascar been renewed?
lol i'm just messin with ya man.
How much would could a wouldchuck chuck if a
wouldchuck could chuck would
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May 10, 2007 at
10:01:15 PM
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Reply to:
Posted By: nonwing bill on May 10 2007 at 07:51:31 PM
Mark my words, (I'm going out on a limb here), Dale Jr. drives for Hendrick next year. Mears is gone. Busch is next. Budweiser and Hendrick have a history. Gordon, Earhardt, Johnson. Are you kidding me? Junior and Gordon teammates with Junior in the "3". The biggest thing ever to hit NASCAR.
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Hey Bill, HMS doesn't have the rights to the number 3. It's still being bogarted by Childress. He would have to go to RCR to drive a 3 car, but he has stated that he doesn't want to do that.
It's not HOW fast you go, but how you GO fast.
www.myspace.com/bucky65c
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May 10, 2007 at
10:30:05 PM
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i wouldnt mind seeing jr go to either hendrick or childress. but i dont think hendrick will get rid of mears because they just started making him is own cars. childress is looking for another team though so i bet thats where he is goin. i just wonder if eury jr going with him. i know he just sign a contract with dei last year but maybe?
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May 10, 2007 at
10:44:17 PM
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Hendrick is the big daddy in NASCAR, he can assure rights for the "3" from Childress with a stroke of the pen.
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May 11, 2007 at
07:32:38 AM
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Reply to:
Posted By: nonwing bill on May 10 2007 at 10:44:17 PM
Hendrick is the big daddy in NASCAR, he can assure rights for the "3" from Childress with a stroke of the pen.
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As Bucky said, he don't want to drive a car with the number 3 on it !!!!
He clearly said that maybe later in his career that would be possible so you might as well quit stroking yourself over it. It aint happening in the near future.
Now for my opinion. I believe he will by looking into my crystal ball, everybody seems to have one, that he will likely sign with Hendricks and there will be a new team developed there for him. It will not be a number 3 on the side or top or anywhere else on the car. LOL
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May 11, 2007 at
10:01:06 AM
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Reply to:
Posted By: Skeesiks on May 11 2007 at 07:32:38 AM
As Bucky said, he don't want to drive a car with the number 3 on it !!!!
He clearly said that maybe later in his career that would be possible so you might as well quit stroking yourself over it. It aint happening in the near future.
Now for my opinion. I believe he will by looking into my crystal ball, everybody seems to have one, that he will likely sign with Hendricks and there will be a new team developed there for him. It will not be a number 3 on the side or top or anywhere else on the car. LOL
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Hendrick is already at their 4 team max. If he was to go there, someone would have to be cut. I think it would be more reasonable to believe he would go to Childress, Gibbs, Yates, or as a wildcard maybe he would join his buddy at Waltrip racing.
It's not HOW fast you go, but how you GO fast.
www.myspace.com/bucky65c
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May 11, 2007 at
10:51:40 AM
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If he wants to win championships he better go to Hendricks. I like Casey Mears but i see him getting the boot some where down the line.
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May 11, 2007 at
12:24:08 PM
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Okay, Who goes to DEI ?? Do they stay as a 2 car team on the Nextel circuit or as a 1car Nextel,1 car Busch Series team ? Who would want to drive for them and put up with Teresa E and try to fill Jr's shoes ? It will definitely be intersting to see if a veteran driver will be willing to step in there. Too bad Mikey Waltrip is under a long contract with Toyoyo. He is wanting to see what it's like to actually qualify for a race...............
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May 11, 2007 at
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This message was edited on
May 11, 2007 at
12:50:30 PM by redneckssracer00
HENDRICK DOESN'T NEED ANYMORE FAMOUS DRIVER'S TO TAKE OVER, THEY ALREADY HAVE JOHNSON AND GORDON.
Stevie Slater cell (405-436-2088)
www.reddirtracing.weebly.com
Sportmod #00
Red Dirt Racing
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May 11, 2007 at
12:57:42 PM
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CUP: RCR Says Earnhardt Is Not Signed
Written by: Tom Jensen Darlington, S.C. – 5/11/2007
 Junior and Childress have remained close after Earnhardt Sr.'s death. (LAT photo) MORE PHOTOS
Richard Childress, the winning car owner for six of seven NASCAR Cup championships won by the late Dale Earnhardt, said Friday morning at Darlington Raceway that he has not signed Dale Earnhardt, Jr., to drive for Richard Childress Racing and is giving the driver time and space to weigh his options.
Along with Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing, RCR is considered one of three front-runners to sign Earnhardt, Jr. for 2008 and beyond, but the car owner emphatically denied that a deal already had been struck, has reported by at least three television stations Thursday.
“Dale, Jr. just made a major decision in his career and in his life yesterday,” Childress said Friday morning at Darlington. “And out of respect for Teresa (Dale Earnhardt, Inc. team owner Earnhardt), Dale, Jr. and this situation, let’s all give him some time to make the decisions that he needs to make and be fair. He’s got a lot of tough decisions to make coming up with the direction he’s going, and I just think it’s fair if we all let him have some space and some time to kind of think about what he wants to do in the future."
Childress said that while he would welcome Earnhardt on his team, the two sides have not yet begun negotiations. “We will sit and talk, I’m sure,” Childress said. “I’m hoping he’s considering us, but I think right now, we just give him some time and space to do is own due diligence on the race teams he’s looking at. I’ve been friends with the family for many years and I’m sure we’ll talk.”
As for television reports that a deal was already struck, Childress was categorical in his denials. “There’s nothing to it … it’s way too soon to even talk about it,” Childress said.
For his part, Earnhardt on Thursday praised RCR but insisted he was going to listen to all offers. He also stopped well short of saying he would like to drive the RCR No. 3 his father drove. That number hasn’t been used since the elder Earnhardt died at Daytona Feb. 18, 2001.
“I have a great relationship with Richard and I feel like on his behalf, that he stepped his programs up. He's made a great effort to improve and be as good as his teams can be,” Earnhardt said Thursday during a press conference to announce he was leaving DEI after the season’s end. “But I don't know whether – I’ve got to do a little soul searching about how I feel about driving a No. 3 car. That doesn't change my opinion of whether I would go drive for Richard or not. I don't have to drive the No. 3 car. But I don't personally know whether that's what I want to do, specific to that number. I need to really sit down. Because like I said, I'm going to make this decision once. So I have to really ask myself if I want to be driving that number the rest of my career. With respect to my father, I don't feel very comfortable with that. He made that number what it is. With respect to him, I believe that it belongs to him, you know what I mean? I never say never, and I've told you guys before that I was interested in doing that but later in my career, and I still feel like that. I still feel that way. If that's something Richard's interested in, we can explore that, but that's a long way down the road. And again, I'm just going to, like I said, I'm going to listen to everybody who wants to talk and form my decision from those discussions.”
Stevie Slater cell (405-436-2088)
www.reddirtracing.weebly.com
Sportmod #00
Red Dirt Racing
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