Dale Jr. wants big percentage of DEI

Reck

Reck

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Source: http://www.racingone.com/article.aspx?artnum=33191

Who said news never comes out of NASCAR's annual Media Day?

The negotiations between Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and DEI took another turn during Thursday's Media Day activities at Daytona with Junior now asking for a majority ownership stake.

With Earnhardt, Jr.'s contract at DEI set to expire at the end of the 2007 season, the two sides have been negotiating in hopes of finalizing an extension.

Earnhardt, Jr. met with DEI officials on Wednesday night, including newly-appointed president of Global Operations Max Siegel and director of motorsports Richie Gilmore.

DEI president Teresa Earnhardt was not in the meeting.

It was the first meeting between Siegel and Earnhardt, Jr., who came away impressed.

"I like how things are going," he said. "Max is going to be great for the company. Everything is on an upswing."

There were reports an ownership stake was part of Earnhardt, Jr.'s demands, but a majority role is a new twist.

"The main factor is the ownership part," Earnhardt Jr. said. "It has nothing to do with money and nothing else really. My father has been gone for almost six years now. I want majority ownership."
 
I think with a 51% ownership he might take dei to the top of the heep. Her 49% could be more valuable than what she has now.
If he does leave it will be hard to keep dei afloat for long. I just hope this stepmom is not willing to cut her nose off to spite her face! GOOD judgement needs to be used in times like these.
By this time in his life he must be knowledgeable of the workings of the business and have some of his own ideas.. I say give it to him.
Betsy:cool:
 
Betsy said:
I think with a 51% ownership he might take dei to the top of the heep. Her 49% could be more valuable than what she has now.
If he does leave it will be hard to keep dei afloat for long. I just hope this stepmom is not willing to cut her nose off to spite her face! GOOD judgement needs to be used in times like these.
By this time in his life he must be knowledgeable of the workings of the business and have some of his own ideas.. I say give it to him.
Betsy:cool:
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hell is about to freeze over...because betsy...i agree with you.

i think if she gives him 51%, the stock in that company will just rise...she'll make more money with 49% then with whatever she has now.

i think she's making bad decisions from the top...maybe he can change that.

i say give him a shot.
 
hell is about to freeze over...because betsy...i agree with you.

You'r coming around are you? I have class here every Friday evening...You coming sometimes soon?
Betsy;)
 
Betsy said:
You'r coming around are you? I have class here every Friday evening...You coming sometimes soon?
Betsy;)
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ROFL Betsy!

I agree that Teresa's business knowledge is lacking and her decisions have hurt DEI.
 
Hmmmm, once again it seems that people are speaking from their heart instead of from their head. All I've ever heard was Teresa Earnhardt was the backbone of Dale Earnhardt and she was the main reason that DEI was as successful as it has been. I don't see anyone hear agreeing with that at all, but I wonder what anyone hear who doesn't agree with it is basing their opinions on. Now I'm not fan of Teresa's but I can see success when it's in front of me. Yes, I do know that the popularity of Jr is and always has been the backbone of DEI, but remember who has been behind the checks at DEI for at least the last six years, but probably even longer. I do think that y'all are not giving the old broad the kudos that she's earned. But I think the reason for that is not based in fact, but in your opinions of Jr.

AND, while Jr. has this big following, who do you think is behind his huge success? Could it be another woman? Kelley vs. Teresa. Now that could really be a battle to watch. :) And remember, Teresa is also Kelley's step-mother.
 
my money says that Jr will get majority interest in DEI. That is, if Teresa is as smart as some here think she is. Quoting Tony Stewart, without Dale Jr DEI is a museum.
 
How large is Lil'Es cut of the merchandise sales? If he's majority owner will that go up?
I think his push is maybe a year or 2 too soon. If Siegel is the answer to the global aspect and if Teresa's main concern is the Earnhardt foundation then she might be willing to split the company...in the future.
I just don't see her wanting to take a chance that the foundation might flounder with her not in charge.
 
The way I see it junior will get control of the company one way or another. If he leaves, DEI will start a downhill trend that will eventually make it worthless and at that point he could easily take it over, or Teresa could start giving him more control now. Maybe not 51 percent right now but maybe a deal that could give him controlling interest after, oh say, 5 years.
Just my opinion
:beerbang: :beerbang: :beerbang:
 
Jeez BP it is about winning races and attracting sponsors... All the rest will follow. Worrying about anything else will bring it all down.
Go for it lil E...
Betsy:cool:
 
I wonder if this is a way for Jr trying to get out of DEI? He might be giving Teresa an offer that he knows she won't accept, thus his exodus from DEI to RCR...
 
fergy1370 said:
I wonder if this is a way for Jr trying to get out of DEI? He might be giving Teresa an offer that he knows she won't accept, thus his exodus from DEI to RCR...
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I just had the same thought.

Considering their icey relationship, why would she give in to him?
 
o_rly.jpg
 
Hell yes!

:rolleyes: You'ns without stepmoms cannot understand how deep the hatred can run. Yes some stepmoms can ruin their own lives mistreating their stepchildren. Rarely is it the children that resent the situation.. Having been raised by a hating stepmom I can speak to this. Now here I am in my old age and I still cannot understand the workings of this particular hate.
In the case of stepmoms ANYTHING you can think of is possible.
Betsy :rolleyes:
 
Maybe some of you with more answers than me can explain why Teresa is getting ripped for her lack of racing knowledge and yet we have NFL owners, NBA owners and others who have never played an organized game and yet they don't have to live up to the same expectations. They know the business world. They know to surround themselves with quality people.
Could Jack Welch, former CEO of GE, make a toaster?
Hillary Rodham Clinton was on the board of Wal-Mart and I seriously doubt she's ever been in one.
Too many here are confusing racing with business. They aren't the same. The best racers often times make the worst businessmen.
 
Emotion is the major player in this discussion. Why should Teresa "give" Dale , Jr. a majority ownership in DEI ??? She could easily find other agreeable solutions to calm the situation.

Right now, Dale, Jr. is running full bore on fan and fellow driver reaction, testing the water and posturing for the best deal he can make. This is more, much more, than Dale, Jr. wanting to take over DEI, but a power struggle between step-mom and the late husbands kid.

Dale, Jr. is a smart young man who has shown his business savvy and could very possibly take total control of DEI, at a cost to himself. No owner in recent years has successfully driven and had controlling interest in a team. Racing is big business these days and comes with baggage.

From a business perspective, and were it me in the CEO's chair, given the circumstances as we know them, to give Dale, Jr. a larger percentage than he currently owns, if any, and put him in charge of the NEXTEL NASCAR racing teams. This would give him one of the things he wants and leave the running the balance of DEI, to Teresa.

I don't think anyone should sell Teresa short as to her ability to act in the best interest of DEI or her ability to run the corporation.

If, Dale, Jr. should leave and go with Childress, it would seem to me it is more to associate himself with his father and the number three team, just as Teresa gears herefforts on Dale Earnhardt Foundations and keeping his memory alive.
This is a oneupmanship card game and the trump cards are being held close to the vest if not already dealt. :)
 
Also, why should Lil'E receive 51%. What about Kerry, Kelly and Taylor? I would think they are just as worthy of receiving a fair split of DEI if its going to be split up.

And, an argument could be made that Taylor should get the lion's share since she's the product of Sr. and Teresa and the business was left to Teresa.

But, to separate this from the emotion what would the reactions be if Jeff Gordon wanted a majority share of Hendricks? Stewart of Gibbs? Can't the same arguments be made in their case?
 
Look let's make this real simple.

Who is the face of NASCAR?

Dale Jr.

Not the face of DEI, not the face of Budweiser, not the face of Nextel Cup - the most well known face in all of NASCAR, from the touring series right through the big boys on Sunday afternoon. It's Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Someone, whether it was a new friend, Tony Stewart, or a midnight toilet-bound epiphany, Dale has finally decided to make it work for him.

Junior has done exactly what Fergie eluded to - make an offer to stay that was wholly unacceptable. It was, quite possibly, the best business decision inside of NASCAR since the France family decided to sell the name rights to the entire top-level series. Not to mention, in the political realm of fond-fandom, he's set Miss Theresa up for a perfect role as the 'evil step-mommy'. Theresa is faced with a decision that is a no win for her. If she tells Junior 'yes', she's lost her hold on what's kept her going since her husband died - DEI. And soon, the children will force her out since she's not blood, and there's clearly animosity elsewhere. If she's says 'no', not only does she allow the face of NASCAR to go sign with another team - she'll turn virtually all of NASCAR against her. Because, let's face it, you're either a Junior fan, or you root for the underdog - and sometimes both. In this case not only is Junior the underdog, he's also Junior. Dale will surely head to RCR, climb inside the infamous #3 (which he's said for years he's wanted to drive), and become even more popular with the fans of NASCAR, if that is somehow even possible.

This is most definitely the demise of DEI as we know it. It will, someday, return under the control of the kids, but for now the mistake of Dale Sr. leaving it to Theresa has to play out as only Junior can let it. Theresa will have a fire sale in 3 to 4 years, with the final piece of merchandise being the famed name; Dale Earnhardt Incorporated. Which the Golden Son of NASCAR will snap up at a fraction of what it was worth anytime before, slap a new sign on Junior Motorsports, and it will become Dale Sr's intention, his dream - a legacy for his children.

- k y l e
 
If I had my druthers...which I don't! I'd rather see that big black #3 on the track with a Dale at the wheel.... Of course it won't make the money that a good working dei will but nevertheless... I'd just like to see the #24 passing that black car again.:D
Betsy ;)
 
Does anyone know why DE Sr. didn't drive for the team he owned? I don't, but I do know one thing, he left the business to her not ONE kid in the family.

IMHO, the family should respect his choice and if they want to start their own business, I'm sure they have the financial means to do just that.

DE Jr. should start cashing in on his name the same way his old man did.
 
IMO, Dale knew the challenges faced by a driver who had to be concerned with also being the owner. He wanted to be a driver. He wanted to win. His best chance was with Childress. Childress could handle all of the business decisions and not burden Dale with who to buy parts from or who to hire and fire. That's not to say that at some point he wouldn't have gone to DEI but I think he was happy where he was.
 
BP, I understand what you're saying but who in DEI worried about that stuff?

Either way, he was a driver/owner.

I guess he knew a good thing when he had it and didn't care to mess it up.
 
Okay, who was the last owner/driver (who drove for his own team) that was successful? I believe that would have been Alan Kulwicki and he was an aberration. Many have tried it and few have succeeded. I don't know that Jr. couldn't be successful, but it's clear that if a guy wants to control his team, it's very hard to be a winner.
 
Patrick9999 said:
BP, I understand what you're saying but who in DEI worried about that stuff?Either way, he was a driver/owner.
I guess he knew a good thing when he had it and didn't care to mess it up.
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Don Hawk and Teresa were overseers of DEI but Dale had some involvement as well, just not to the extent he would have if he were owner/driver for the same operation.
My guess is Dale's loyalty to Childress, and vice versa, plus their friendship was the controlling factor os to why Earnhardt stayed with RCR.
Earnhardt and Childress had a firm relationship on and off the track and were loyal to each other.:)
 
Since I majored in English, numbers really aren't my game, does anyone realize that 51% is divisible by 3 ---- Dale, Kelley, Kerry --- leaving 49% for Teresa and Taylor?

Just a random thought.
 
Being a Junior fan, I'm not sure how I feel about all of this. On the one hand, DEI is nothing without Dale Jr. As someone said earlier, he's not the face of the #8, of Budweiser, or even DEI. He is the face of Nascar. He knows he can get it if he wants it, and if he doesn't, he'll get a truckload of money from someone else as a free agent. On the other hand, he really has no legitimate claim to majority ownership other than being Dale Earnhardt's son. I would imagine that "qualifies" him for a minority ownership, maybe even 50/50, but not controlling interest.

In the end, I think he'll get what he wants, whether it's right or not. You'd be hard pressed, IMO, to find someone who thinks DEI will be fine without Junior. Teresa will be losing a big piece of her pie, but the pie will be much bigger w/Junior than without.
 
I really don't understand why so many people think that just because Jr. is the son of the man who started the company, he is entitled to a piece of the pie. That's just not the way things work in this country. Dale Earnhardt said time and time again that it was his wife Teresa that was the reason that he was successful. She's always been the force behind DEI, whether making the hard decisions or naming the right people in the right places to do so. I totally believe that Dale Sr. always felt that Jr. would be the driving force at DEI and after the elder retired, he would then be like Richard Childress was to him, towards his son. But things don't always work out like we have planned and no one really knows what the old man wanted in the case of his death, unless it was stated in his will. I don't know that he had a will, but it would only make sense because of the sport he so loved.

In the case of who should be entitled to DEI because of family ties, I'd put Taylor at the top of the list, and she would more than likely be the controlling interest in the unlikely death of her mother. Now wouldn't that be a tangled web?
 
Actually, it makes no difference who is entitled to controlling interest of DEI. :) Fact is Jr is in the drivers seat in more ways than one. We need a poll:

1. Jr ends up with majotity stake.
2. Teresa retains majority ownership.
3. Jr leaves DEI for another team.
 
Nascar, DEI and the entire planet will continue along with or without Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The fact that he and his fans may not know that has very little to do with the facts of the situation.

Personally, I've seen many children in temper tantrums and it hasn't brought my world to an end :rolleyes:
 
Patrick9999 said:
Nascar, DEI and the entire planet will continue along with or without Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The fact that he and his fans may not know that has very little to do with the facts of the situation.

Personally, I've seen many children in temper tantrums and it hasn't brought my world to an end :rolleyes:
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Nascar and the entire planet will...youve got that right...but i dont think DEI will.........
 
Seems everyone has an opinion but no one has a predicition.

Here's mine, right or wrong and not that anyone really cares but what the heck..............

Dale, Jr., will not get controlling interest of DEI.

IF, Dale Jr., does leave for another team, DEI will remain viable.

It will not be the end of NASCAR as we know it which is what so many said when Dale Sr. lost his life.

Funny how things keep on keeping on, but no one is indespensible.
When one Pope dies, the Catholic Church elects another Pope and the world continues to turn.

My thought is, Teresa is smart enough to bring things up to snuff by hiring the right people, as she has done in the past. The hardest thing about business is knwoing your shortvcomings and compensating for them with people who fill the gaps and bring new energy. Theresa has the ability to do that.

Of course, my prognostication could very easily be fulla crap. But do any of us really know ???? :confused:
 
Of course, my prognostication could very easily be fulla crap. But do any of us really know ????
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Well my barber has a cousin who was at a WalMart in GSO and he heard some of the stock guys talking, one of which sister lives in NCharlotte whose best friend went to school with a jackman on Mark Martin's new team, anyway he said...
 
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